Max Verstappen Dominates Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
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The Formula One season ended with its usual flourish under the Arabian evening skies in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

The race like the season was dominated by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen as he secured his record-setting 15th victory.

 

Qualifying

 

Qualifying saw a very familiar pattern where Red Bull and Ferrari dominated with Verstappen taking pole position from Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc edging out his teammate Carlos Sainz for third.

 

Mercedes locked out the third row of the grid with Lando Norris putting his McLaren in 7th place.

 

Race

 

With the sun setting over the Arabian Gulf the final race began with the Red Bulls pulling away at the front but the Ferraris had much more to contend with from the fast-starting Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

 

As the race settled in, Leclerc found some pace and was able to keep pace with the charging Red Bulls. Verstappen had a quiet race and was never challenged as he took the chequered flag.

 

Ferrari, however, got the upper hand on the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez by employing a ‘dummy’ radio call allowing Leclerc to take second place.

 

Leclerc held on to second place in the race which also proved crucial as he took second place in the final driver’s standings with Perez having to settle for third and third in the driver’s championship.

 

Carlos Sainz brought his Ferrari home in fourth place after tangling earlier in the race with Lewis Hamilton.

 

Mercedes Benz signed off with George Russell in fifth place but Lewis Hamilton suffered a hydraulic failure and was unable to finish the race.

 

2022 will not be remembered fondly by Hamilton who completed a season without a race victory for the first time in his 16-year Formula One career.

 

Sebastian Vettel Retires

 

Rounding out the top 10 and scoring his final point in Formula One was Sebastian Vettel.

 

Sebastian Vettel will go down in Formula 1 history as one of its all-time greats.

 

Vettel competed in his 300th and final Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi and walks away from a sport where he has been crowned world champion on four occasions.

His 53 race victories and 122 podium finishes stand testament to a driver who at times dominated Formula One in a way reminiscent of his compatriot Michael Schumacher.

 

 

Season Highlight

 

We have had a very interesting year in Formula One with its usual array of on-track wheel-to-wheel racing and off-track politics.

 

But one standout from this season was George Russell’s emotional win for Mercedes in the Brazilian Grand Prix in the penultimate race. Stepping out from the shadow of his illustrious teammate Russell had a very consistent season and fully deserved his first victory.

Having moved from Williams, he showed a level of maturity and willingness to step up to the demands that Mercedes places on its drivers.

 

Conclusion

 

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix encapsulated the 2022 season as a whole. Max Verstappen and Red Bull dominated with Ferrari and Mercedes fighting for scraps, will this be the same pattern in 2023?

 

 

 

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