(Motorsport) It was an extraordinary and controversial final race at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi while fittingly summed up the Formula 1 2021 season on the whole as Max Verstappen was confirmed as the race winner and 2021 world champion ahead of rival Lewis Hamilton. For most F1 fans, it was one of the most remarkable finales in the history of the sport where fans witnessed Verstappen overtaking Hamilton on turn 5 of the last lap in the last race to steal the championship crown.

Both drivers headed into the race on equal points (369.5) with a winner taking all race for the world championship. In a result that not many expected, it was Verstappen who finished in pole position ahead of Hamilton during qualifying but the seven time world champion regained the first position immediately after lights out in the race. The British racing driver dominated the race throughout but Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez held on to remain in sight and take advantage when possible. 

However, Mercedes’ strategy worked (for the most part) as Hamilton started the race on medium tyres while Verstappen began on soft. Add to that, it was Hamilton’s Mercedes which took the lead on the medium tyres while Verstappen was forced to pit before his rival due to the durability issues of the soft compound and switch to a hard compound in what was expected to be his only pit stop of the race. That left Sergio Perez in charge of ensuring Hamilton did not completely run away with the lead and the Mexican did a fantastic job to keep the British racing driver at bay so that Verstappen could catch up and by the time the inevitable happened on lap 21 where Hamilton’s Mercedes overtook Perez’s Red Bull, Verstappen was just a little over a second behind.

The race completely changed with five laps to go when Nicholas Latifi crashed on turn 14, prompting a yellow flag. At this stage of the race, Hamilton was comfortable in the lead while Verstappen was almost 12 seconds behind his rival. Unfortunately for the British racing driver, he had already crossed the pit stop before the safety car was introduced while Red Bull immediately got Verstappen into the pits to move to a soft compound. The controversy began when an announcement of ‘lapped cars would not be allowed to overtake’ was changed to allow Verstappen to go right behind Hamilton’s Mercedes which gave the Red Bull an advantage because of a faster tyre compound. Moreover, the two drivers had almost a 12 second gap before Latifi’s crash which was reduced to nothing.

The race resumed on the 57th lap out of 58 and it was evident from the get go that Verstappen would never have a better opportunity to seize the moment. Hamilton, being on the hard compound and worn out tyres was at a noticeable disadvantage while Verstappen was absolutely flying and overtook his rival on turn 5, bringing in a roar of cheers from the crowds. That one moment decided everything as Verstappen went past the chequered flag to win his first world championship. With this result, the 24 year old became the first Dutch racer to win the Formula 1 title in history in what has undoubtedly been one of the most thrilling and controversial seasons in the last few years.

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