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SAfter six years, ebastian Vettel said goodbye to his childhood dream of Ferrari with one last disappointment. When the Dutch Max Verstappen won the Red Bull, the four-time Formula 1 world champion was in 14th place and had no chance of reaching the end of the season in Abu Dhabi. The 33-year-old finished Corona’s turbulent emergency year on Sunday as the 13th World Cup. As bad as ever before in his career in a full season. Vettel is turning his back on the beleaguered Scuderia without the expected title and will be driving for Aston Martin’s new factory team starting next year.
At the top, Verstappen celebrated the 10th Grand Prix victory of his career and, with an impeccable performance, gave hope for a more exciting 2021 season. The 23-year-old pushed Valtteri Bottas and world champion Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes to second and third places. However, Bottas finished second in the world championship ahead of Verstappen, while Vettel was pointless for the tenth time in 17 races. As third in Istanbul, he was on the podium once in 2020. His latest win so far comes from September 2019 in Singapore.
Verstappen confidently defended his first place on the grid and extended his lead early on. Hamilton couldn’t get past Bottas and found himself on the defensive in one of his parade fields. Hamilton had won five times in the past in Abu Dhabi, more often than anyone. However, after his coronavirus infection the week before, the veteran was not in the best of shape. They only gave him permission to start Thursday after he had to take a break in Bahrain last Sunday.
The World Cup decision was made a month ago when Hamilton was crowned seven-time champion in Turkey, but the Brit wanted to be there again. He also witnessed the Vettel Grand Prix in red. “This year was difficult in many ways. I hope we can find a good ending, ”said Vettel. You should, once again, keep a wish.
His mechanics applauded the veteran the last time he left the Scuderia garage, and his teammate Charles Leclerc personally wished him the best of luck. But it was like so many races in recent months. Vettel again had problems with the car, to which he had no real access all year. Having started from 13th position, Vettel did not advance alone. Even before the weekend, it was clear that he couldn’t improve the overall ranking. The last year with the Italians was the most frustrating after having reached the World Cup twice. But he couldn’t emulate his idol Michael Schumacher and lead Ferrari to the fore.
Everything should improve in 2021 when Vettel joins Aston Martin. There the Hessian replaces the Mexican Sergio Pérez. The winner from Bahrain from the previous week retired early at his Racing Point in Abu Dhabi. The 30-year-old has yet to find a new employer. The best teams used Perez’s retirement and the subsequent safety car phase for their first pit stop, and the field rallied again from the beginning. However, the Ferraris did not change tires and Vettel even finished in seventh place.
At the head, Verstappen did his laps alone, keeping the Silver Arrows at bay. The pole setter had always won in Abu Dhabi for the past five years. Vettel also has three Emirates wins to his life, but all of them still in his time at Red Bull. “They’re eating me,” Vettel radioed to his pits after just over halfway through. After finally getting new tires on lap 36 of 55, Vettel dropped the points and crossed the finish line far from the top positions. Shortly before the end, he was even overtaken by Verstappen. The winner was still worried about his tires, but easily achieved his second win of the season.
