F1 LIVE: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix result and reaction as Max Verstappen wins after Lewis Hamilton retires
Max Verstappen celebrated his second title with a victory at the final race of the season as Charles Leclerc beat Sergio Perez to second place
Max Verstappen completed his championship year by taking victory at Formula 1’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 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 appearances. Hamilton left Abu Dhabi at the end of last season pondering if he would ever return, so aggrieved was he by Michael Masi’s officiating of the decider that cost him a record eighth crown. The seven-time world champion decided against retirement, but he will head into this season’s winter break having failed to register a single win – the first time that has happened in his career, which began in 2007 – and reflecting on a DNF that summed up a sour campaign. Elsewhere, Lando Norris finished sixth for McLaren, with teammate Daniel Ricciardo ninth in his last race for the British team. Sebastian Vettel started ninth and finished 10th in his final F1 appearance.
Follow all the reaction with our live blog below.
F1 LIVE: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix updates
Championship standings
1. Max Verstappen (C) - 429 points
2. Charles Leclerc - 290 points
3. Sergio Perez - 290 points
4. George Russell - 265 points
5. Lewis Hamilton - 240 points
6. Carlos Sainz - 234 points
7. Lando Norris - 113 points
8. Esteban Ocon - 86 points
9. Fernando Alonso - 81 points
10. Valtteri Bottas - 49 points
11. Sebastian Vettel - 36 points
12. Daniel Ricciardo - 35 points
13. Kevin Magnussen - 25 points
14. Pierre Gasly - 23 points
15. Lance Stroll - 14 points
16. Mick Schumacher - 12 points
17. Yuki Tsunoda - 12 points
18. Guanyu Zhou - 6 points
19. Alex Albon - 4 points
20. Nicholas Latifi - 2 points
F1 LIVE: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix updates
Starting grid
1. Max Verstappen
2. Sergio Perez
3. Charles Leclerc
4. Carlos Sainz
5. Lewis Hamilton
6. George Russell
7. Lando Norris
8. Esteban Ocon
9. Sebastian Vettel
10. Fernando Alonso
11. Yuki Tsunoda
12. Mick Schumacher
13. Daniel Ricciardo
14. Lance Stroll
15. Zhou Guanyu
16. Kevin Magnussen
17. Pierre Gasly
18. Valtteri Bottas
19. Alex Albon
20. Nicholas Latifi
F1 LIVE: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix updates
Max Verstappen clinched his seventh pole of the season as he beat Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez to the top of the charts in Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday.
Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz filled the second row ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and George Russell across the third row. McLaren’s Lando Norris, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel and Norris’s teammate Daniel Ricciardo rounded out the top 10.
Qualifying report:
Max Verstappen clinches pole at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in Red Bull one-two
Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz filled the second row ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and George Russell
F1 LIVE: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix updates
The race will start at 1pm GMT.
How can I watch it online and on TV?
The entire race schedule on Sunday will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 and on Sky Sports Main Event too. Highlights will be aired on Channel 4 for the race at 5:30pm on Sunday.
If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
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