New Delhi: Dutch Red Bull racer Max Verstappen ousted British Mercedes racer Lewis Hamilton in the final lap to win his maiden Formula 1 (F1) World Championship 2021 title at the Yas Marina Circuit of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (GP) 2021 on Sunday.
Verstappen led the line-up, followed by Hamilton, Lando Norris, Sergio Perez, Carlos Sainz, and Valtteri Bottas. Nikita Mazepin was scheduled to start last but was out of the event after testing positive for coronavirus.
The thrilling 58-lap event saw Hamilton’s brilliant launch as Verstappen changed tracks frequently and relied on inside turns to cut corners and his Red Bull counterpart Sergio Perez to surge forward.
Perez jumped to rank 3, and Bottas toppled to 8th position on the grid by lap 5. Sainz overtook Norris, who slipped to position 5 in the 9th lap. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc moved to rank 6 by lap 10.
Verstappen made a pit stop and came 4th behind Sainz as Leclerc ran wide and forced a sharp exit to the Dutch at lap 15. Meanwhile, Hamilton also pitted, only to resume second.
Perez led lap 16 as he tried to slow Hamilton until his counterpart took over. Meanwhile, Verstappen reached 3rd position at lap 18 and was right behind Hamilton.
The duel between the rivals began as Verstappen closed the time frame at 8 seconds. Perez and Hamilton moved to and fro at lap 20, while steady Verstappen tried catching up.
Hamilton successfully overtook the Red Bull once again at lap 22. Yuki Tsunoda ranked 3, and Bottas came 4th when Perez made a pit stop at lap 23.
However, Kimi Raikkonen stopped the match as his car spun off, bruised the barriers, and suffered a damaged right wing at lap 26. The racing legend retired mid-game after a record of 349 races, 103 podiums, 21 wins, and one world championship.
The race also marked George Russell’s final match as he retired mid-game, citing a power issue. Mercedes was just 4 seconds ahead of the Bull by lap 30.
Hamilton marked the fastest lap at 32 and led with 5.2 seconds as Ferrari’s Leclerc prevented Bottas from overtaking him.
Antonio Giovinazzi bade farewell mid-event at lap 36. Meanwhile, Verstappen covered the distance to hold the fastest lap at 39 and was 1 second ahead of Hamilton.
The distance increased by 11 seconds by lap 47, and Hamilton seemed distraught. However, a yellow flag at lap 53 due to Nicholas Latifi’s crash at Turn 14 became a game-changer. Verstappen made a pitstop at lap 54, and Perez retired at lap 55 as Hamilton took the lead once again.
The match restarted with cars prohibited from overtaking. Hamilton and Verstappen were side-by-side as the Dutch zoomed ahead during the final minutes of the last lap and won his first World Championship title.
(Avya Mathur)