Verstappen wins Abu Dhabi GP, Leclerc denies Red Bull one-two

ABU DHABI: Two-time world champion Max Verstappen won the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc held off his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez to take second place in the drivers’ title championship.

The 25-year-old dominated from the pole and with a sublime performance took his record-extending 15th win of 2022.

With the closing race of the season, Red Bull extended their lead to 759 points way ahead of Ferrari’s 529, who finished second in this year’s championship.

Leclerc, who was in contention for the title earlier this year before Ferrari’s season collapsed under a barrage of mistakes and reliability issues, beat Perez on divergent tactics to finish in second on Sunday.

Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettels ended his glittering career with a point. Although, the four-time champion wanted to achieve more on his final race before a one-stop strategy forced him behind his team-mate Lance Stroll and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz rounded out the podium after he engaged in a tense race with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, who struggled with his Mercedes for much of the race and retired in the closing laps with a hydraulic issue.

The Briton ended the season for the first time without a win while his team-mate George Russell finished in fifth only after having to serve a five-second penalty for an unsafe release in the pits.

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