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Formula 1
Abu Dhabi GP
F1 Abu Dhabi GP Live Commentary and Updates - race day
Minute by minute updates for the Abu Dhabi GP 2021 F1 season finale
Max Verstappen sealed the 2021 Formula 1 world title with Abu Dhabi Grand Prix victory, clashing with Lewis Hamilton again and benefiting from a controversial late FIA safety car call.
The two rivals came together on the opening lap, but it was the decision to allow a final lap shootout that gave Verstappen the chance to put a decisive pass on Hamilton – who had led most of the race but was unable to stop during a virtual safety car and the full safety car that followed Nicholas Latifi crashing during the closing laps.
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Verstappen rejoins behind Norris, as Leclerc goes very wide to take evasive action from the pit-exiting Verstappen - giving Tsunoda the chance to pass Leclerc.
Pit stop
Hamilton responds to Verstappen, taking on the hard tyre - but will crucially rejoin ahead of Sainz.
Replay of a big snap from Leclerc, who perhaps tried a bit hard to clear Verstappen and went off into the run-off. Tsunoda remains ahead of the Ferrari.
Pit stop
Leclerc, fresh from his Turn 4 off-track scare, pits on lap 16 and is followed in by Ocon.
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Perez gets the call for "Plan B", so presumably he'll be used to try and back Hamilton up.
Leclerc is out from his pitstop in 16th and Ocon in 18th but expect them to cycle back through the field when the rest of the drivers pit later in this race.
Stopwatch
Hamilton punches in a 1m27.833s, as Verstappen goes wide at Turn 15 in his pursuit of Sainz ahead.
Pit stop
Norris and Giovinazzi the latest to pit, both coming in at the end of lap 17.
Stopwatch
Hamilton continues to punch in fast laps, a 1m27.780s, who's now almost 8s clear of Verstappen. Verstappen finally clears Sainz, who is yet to pit.
Hamilton's right on Perez's tail now after the Red Bull driver was very slow on that previous lap - almost 3s off Hamilton's pace.
Pit stop
A lap later Ricciardo takes his turn to pit having been running in seventh. So far all drivers that have pitted have gone on to the hard tyres.
Perez isn't making this easy at all, and although Hamilton got by at Turn 6, Perez got DRS into Turn 9 - and he's absolutely parking it in the final sector.
Verstappen's now just 2.4s behind Hamilton now - this has been stellar defending from Perez!
Hamilton finally gets past at Turn 6 on lap 21, as Perez hands Verstappen a big tow and lets his team-mate through. "Checo is a legend," Verstappen says, as the Mexican driver finally pits.
Pit stop
Stroll and Raikkonen the latest to pit at the end of lap 22, both now on hards too, coming out in 17th and 18th respectively.
Stopwatch
Hamilton's having to rebuild his gap now, opening the buffer to 2.5s at the end of lap 23/58. It's a 1m27.663s for the Mercedes driver.
Vettel has been pinged for going over track limits at Turn 16 on consecutive laps as his mediums begin to cry enough.
Pit stop
Tsunoda pits from fourth, rejoining behind Norris and Leclerc in 10th.
Pit stop
And Vettel also duly pits, coming out in 16th place ahead of Stroll on hards, leaving just Bottas, Alonso, Gasly, Latifi and Russell yet to pit in this race.
Yellow flag
Oh no! Raikkonen, on his final F1 race, has picked up damage at Turn 6!
Crash
TV replays show Raikkonen had a brake failure as his Alfa Romeo doesn't stop at the end of the back straight and he goes into a half-spin before giving the barrier a slow bonk to damage his front wing.
Mechanical problem
Raikkonen is able to get going again and returns to the pits in the hope of a repair for his stricken Alfa Romeo but it looks fairly terminal.
Verstappen's gone marginally quicker than Hamilton on that previous lap, chipping the gap down a little bit to bring it to 3.6s.
Mechanical problem
Two retirements in quick succession as Russell reports he has lost drive and trundles back to the Williams pits to end his day early on lap 27.
Stopwatch
"It's a long way for these tyres," Hamilton reports, as Red Bull is also assessing the second stop. Hamilton also dropped a 1m27.484s for a fastest lap, so the two may be linked..
Pit stop
Latifi makes his sole planned pitstop in this race and returns to the action in 17th and last place.
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"One more lap, everything you've got," Bottas is told, as he's still yet to pit from third.
Pit stop
Bottas does indeed pit, rejoining behind Leclerc in ninth place.
That long stint has put Bottas ahead of Tsunoda at least, but he still has both Ferraris and Norris ahead of him, out of those who have pitted, before he joins the fight between the frontrunners.
Stopwatch
It's a 1m27.444s for Hamilton, who gets the gap to Verstappen open to 5s now.
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"If we were to stop under safety car, what tyres would you like?" Hamilton is asked, as Mercedes assesses strategies for a potential second stop. "Both feel good," comes the reply.
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"You are doing a good job, a really good job," Leclerc is told over team radio as he defends boldly against Bottas.
Stopwatch
Verstappen has been able to throw a few punches back at Hamilton, but no sooner as he gets the gap down a bit, Hamilton retorts with a fastest lap. It's a 1m27.201s now.
That is until lap 35 when Bottas gets by Leclerc with the aid of DRS and gets the move done down the inside under braking at Turn 6. Bottas is up to eighth.
Safety car
Giovinazzi has lost upshifting and comes to a halt at the side of the track at the exit of Turn 9. That triggers a Virtual Safety Car.
Pit stop
This is big - Hamilton doesn't pit under the VSC, but Verstappen does!
Green flag
Virtual Safety Car is ending so we are back to green flag racing conditions on lap 38.
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Verstappen's flying on those fresh tyres now - a 1m26.321s lap on lap 38. Hamilton is responding, saying "bit of a risk leaving me out, no?"
An incident involving Tsunoda and Alonso has been noted by race control. Under VSC Alonso and Gasly both pitted, to see Tsunoda in seventh, Alonso in eighth and Gasly in ninth in the current running.
The gap between Hamilton and Verstappen is, at the end of lap 40, 14.8s. There's 18 to go.
By: Autosport Staff
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