Verstappen ends F1 season with processional win in Abu Dhabi

The Dutchman led every lap of what turned out to be a processional race in his Red Bull to cross the line 15.9 seconds ahead of Mercedes pair Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton on an uncharacteristic off day for the otherwise dominant champions.

“It was really enjoyable out there today,” said Verstappen, who ends the season third behind Bottas in the overall standings, after taking his 10th career win and second this year.

“We did basically everything alright.”

Mercedes, who have wrapped up a record seventh straight title double, had no answer to the pace set by Verstappen’s Honda-powered car.

Unbeaten in Abu Dhabi for six years in a row, with Red Bull’s 2013 win in the Gulf Emirate the last time another team tasted victory at Yas Marina, Mercedes were running their cars with their engines turned down due to reliability concerns.

That denied them the satisfaction of capping a dominant season on a high, with the Brackley-based team signing off with 13 wins from 17 races.

“We thought race pace would be really identical,” said Bottas, who was back on the podium for the first time since the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the start of November.

“But they could really control the race and get the gap when needed.”

Verstappen’s victory denied Hamilton a 12th win of the season, which would have made 2020 his most successful year yet, with the Briton never having won more than 11 races in a single campaign.

But the 35-year-old, still struggling from the after effects of COVID-19, was relieved to simply get through the race.

“That was a really hard race for me physically,” said Hamilton who wrapped up a record-equalling seventh title last month.

“I’m just glad it’s over.”

Alexander Albon, who faces an uncertain future with Red Bull considering whether to retain him, put in a solid drive to take fourth place.

Lando Norris took fifth ahead of Ferrari-bound McLaren team mate Carlos Sainz in sixth, allowing the Woking-based squad to overhaul rivals Racing Point and secure third in the overall constructors’ standings.

Daniel Ricciardo was seventh on his Renault farewell, the Australian signing off with the fastest lap of the race. Sebastian Vettel brought the curtain down on his Ferrari career by finishing a lap down on Verstappen and behind Charles Leclerc in 14th.

Sergio Perez, who became F1’s newest winner in Sakhir last weekend, was the only casualty of the race.

Still without a drive next year, his Racing Point suffered a loss of power just 10 laps into his swansong for the Silverstone-based team, which brought out the virtual safety car.

The 30-year-old still claimed fourth in the overall standings.

Kevin Magnussen, in what could be his final F1 outing, was 18th for U.S.-owned Haas.

MERCEDES – Winners of both titles for an unprecedented seventh year in a row, Mercedes passed Williams in the list of all-time race winners with 115. The team won 13 of the races and started all but two on pole.

LEWIS HAMILTON – The Briton became the most successful Formula One driver of all time with a record 95 race wins and a seventh championship that equalled Ferrari great Michael Schumacher’s record haul. He won 11 of the races and beat team mate and overall runner-up Valtteri Bottas by 124 points.

HONDA – The only engine manufacturer apart from Mercedes to win races, Honda powered Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to two wins including Sunday’s at Yas Marina and also Pierre Gasly to an emotional victory at Monza for AlphaTauri.

SERGIO PEREZ – The Mexican won in Bahrain on his 190th start, becoming his country’s first race winner in 50 years and handing Racing Point a first success under that name. He finished fourth overall in a fine year for a driver shown the door by his team and with no seat secured for 2021.

PIERRE GASLY – a standout season for the Frenchman who has rebuilt his reputation at AlphaTauri after being dropped by sister team Red Bull. His win at Monza, the first French winner since Olivier Panis in 1996, was a highlight of the season.

MCLAREN – Third overall, their highest position since 2012. The former champions made steady progress in their last season with Renault before entering a new phase with Mercedes power.

FORMULA ONE – Successfully staged a season at a time of pandemic, reviving races that had fallen off the calendar and inventing some new ones. Safety also triumphed, with Frenchman Romain Grosjean walking away from a fiery crash that split his car in two in Bahrain.

FERRARI – The sport’s oldest and most successful team suffered their worst season since 1980, when they finished 10th overall. Ferrari failed to win a race and ended up a distant sixth after suffering a drop in engine performance. Departing Sebastian Vettel had a lacklustre year but team mate Charles Leclerc at least provided hope for the future.

WILLIAMS – The former champions failed to score for the first time since the 1970s. The team was sold in August and the founding family departed. George Russell, although a Williams driver, ranks as a winner for his exceptional performance at Mercedes as stand-in for COVID-hit Hamilton.

VALTTERI BOTTAS – Being Hamilton’s team mate is a thankless task but Bottas ended up further away than ever. He won two races but the points gap to Hamilton was a chasm.

HAAS – Another tough year for the U.S.-owned team, who finished ninth and cleared out both their drivers Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean.

RACING POINT – Despite Perez’s stirring win, the Canadian-owned team missed chances and were docked 15 points for breaking the rules with a car closely modelled on last year’s Mercedes. They finished fourth ultimately, seven points behind McLaren.

CROWDS – The pandemic meant most races were staged without crowds. The highlight races of Monaco and Singapore were cancelled entirely along with all races in Asia and the Americas. Vietnam’s planned debut never happened.

REUTERS