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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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Pit stop
Leclerc, fresh from his Turn 4 off-track scare, pits on lap 16 and is followed in by Ocon.
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
Hamilton responds to Verstappen, taking on the hard tyre - but will crucially rejoin ahead of Sainz.
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.
"We keep losing gears - this may keep happening," Norris is told.
Bottas, still stuck behind Tsunoda, might have this problem the entire race unless he gets by with both of them starting the race on mediums. The rest ahead are on softs apart from Hamilton.
Pit stop
Verstappen pits now, at the end of lap 13! He picks up the hard tyre now, ditching those softs.
"The rear tyres are really struggling," Verstappen reports, as the softs start to wear away.
Stopwatch
"These are great laps, Lewis, keep it up," Bono tells his driver over the radio. Another fast lap from Hamilton, a 1m28.134s - he's 4.5s clear.
Pit stop
Schumacher is the first driver to pit in this race, swapping his softs for hards at the end of lap 11, to come out in last place.
Stopwatch
Hamilton posts a 1m28.216s to set the fastest lap so far, extending the gap at the front to beyond three seconds.
10 laps into this race and with no early safety car and the gaps starting to stretch out the race strategists are about to earn their money.
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"Rears starting to struggle a little bit," Verstappen reports.
Hamilton has a 2.3s gap over Verstappen now, but crucially, Red Bull has two cars in the top three - Bottas is still down in eighth.
We're sure the controversy over that move will continue - but we're also sure this won't be the only controversy in this race. Let's focus forward now.
Red Bull has continued to state its position on the radio to FIA race director Michael Masi, but the reply is "the stewards have looked at it and are not investigating it".
Vettel has moved ahead of team-mate Stroll to take 14th place in the charge down the back straight.
If Bottas is going to help his Mercedes team-mate he really needs to get a wiggle on. The Finn is still in eighth place behind Tsunoda and 15 seconds behind the leaders.
Among the fun, we missed Sainz pass Norris to claim fourth, and Leclerc is now chasing the McLaren driver.
Also a tough start to this race for Russell who is in last place behind Schumacher, but unlike recent races the midfield was largely well behaved in the opening tussles.
Hamilton is now a second and a half up the road from Verstappen. Verstappen is told about the situation, who is less than pleased with the stewards' call.
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"Jonathan, he forced him out there. That's why we asked him to give back the advantage," Michael Masi tells Red Bull's Jonathan Wheatley.
Crucially, no investigation necessary, according to race direction. It's as you were for now.
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"He pushed me off track", Hamilton says. "We're happy with the gap you've established," says Pete Bonnington, who's hoping that Hamilton won't have to give the place back.
A poor start for Bottas who has lost to places to Leclerc and Tsunoda on the first lap and is in eighth place.
Verstappen dives down the inside at Turn 6, nudging Hamilton off the track - who keeps the lead but will surely have to give it back!
Hamilton gets an excellent start - and he's into the lead! Norris goes off-track at Turn 1 and goes wide, letting Perez trickle into third!
Lights out
For the final time this year - the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix...is GO!
Green flag
The formation lap begins. The calm before the storm...
Breaking news
Tyre news: Alonso and Gasly on hards, Hamilton, Bottas, Tsunoda, Stroll, Giovinazzi, Vettel, Latifi, Russell and Raikkonen on mediums - the rest on softs.
Five minutes to go, folks. I'm tense now.
Sun
Risk of rain is at 0%, so we won't get a Belgium today. Air temperature is 25 degrees C - and falling as day becomes night.
"Massive attack", Toto Wolff declares ahead of the race. Glad to see Bristol's biggest trip-hoppers get a shout out.
There's a big sea of orange in the stands - good to see so many Richard Verschoor fans out in full force as he made his F2 return this weekend.
We're flying our best neutral flag for this one, simply just hoping for a good race. Go Sports!
Breaking news
Of course, any chances of Haas moving up the order is restricted by the fact Nikita Mazepin won't race today, after testing positive for COVID.
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Aston Martin has seventh locked down, Alfa Romeo needs 11 points at a minimum to overturn Williams in eighth, and Haas could move up the order if Mick Schumacher snares an unlikely podium.
Alpine is 29 points clear of AlphaTauri in P5, so the Italian team also needs at least a podium and a top-four result to have a chance of snatching it at the death.
Looking away from the title fight, there's still scores to be settled elsewhere. McLaren can, mathematically, wrest third in the constructors' title from Ferrari, but need a win and a podium and for both red cars to score no points.
By: Autosport Staff
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