- Max Verstappen became the Formula One world champion on Sunday after a breathless race in Abu Dhabi.
- Lewis Hamilton had been cruising to victory until a late safety car turned everything on its head.
The most thrilling and dramatic Formula One season in years had one more twist in the tale as last-lap drama in the final race gave Max Verstappen his maiden world title.
His title rival, Lewis Hamilton, looked to be cruising towards a record-breaking eighth world championship until a late safety car and a controversial decision by the stewards set-up a final-lap shootout between Hamilton and Verstappen.
Given Verstappen was on fresh tires, Mercedes was furious while Red Bull was ecstatic. The end result was a predictable one. Hamilton tried to keep Verstappen at bay but the Dutchman was eventually able to pass.
It left both race fans and those watching the sport for the first time scratching their heads. Read on to see how the drama unfolded.
How the dramatic season finale unfolded, lap-by-lap
Lap 1/58: Verstappen starts on pole, but is overtaken immediately by Hamilton heading into the first corner.
The Red Bull driver trails until he reaches turn six when he tries to overtake Hamilton on the inside.
The Mercedes driver leaves the track and cuts the corner, maintaining his lead in the process. The stewards say he will not have to give the place back as he was pushed off by Verstappen.
Lap 20/58: Hamilton has been cruising out in front but, after both he and Verstappen pit for new tires, he comes up against his first obstacle: Red Bull's Sergio Perez.
Verstappen's teammate has yet to pit so is on old tires, but is in the lead by virtue of having not stopped. The Mexican produces some excellent defensive driving to keep Hamilton behind for almost two laps, and give Verstappen a chance to cut the gap.
Lap 21/58: Perez is eventually overtaken by Hamilton, but his work has allowed Verstappen to cut the gap to just 1.169 seconds, almost in DRS range.
Lap 37/58: Antonio Giovinazzi's Alfa Romeo career comes to an abrupt end as a problem with his car means he is forced to retire. He parks on the side of the road but race director Michael Masi decides it is not possible for marshals to safely remove the car with cars driving at full speed, so a virtual safety car is deployed, forcing cars to slow by 40%.
Verstappen pits for a set of fresh tires, while Hamilton stays out. As all the cars on track are going slower than full pace, Verstappen only loses around 14 seconds to Hamilton, compared to around 25 seconds for a pit stop during regular racing conditions.
He comes out needing to gain around 0.8 seconds per lap to win the race, an uphill task.
—Formula 1 (@F1) December 12, 2021
Lap 53/58: With five laps remaining, Hamilton looks to be cruising to victory, leading by 12 seconds.
But Williams' Nicholas Latifi crashes into the wall following a battle with Haas' Mick Schumacher. This time, a full safety car is deployed and Verstappen once again pits, this time for the fastest tire, the soft.
Hamilton though, is unable to do so, as Verstappen would have been able to overtake the
Not knowing whether or not the race will end under the safety car, Mercedes decides this is too risky and tells Hamilton to stay out.
Lap 56/58: As Verstappen is in the pits, several cars that had previously been lapped catch up to Hamilton, placing them between him and Verstappen. Under the safety car rules, it is up to the race director to decide if these cars can overtake the safety car and reform the correct race order.
Bosses Toto Wolff and Christian Horner both began pleading their case to race director Masi. The Mercedes boss wants the race to end under the safety car, while Horner wants the lapped cars to be moved out of the way, the only realistic way for Verstappen to be able to race against Hamilton for the title.
Lap 57/58: With laps running out, it is looking likely that the race and season will end under a safety car as it would take a full lap for all of the lapped cars to overtake Hamilton and the safety car.
However, race director Masi decides to allow just the five cars between Verstappen and Hamilton to overtake the safety car. The safety car is then brought in at the end of the 57th lap, setting up a final-lap shootout between the two title contenders.
—Formula 1 (@F1) December 12, 2021
Mercedes' top staff are furious as, despite Hamilton having the lead, Verstappen is on fresh tires meaning he can go faster and brake later, giving a huge advantage in a single-lap shootout.
"Michael, this isn't right," Wolff says over the radio as the drivers duke it out.
Hamilton tries to defend, but is overtaken halfway through the final lap. The seven-time world champion has one final try to take back the lead, but is unsuccessful as Verstappen speeds away and across the finish line, claiming the title in the process.
The drama continues post-race
Despite the race being over and Verstappen having lifted the trophy, the drama does not end there as Mercedes announces it is filing two protests against the result.
The first protest is in regards to Article 48.8 of
Mercedes alleges that Verstappen did that on the approach to turn 12 on lap 57, pushing his car's nose marginally ahead of Hamilton's.
The second protest is based on Article 48.12, which states that "any cars that have been lapped by the leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the safety car."
Five cars – Lando Norris, Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon, Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel – were allowed to do this, but Daniel Ricciardo, Lance Stroll and Mick Schumacher were not.
After a meeting where both Mercedes and Red Bull staff pleaded their case, the two protests were rejected and the result stood. Verstappen remained world champion.
Mercedes has announced its decision to appeal, this with a result pending but it could take some time for an outcome.