Abu Dhabi GP Highlights: Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel bid goodbye to F1 career with a 10th-place finish. But it was Max Verstappen who set the benchmark with 15 wins in 2022. He also made a hat-trick of wins in Abu Dhabi. As for the runners-up race, Charles Leclerc pipped Sergio Perez for the 2nd spot and bag the 2nd place in drivers’ world championships. Lewis Hamilton had his first retirement of 2022 due to mechanical issues. Watch Formula 1 Highlights with InsideSport.IN
Perez and Leclerc came to Abu Dhabi GP tied on points for 2nd place in the drivers’ championship. They produced a nailbiting battle on Sunday. Perez pitted early for both of his stops, while Leclerc reacted by extending his second stint and ensuring a one-stop strategy. The Red Bull driver closed in on the Ferrari with four laps remaining but couldn’t make his way past for P2, and therefore finished third and fell to third in the championship behind Leclerc.
Donuts for Seb too, and then a salute to the crowd ❤️#AbuDhabiGP #DankeSeb pic.twitter.com/zGm5Rw7IAg
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 20, 2022
Abu Dhabi GP Highlights: Max Verstappen WINS Abu Dhabi GP for 15th Race win, Leclerc & Perez finish on PODIUM as Vettel ends F1 career at 10th: Watch Highlights
Carlos Sainz finished fourth for Ferrari as Lewis Hamilton – who sparred with the Spaniard earlier on but was forced to return P4 to the Ferrari having gone wide at Turn 6 on Lap 1 – attempted a one-stop strategy but retired in the pits three laps from the end. That left Russell a lonely fifth for Mercedes.
Daniel Ricciardo’s one-stop strategy saw him finish ninth and just six-tenths ahead of retiree Sebastian Vettel, who couldn’t make it past the McLaren and took a single point to leave Aston Martin level on points with Alfa Romeo but behind the Sauber-run team in the standings.
Yuki Tsunoda missed out on points with a final stint on softs failing to pay off, while Alex Albon enjoyed a solid start and took P12 ahead of Zhou Guanyu and one-stopper Pierre Gasly – who began the race on softs.
Valtteri Bottas finished 15th ahead of Mick Schumacher, who finished 16th in his last appearance for Haas after taking a five-second penalty for clattering into Nicholas Latifi (who later retired). Kevin Magnussen was 17th as his one-stop strategy failed to pay off.
Verstappen, Leclerc, Perez and Vettel capped off Sunday’s race with some celebratory donuts as the 2022 Formula 1 season came to a close in Abu Dhabi – and the four-time champion bowed out of F1 with style.
Abu Dhabi GP Highlights: Max Verstappen WINS Abu Dhabi GP for 15th Race win, Leclerc & Perez finish on PODIUM as Vettel ends F1 career at 10th: Watch Highlights
Abu Dhabi GP Results:
| POS | DRIVER | TIME/RETIRED | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1:27:45.914 | 0 | |
| 2 | +8.771s | 0 | |
| 3 | +10.093s | 0 | |
| 4 | +24.892s | 0 | |
| 5 | +35.888s | 0 | |
| 6 | +56.234s | 0 | |
| 7 | +57.240s | 0 | |
| 8 | +76.931s | 0 | |
| 9 | +83.268s | 0 | |
| 10 | +83.898s | 0 | |
| 11 | +89.371s | 0 | |
| 12 | +1 lap | 0 | |
| 13 | +1 lap | 0 | |
| 14 | +1 lap | 0 | |
| 15 | +1 lap | 0 | |
| 16 | +1 lap | 0 | |
| 17 | +1 lap | 0 | |
| 18 | DNF | 0 | |
| 19 | DNF | 0 | |
| NC | DNF | 0 |
Drivers’ Championships standings
| POS | DRIVER | NATIONALITY | CAR | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NED | RED BULL RACING RBPT | 454 | |
| 2 | MON | FERRARI | 308 | |
| 3 | MEX | RED BULL RACING RBPT | 305 | |
| 4 | GBR | MERCEDES | 275 | |
| 5 | ESP | FERRARI | 246 | |
| 6 | GBR | MERCEDES | 240 | |
| 7 | GBR | MCLAREN MERCEDES | 122 | |
| 8 | FRA | ALPINE RENAULT | 92 | |
| 9 | ESP | ALPINE RENAULT | 81 | |
| 10 | FIN | ALFA ROMEO FERRARI | 49 | |
| 11 | GER | ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES | 37 | |
| 12 | AUS | MCLAREN MERCEDES | 37 | |
| 13 | DEN | HAAS FERRARI | 25 | |
| 14 | FRA | ALPHATAURI RBPT | 23 | |
| 15 | CAN | ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES | 18 | |
| 16 | GER | HAAS FERRARI | 12 | |
| 17 | JPN | ALPHATAURI RBPT | 12 | |
| 18 | CHN | ALFA ROMEO FERRARI | 6 | |
| 19 | THA | WILLIAMS MERCEDES | 4 | |
| 20 | CAN | WILLIAMS MERCEDES | 2 | |
| 21 | NED | WILLIAMS MERCEDES | 2 | |
| 22 | GER | ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES | 0 |
Constructors’ Standings:
| POS | TEAM | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | RED BULL RACING RBPT | 759 |
| 2 | FERRARI | 554 |
| 3 | MERCEDES | 515 |
| 4 | ALPINE RENAULT | 173 |
| 5 | MCLAREN MERCEDES | 159 |
| 6 | ALFA ROMEO FERRARI | 55 |
| 7 | ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES | 55 |
| 8 | HAAS FERRARI | 37 |
| 9 | ALPHATAURI RBPT | 35 |
| 10 | WILLIAMS MERCEDES | 8 |
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