Formula 1Fifteenth and last victory of the season for Max Verstappen, who wins the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for the third consecutive year. A race that also smiled on Charles Leclerc: second behind the Dutchman on the finish line, the Monegasque won the title of vice-world champion, ahead of Sergio Perez who completed the podium of the Grand Prix and the drivers’ world championship .
Max Verstappen ended the 2022 Formula 1 season with his 15th win of the year. The Dutchman from Red Bull won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, 22nd and final round of the world championship, ahead of Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), vice-world champion, and his Mexican team-mate Sergio Perez, on Sunday, on the Yas Marina circuit (5.281 km).
With the world title, the second in a row, already in Verstappen’s pocket, the main interest of this Grand Prix lay in the fight for second place overall, with Leclerc and Perez tied (290 points) at the start.
Behind Verstappen, who started on pole, Perez retained his second place ahead of Leclerc. The start was marked by a contact between Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) in the fight for fourth position. The Briton came off the track, but managed to stay in the race. However, he encountered problems with his car, and slipped to sixth position, behind his team-mate George Russell. The positions remained unchanged even after the first pit stop.
Perez pitted again on lap 34 for his second stop. Leclerc was trying to reach the finish with a one-stop strategy. Verstappen maintained a comfortable lead and signed the 35th success of his career. He therefore sets the record for Grands Prix won in one season at 15. The Dutchman had equalized Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel on October 23 by winning in Texas, improving the record a week later in Mexico.
Behind him, Leclerc resisted Perez and finished second in the race and in the championship. Then came Sainz, fourth, and Russell, fifth. Hamilton was forced to retire. For the last race of his career, the German Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin), quadruple world champion, was ranked tenth and in the points.