Max Verstappen wins Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to crown second F1 world titl
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Max Verstappen completed his championship year by taking victory at Formula One’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as Lewis Hamilton’s record of winning in every season of his career went up in smoke when he retired with three laps remaining.
Verstappen finished 8.7 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who made a one-stop strategy work to secure the runner-up spot in the standings ahead of Sergio Perez.
The Red Bull driver stopped one more time than Leclerc, but failed to catch the Monegasque in the closing stages and finished third.
Carlos Sainz was fourth for Ferrari with Hamilton’s teammate George Russell fifth, leaving Mercedes behind the Italian team and third in the constructors’ championship.
Verstappen snatched victory from Hamilton a year ago to claim his maiden title in the most contentious of circumstances, but the Dutch driver has been the standout performer of 2022 and his win here under the thousands of bulbs that light up the Yas Marina Circuit was his 15th from 22 races.
