On 12 December, the 2021 Formula One (F1) finale of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ended in a dramatic way, with Red Bull driver Verstappen overtaking leading Hamilton on the final lap to win the title in Abu Dhabi for two consecutive years and crowning him the first F1 world champion of his career with this victory. Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu finished third in F2.
In the last Saudi Grand Prix, Hamilton withstood the pressure to win the first triple title of the season, and with Verstappen accumulated 369.5 points to enter the final leg of the season.
In Saturday's qualifying, Verstappen, with teammate Perez, led Hamilton by 0.371 seconds to take his 10th pole position of the season. Haas driver Ma Zeping tested positive for covid-19 before the race and withdrew from the main race.
With five red lights out and Verstappen making a mistake, hamilton overtook him in the initial stages, and then collided with Hamilton at Turn Six after trying to counter-time. Hamilton rushed off the track at one point, but eventually held the lead position.
On lap 14, Verstappen took the lead to put on a new hard tyre, leaving behind McLaren driver Norris, ranking fifth. On lap 15, as the only three drivers to start with neutral tires, Hamilton also entered the station to change into a hard tire, and after leaving the station, he was second behind Perez, and continued to refresh the fastest lap speed, gradually widening the gap with Verstappen to more than nine seconds.
On lap 20, Perez and Hamilton engaged in a round-to-round offensive and defensive battle, with Perez struggling to hold the lead and helping Verstappen close behind Hamilton. On lap 21, Perez was finally overtaken by Hamilton on the big straight, after which he quickly gave way to Verstappen and entered the station. Verstappen is just two seconds away from Hamilton.
In his 349th and final F1 Grand Prix, Finnish driver Raikkonen hit a parapet due to brake problems with his car and finally chose to retire on lap 29 after changing the front wing at the pit stop, saying goodbye to the paddock in a slightly regrettable way.
On lap 36, Raikkonen's Alfa Romeo teammate Giovinaz also withdrew due to a car failure and triggered a virtual safety car. Verstappen and Perez then used the virtual safety car to enter the same circle, replaced them with new hard tires, and used the tire advantage to gradually narrow the gap with Hamilton.
On lap 53, Williams driver Latifi collided with Haas driver Mick Schumacher and hit the guardrail, triggering a safety car. Verstappen took advantage of the safety car opportunity to put on the soft tires for the third pit stop and make a final attempt. Missing the pit entrance, Hamilton had to continue to stick to the track with hard tyres. On lap 56 and penultimate, Perez became the fifth driver to retire from the race.
On the last lap, the safety car came into the station and the race finally returned to normal. Verstappen took advantage of the huge tyre advantage to overtake Hamilton. Hamilton tried unsuccessfully to overtake, only to watch Verstappen take the lead in the line, winning the race and becoming the 34th world champion in F1 history, and the first Dutch driver to win the title, breaking the driver's seventh consecutive championship since the Mercedes hybrid era.
Ferrari driver Sainz finished third in the race, Red Bull Riders Yuki Kakuda and Gasley finished fourth and fifth, and Bottas, Norris, Alonso, Aucon and Leclerc finished sixth to tenth respectively.
In the end, Hamilton trailed by eight points to finish overall runner-up. Bottas and Perez were ranked third and fourth, respectively. Mercedes won the 2021 constructors' championship and achieved eight consecutive constructors' championships.
The Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi not only witnessed the birth of a new record, but also ushered in the finale of many songs. Raikkonen and Giovinaz bid farewell to F1 at the same time, with Giovinaz moving to the Formula E Championship next season.
Finnish driver Bottas transferred from Mercedes to Alfa Romeo and will partner China's first F1 official driver, "Ala Shanghai Xiaoyuan" Zhou Guanyu to compete in the new season.
The 2022 F1 opener bahrain grand prix will take place from 18 to 20 March.
Photo: Xinhua News Agency (Courtesy of Qian Jun Motorsport)
Source: Xinhua News Agency
Receive a Shanghai sports voucher