(Motorsport) Few would have predicted at the start of the season that the 2021 Formula 1 season would go right down to the wire with the result in the final race determining who will be crowned the World Champion. Lewis Hamilton won a chaotic Saudi Arabia GP which included two red flags, multiple crashes and a collision between the title challengers who are now level on points (369.5) heading into the Abu Dhabi GP at the Yas Marina Circuit.

The two rivals were neck and neck throughout the race but the controversial moment was when Hamilton made contact with Verstappen’s Red Bull after the Dutchman slowed down to let Hamilton past following a questionable defence in the earlier lap (lap 37). Instead of going past Verstappen, the brake was so sudden that Hamilton’s Mercedes ran into the back of the Red Bull, resulting in a 10 second penalty by the stewards. The collision resulted in a damaged front wing for Hamilton who called Verstappen “dangerous” and “crazy” as things became heated up.

To make matters worse for the Dutchman, he was also given a five second penalty by the stewards for forcing Hamilton wide in turn 1 of lap 37 which further compounded the flaring tensions and the overall race result. In the post race interview, Hamilton said “I didn't get the information so it was very, very confusing, all of a sudden he started backing up and then moving. I was like 'is he playing some sort of crazy tactic?’ All of a sudden messages started to come through, but he hit the brakes so hard I nearly went up the back of him. For him, it doesn't matter if we both didn't finish."

The race started with Verstappen in third position with Hamilton and Bottas in first and second places respectively but Mick Schumacher’s crash in lap 10 resulted in a safety car which prompted both the Mercedes cars to go into the pits for a tyre change while Verstappen remained on the track. Red Bull and Verstappen then had the advantage when the yellow flag became a red flag which meant that the Dutchman could go into the pits without compromising on his position, a decision which angered Mercedes and Hamilton.

However, when the race restarted, Hamilton surged past Verstappen to but the Dutchman soon got the first position back, albeit illegally but a crash between Sergio Perez, George Russell and Nikita Mazepin resulted in a red flag and Red Bull agreed with Race Control to give back Hamilton and Esteban Ocon their positions after the restart. Having done so, Verstappen then overtook both Hamilton and Ocon again to regain first position, resulting in a battle between the two title contenders with 33 laps to go. 

Through the duration of Verstappen’s lead, the Dutchman was helped by the Virtual Safety Cars to ensure the debris from various collisions was removed from the track after which the collision between Hamilton and Verstappen occurred. Despite the end plate of Hamilton’s front wing being broken, the seven time World Champion showed incredible pace and quickly overtook the Red Bull driver. Hampered by the time penalty and worn out tyres, Verstappen ended the Saudi Arabia GP 21.825 seconds behind Hamilton who also managed the fastest lap time. To add the cherry on top, Bottas overtook Ocon to take the final podium finish on an evening where Mercedes would be very happy with the result.

There is everything to race for at the final Grand Prix of the season at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi as either one of Hamilton or Verstappen will be crowned champion. Don’t miss out on the race from 6:30 pm IST onwards on Sunday, 12th December.

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