Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2022
Max Verstappen ended the 2022 Formula 1 season in style as the Red Bull driver won his record-extending 15th race of the season at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The Dutchman and double world champion had another dominant drive as he showed once again in Abu Dhabi that he is head and shoulders above the competition.
However, Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez – who had a row with Verstappen in Brazil after his teammate refused to help him – was unable to capture second place as he lost out to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel both picked up points in what is potentially their last race in Formula 1.
Read on below as SBOTOP recaps the final race of the 2022 F1 season.
Highlights of the game
Clearly, this year’s Abu Dhabi did not have quite the same drama that it did last year, when Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were battling for the title until the very last lap. But there was still a big battle between Lerclerc and Perez – who were tied on points heading into the weekend – for second spot in the standings behind Verstappen.
And Checo’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2022 odds of claiming second were looking good as he qualified in second, just ahead of Leclerc.
Lewis Hamilton, who doesn’t have fond memories of Abu Dhabi after he infamously finished second to Verstappen last season, went fifth, while Sebastian Vettel would start his final race in ninth.
Hamilton seemingly got off to a good start as he was able to overtake Carlos Sainz despite going off track. However, upon investigation the stewards told Hamilton to give the place back, but the Mercedes driver took the place just a few laps later.
There were more Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2022 highlights in the back-and-forth battle between the two as Sainz struck back to regain the place. And while the two were battling it out, the two Red Bulls of Verstappen and Perez were quite comfortably in the lead.
As Hamilton continues to struggle in sixth, Sebastian Vettel was just a few places behind trying to get past Esteban Ocon for eighth. But Vettel was unable to gain ground before making his first spot – the last driver to do so.
The race for second finally got interesting midway through the race, with Leclerc inching his way closer to Checo. But Perez headed to the pits to surrender second place to Leclerc, who had been told to prepare for a one-stop strategy.
Perez was in hot pursuit of Leclerc, but he got caught up in a scrap with Lewis Hamilton for third. And with 10 laps to go, the Ferrari still had an 8.3 second lead over Checo. That lead had shrunk to just under five seconds with five laps to go as Leclerc tried desperately to hold on.
And with just two laps to go, Lewis Hamilton suffered a mechanical failure and was unable to finish the last race of the year.
Back to the battle for second, as Perez had pruned Leclerc’s lead to just two seconds with two laps remaining. But he was running out of time and in the end, Checo couldn’t quite chase down Lerclerc, who finished second both in the race in the drivers’ standings.
Verstappen strolled to his 15th victory of what has been a fantastic season. And on the opposite side of the top ten were Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel, who scored points in what could be their final F1 race.
Key statistics
Verstappen’s win was his third in a row at Yas Marina, the first time he’s won three in a row at any track.
Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc’s second-place finish was Ferrari’s best result at Abu Dhabi since 2018. Leclerc’s previous best finish at Abu Dhabi was fourth back in 2019.
Hamilton’s DNF was Mercedes’ only mechanical retirement of the 2022 season. The 36-year-old wound up in sixth in the drivers’ championship, his worst finish in 16 seasons in F1.
What’s next?
That’s a wrap on the 2022 Formula 1 season. Thus begins the four-month break, where the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari will try to catch up to Red Bull. And hopefully, that leads to a more competitive Formula 1 season in 2023.
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