Max Verstappen overwhelms from post to take record-broadening fifteenth win of 2022; Yet Charles Leclerc holds off Sergio Perez in finale to complete second in race and title; Mercedes battle with Lewis Hamilton experiencing mechanical disappointment and George Russell punished for perilous delivery
Max Verstappen guaranteed a predominant Abu Dhabi GP triumph to close down his sparkling 2022 title-winning season in style, however Charles Leclerc denied Red Bull an ideal finale by holding off Sergio Perez for second spot in the race, and the title.
A record-broadening fifteenth win of a 22-race season never searched in peril for Verstappen after he held off his partner into the main corner from post, albeit the fight behind was retaining and went down to the last laps
Leclerc and Perez came into the last race locked on focuses and the Ferrari was the large dark horse behind the Red Bulls, albeit a two-halting Perez couldn't get Leclerc, who like Verstappen was one-halting, in time.
Red Bull, left regretting a 1.3s hole at the checkered banner, in this manner didn't take the first two in that frame of mind in their set of experiences.
"We had the ideal race," said Leclerc. I knew the main way for us to beat Checo was with an alternate technique.
"I truly trust one year from now we can make a step in the right direction and battle for the title."
Carlos Sainz was fourth in the other Ferrari, with Mercedes battling in the last race of a troublesome mission.
Lewis Hamilton was running just a little ways off of a charging Sainz on the penultimate lap prior to experiencing a water driven issue; Mercedes' most memorable mechanical disappointment of the year. That fixed what was unavoidable, Hamilton neglecting to come out on top in a race in a season without precedent for his 22-year profession.
George Russell completed the race, in fifth, albeit solely after serving a five-second punishment for a hazardous delivery in the pits.
In his last race of a sparkling and title-loaded F1 vocation, Sebastian Vettel scored a point in the Aston Martin - albeit needed more after a one-stop technique saw him fall back behind his colleague Spear Walk, and High's Esteban Ocon.
He completed the race simply behind Daniel Ricciardo, who is likewise leaving the game - possibly for all time - as he exits McLaren for a destined to-be-affirmed move back to Red Bull as an improvement driver.
Individual numerous boss Fernando Alonso experienced another DNF, his fourth from the last seven races of his High vocation before he replaces Vettel in the Aston Martin for 2023
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Final result
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| Abu Dhabi GP: Max Verstappen closes down |
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
3) Sergio Perez, Red Bull
4) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
5) George Russell, Mercedes
6) Lando Norris, McLaren
7) Esteban Ocon, High
8) Spear Walk, Aston Martin
9) Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren
10) Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin
How Leclerc denied Red Bull their ideal finale
Verstappen's triumph might not have been a shock at Yas Marina, yet Perez missing out to Leclerc unquestionably was.
Perez came into the last race with additional energy, speed and a superior beginning situation to Leclerc, who hadn't come out on top in a race since July's Austrian GP and hadn't completed higher than third for four races.
Be that as it may, Leclerc, who is so frequently abandoned by the Red Bulls over race pace with Ferrari's sub-standard tire the executives, switched structure and kept with the Red Bulls in the primary stretch, and especially, the second.
His speed behind Verstappen and Perez constrained Red Bull into a second stop for the Mexican with 25 laps remaining.
Perez was around a second-a-lap quicker than Leclerc on new tires, however was possibly significantly held up by Hamilton - with the Mercedes driver surpassing him in a jobs inversion from last year's disputable Abu Dhabi decider - however the Monegasque, and Verstappen, figured out how to hold pace on wearing elastic masterfully.
Leclerc kept Perez out of DRS range on the last lap and crossed the checkered banner a second ahead to seal his best-ever-title finish.
"At the point when you take a gander at the season it's actually outperformed whatever we might have at any point envisioned or what we've at any point figured out how to accomplish," Red Bull supervisor Christian Horner told Sky Sports F1.
Mercedes end disheartening season on a low
Mercedes said they had zeroed in on the race after a frustrating passing, despite the fact that battled on and out of control at Yas Marina.
From Hamilton's side, he had an exciting beginning to the race and a devastating completion.
The seven-time title holder had a fight with Sainz on the main lap, just holding position at the initial chicane in the wake of running over the thunder strips, which might have harmed his vehicle's floor. Subsequent to offering back the position he passed Sainz, albeit then lost pace as he was passed by the Ferrari, and Russell.
He tracked down pace again on the hard tire despite the fact that wasn't content with a one-lap procedure and afterward, similarly as he looked set to get passed by Sainz on Lap 57 of 58, he experienced a race-finishing hydrodynamics issue.
On Sunday, Russell struggled just as much. On the first lap, the Sao Paulo Grand Prix champ lost a position to the consistently impressive Lando Norris. After regaining it, he appeared to surprise his team in the pits, had a sluggish pit stop, and a slow release at his next stop that cost him five seconds.
At the end zone, he was actively campaigning and might have passed Hamilton before his teammate's DNF.
Vettel bids Formula One adieu.
In his 300th and, he claims, last F1 start, Vettel put up a spectacular performance.
The four-time world champion moved up to ninth on the opening lap, but it seemed that his early struggles with the Alpines ultimately worked against him since Aston Martin picked a different one-stop strategy that harmed him later in the race.
Vettel, however, continued to show off his wheel-to-wheel prowess by battling through the pack and coming dangerously close to passing Ricciardo at the finish line.
He exits Formula One as one of the best drivers and athletes the sport has ever seen.
The former Red Bull and Ferrari driver stated, "The last two years have been incredibly, maybe disappointing from a sporting point of view, but very, very helpful and crucial to me in my life."
"A lot of things occurred and I realised a lot of things. Being in our position is a great privilege, but it also carries some responsibility. I wish to impart some of this knowledge to the other drivers so they may continue the good work."
It's wonderful to see that we have the opportunity to empower you with what we do and say, he continued. Obviously, it's what we love, and if we can share some of the really essential ideals through that, that's significant, and I think for that the previous two years have been amazing for me. Still, I believe there are much greater and more important things than racing in circles.
"Throughout my career, it has been an amazing joy, so thank you."
