Verstappen claims 15th win, Leclerc second in title

Max Verstappen has taken his 15th win of the year while Charles Leclerc beat Sergio Perez to second in the drivers’ championship.

Verstappen dominated the race, ceding the lead only during the pit stop cycle.

Leclerc made a one-stop strategy work, holding on in the final laps to see off a hard-charging Perez.

Sebastian Vettel ended his Formula 1 career with a points finish, while Daniel Ricciardo also managed points on his final drive with McLaren.

As the race started, Verstappen narrowly held his lead into Turn 1 over Perez while behind, Hamilton made his way through on Sainz to take third.

Half a lap later, the Mercedes driver was elbowed aside, bouncing over the ripple strip as he rejoined, maintaining the place to remain fourth at the end of the opening lap.

That caught the eye of the stewards, on two points; forcing a driver off the track and leaving the track and gaining an advantage.

Out front, the two Red Bulls were edging away, Verstappen holding a one-second advantage over Perez who was, in turn, 1.3s clear of Leclerc after two laps.

On Lap 4, Hamilton was instructed to hand fourth place back to Sainz, which he did so in the final sector.

That switch lasted half a lap before the Mercedes driver used DRS to ease back through on the run to Turn 9.

Once ahead, Hamilton did not sprint clear, Sainz remaining well within DRS range which helped him blunt the attack from George Russell behind.

That allowed the Ferrari driver to launch a counter-attack on Hamilton, regaining fourth into Turn 9 on Lap 8.

Hamilton promptly fell out of DRS range while Russell was instructed he was free to attack his team-mate.

He duly did so, passing into Turn 9 on Lap 9.

Soon after, Hamilton reported a loss of power as the seven-time world champion quickly drifted off the back Russell.

The front of the race then settled into a steady tempo, Verstappen extending his lead over Perez who in turn was doing enough to stay clear of Leclerc.

In the pack. Sebastian Vettel found himself battling both Alpines, the trio in eighth, ninth, and 10th.

That continued until Esteban Ocon pitted on Lap 14 for a set of hard compound tyres, releasing Vettel.

Perez pitted from second on Lap 15, Russell following him in after having complained his front tyres were finished.

Lando Norris was also in, along with a warm of others as the pit lane became a hive of activity.

Upon rejoining the action, Perez became locked in battle with Vettel and Fernando Alonso.

A slow stop for Russell was compounded when he exited alongside Norris, the unsafe release noted by officials and subsequently punished with a five-second penalty.

Sainz pitted from third on Lap 17, feeding out into clear air, quickly catching and passing Alonso.

Hamilton, who was complaining of a broke floor, boxed on Lap 18 to rejoin ninth.

After 20 laps, Verstappen took to the lane, emerging 3.4s later with a set of hard compound tyres fitted.

He fed back on track just ahead of team-mate Perez, who had been the fastest car on the track after clearing the traffic which had blighted his earlier laps.

Leclerc stopped next time by, dropping to third and almost fourth as Sainz shadowed his team leader.

With the front of the field having completed their first, and for some only stop, Verstappen headed Perez, just as he had before pitting, though his margin had been reduced.

Leclerc had slipped back slightly in third, while Sainz was gradually falling away from his team-mate.

After 27 laps, Fernando Alonso retired, pulling into the pits to end his Alpine career in disappointment.

With a tyre advantage, Leclerc slowly began to reel in Perez in second, the Mexican complaining Verstappen was holding up despite being more than two seconds down on his team-mate.

Perez pitted for a second time on Lap 33, taking another set of hard compound tyres as he fell to sixth on track.

He immediately set the fastest lap, a 1:29.212s before the race stagnated once more.

That lasted until Lap 39 when Nicholas Latifi and Mick Schumacher came together, drawing a brief yellow flag at Turn 5 and earning the German a five-second time penalty

At the end of that lap, Sainz and Russell also pitted for the second time.

That saw Perez climb to fourth, though he remained more than 10 seconds down on Leclerc in second, who was heading to the flag with just a single stop.

He slowly reeled in Hamilton before clearing the Mercedes into Turn 7 on Lap 45, only to be immediately repassed on the run to Turn 9.

Next time around, the Red Bull driver remained in the slipstream into the chicane, preferring to attack into Turn 9 to complete the move.

It left him third, 9.6s back from Leclerc in second with 12 laps remaining.

The gap quickly began to fall. With seven laps remaining, it had reduced to 6.2s, falling to 5.4s with five laps remaining.

A hydraulic problem for Hamilton in the closing laps saw the Brit slow and tour back to the pits and retirement.

Perez’s pursuit of Leclerc was interrupted when he came across Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon.

The pair were locked in battle, delaying the third-placed runner at Turn 6.

It was only a minor delay, but it was decisive. Starting the final lap, Perez was 1.9 seconds behind Leclerc, enough to retain the place unchallenged and, with it, take second in the world championship.

Verstappen went on to win comfortably from Leclerc and Perez.

Sainz held on to fourth from Russell, then Norris, Ocon, Lance Stroll, Ricciardo, and Vettel rounding out the points.

Results: Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix