2022 Abu Dhabi GP: Verstappen cruises to 2nd title, Leclerc P2 in standings, Vettel's last race

MANILA: The 2022 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was easily won by Max Verstappen, but Charles Leclerc of Ferrari finished in second place to overtake Sergio Perez for the championship.

Verstappen held off teammate Perez into Turn 1 and switched from medium to hard tires on Lap 20 before finishing on hard tires for a record-extending 15th victory of the year.

At the 2022 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix , Perez and Leclerc, who were locked for P2 in the championship on points, put on a thrilling duel. Leclerc replied by prolonging his second stint and guaranteeing a one-stop strategy while Perez pitted early for both of his stops.

With laps left, the Red Bull driver tried to pass the Ferrari for P2, but was unable to do so. As a result, he finished third and dropped to third in the championship, behind Leclerc.

Lewis Hamilton, who previously sparred with the Spaniard but was obliged to relinquish P4 to the Ferrari after going wide at Turn 6 on Lap 1, attempted a one-stop strategy but retired in the pits three laps from the finish. Carlos Sainz finished fourth for Ferrari. George Russell was the lone fifth for Mercedes after that.

Despite Fernando Alonso's DNF in his final race for Alpine, the French team finished fourth in the constructors' standings thanks to Lando Norris' promotion to sixth place for McLaren and Esteban Ocon's seventh-place finish for Alpine. Lance Stroll came in ninth thanks to his two-stop strategy.

Two drivers retiring from F1 finished the top 10. Daniel Ricciardo, whose team opted for a one-stop strategy, saw him on P9 and finish in a dramatic fashion just six-tenths ahead of Sebastian Vettel. The four-time World Champion was unable to overtake the McLaren, and as a result, took a single point to leave Aston Martin on equal points with Alfa Romeo but behind the Sauber-run team in the standings.

Yuki Tsunoda of Alpha Tauri missed out on points as a final stint on soft tires failed to pay off, but Alex Albon of Williams had a strong start and finished P12 ahead of Zhou Guanyu of Alfa Romeo and one-stopper Pierre Gasly of Alpha Tauri, who started the race on soft tires.

Valtteri Bottas of Alfa Romeo finished 15th, ahead of Mick Schumacher, who placed 16th in his final race for Haas after receiving a five-second penalty for colliding with Nicholas Latifi of Williams (who later retired). Kevin Magnussen of Haas finished 17th in the 2022 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix because his one-stop plan did not work.

As the 2022 Formula 1 season came to an end in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, Verstappen, Leclerc, Perez, and Vettel celebrated by doing donuts on the starting grid of Yas Marina. And so the four-time champion also made a memorable exit from the sport.

Verstappen won the race for the third time in a row at Yas Marina, making it the first time in his career that he has won at the same circuit three years in a row. Verstappen's 15th victory of the year matched the total of victories earned by Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna during McLaren's nearly faultless 1988 campaign.

“It’s been a great team effort, especially after our tough start to the year. To turn it around like that I wouldn't have ever imagined, I think nobody in the team [would have imagined>, but it’s been really enjoyable to be part of the team,” Verstappen — ending the 2022 F1 season with 454 points, or the highest points ever achieved in a sole season by a driver in F1 history — expressed.

“We have a lot of fun – of course we focus on the performance, but you also really need to enjoy the moment, appreciate the moment, and I think we did that.”

Ferrari finished second in the race, the drivers' title, and the constructors' championship at the 2022 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Ferrari's performance at Yas Marina in second place for Charles Leclerc was their best since 2018. Prior to 2019, Leclerc had never placed higher than fourth in Abu Dhabi.

Four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel finished up his F1 career with a valiant effort to 10th place in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, adding one more point to his already impressive total. Additionally, he received fan votes to take the "Driver of the Day” title. He won the championship titles with Red Bull from 2010 to 2013.

Despite frustrations over his team’s out-of-sync strategy, Vettel managed to finish in the top 10 on race day at Yas Marina after storming to Q3 in his final qualifying appearance. This allowed him to raise his points total to 3,098 throughout his career — in addition to his 57 pole positions, 53 victories, and the aforementioned quartet of championships.

Post-race, when asked for his thoughts post-race, Vettel answered: “You know how it is, I wish it could have been a couple of more points, [but> I enjoyed the race. I think it was a bit of a different warm-up today, to get into the race, but once the lights go off, it’s full-on race mode.”

“I think we didn’t go for the best strategy, so it was a shame, because maybe we could have turned the constructors’ championship around for us, but overall [it’s> obviously a big day.”

Looking up to the spectators at Yas Marina, he added: “A big thank you for all the support – so many flags, so many smiling faces, which has been very, very special. I’m sure I’m going to miss it more than I understand right now.”

In response to questions about his parting words, Vettel urged the rest of the F1 grid to "carry on some of the good work" moving forward. The German had recently led the way as a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights as well as climate change, equality, and animal concerns.

“I think it’s a huge privilege being in the position that we are in, and with that comes some responsibility, so I hope to pass on a little bit to the other drivers, to carry on some of the good work. It’s great to see that we have the power to inspire [the fans> with what we do and what we say.

“I think there are far bigger and far more important things than racing in circles, but obviously it is what we love and through that, if we can transfer some of the really important values, that’s big. So I think for that, the last two years have been great for me.

“Thank you for the support, the messages, the letters and all the love in general. I will miss that, but it’s been an absolute joy throughout my career.”

The F1 2023 pre-season testing is scheduled to take place in Sakhir, Bahrain, from February 23 to 25.

Photos from Formula 1

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