Verstappen wins in Abu Dhabi whereas Leclerc takes second in 2022 title

Purple Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen cruised to victory on Sunday on the 2022 Formulation 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, closing out the season not solely with the championship but additionally a report 15 wins.

Whereas Verstappen already claimed the championship, the second of his profession, throughout October’s Japanese Grand Prix, the battle for second was very a lot alive going into Sunday’s race, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Purple Bull Sergio’s Perez each getting in with equal factors.

Leclerc in the end claimed second within the championship after a powerful run to second in Abu Dhabi, roughly 8.7 seconds behind Verstappen, whereas Perez claimed third following his third-place end in Abu Dhabi, roughly 10 seconds behind his teammate.

The race began with each Purple Bull drivers on the entrance row. Verstappen, on pole, pulled into the lead and was by no means actually unsettled from there. Behind them have been Leclerc and fellow Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz. Leclerc targeted on Perez whereas Sainz was left to battle with Mercedes-Benz AMG’s Lewis Hamilton, who would swap locations with Sainz a number of occasions all through the race.

Between Leclerc and Perez, the Purple Bull driver was the primary to pit, coming in on lap 15. Perez fell behind Leclerc after the primary cease however was again in second when Leclerc made his first pit cease on lap 21. Perez then made a second pit cease on lap 33 whereas Leclerc stayed out. The one-stop technique labored in Leclerc’s favor, as Perez by no means managed to catch up, although Leclerc needed to work onerous to handle his tires to see them final to the top.

Additional down, Sainz completed fourth whereas Mercedes’ George Russell completed fifth. Russell was promoted after Hamilton, who tried a one-stop technique, retired within the pits three laps from the top.

Following the weekend’s motion, Verstappen closed out the 2022 Drivers’ Championship with 454 factors. Leclerc completed second with 308 factors and Perez third with 305 factors. Within the Constructors’ Championship, Purple Bull completed with759 factors, versus the 554 of Ferrari and 515 of Mercedes.

With the season’s shut, F1 additionally bids farewell to Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel. The 4-time world champion in July introduced plans to retire from F1 after the present season, ending a profession that dates again to 2007. McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo, Haas’s Mick Schumacher, and Williams’ Nicholas Latifi are additionally out subsequent 12 months, although some could return in future seasons. There can even be new faces on the grid in 2023 within the type of American Logan Sargeant, who was confirmed on Sunday to fill the final remaining seat at Williams, in addition to beforehand confirmed AlphaTauri driver Nyck de Vries and Haas driver Nico Hülkenberg.

Beneath are the complete outcomes from the 2022 Formulation 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix:

1) Max Verstappen, Purple Bull Racing
2) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +8.771 seconds
3) Sergio Perez, Purple Bull Racing +10.093 seconds
4) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari +24.892 seconds
5) George Russell, Mercedes-Benz AMG +35.888 seconds
6) Lando Norris, McLaren +56.234 seconds
7) Esteban Ocon, Alpine +57.240 seconds
8) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +76.931 seconds
9) Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren +83.268 seconds
10) Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin +83.898 seconds
11) Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri +89.371 seconds
12) Alex Albon, Williams +36.016 seconds
13) Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo +1 lap
14) Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri +1 lap
15) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo +1 lap
16) Mick Schumacher, Haas +1 lap
17) Kevin Magnussen, Haas +1 lap
18) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz AMG – DNF
19) Nicholas Latifi, Williams – DNF
NC) Fernando Alonso, Alpine – DNF