F1: 2020 season finale at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – live! | Sport

And that, my friends, is that for F1 2020. Overall a good one for sport in the toughest circumstances. F1 probably had a better pandemic than most sports, although not without its controversies and heartbreaking moments (thoughts and best wishes to Romain Grosjean in that regard). And it was a season that was once again dominated by Lewis Hamilton, who somehow managed to reach another level.

Today’s race was not very good, but there was much to admire in the way Max Verstappen mastered it. Thanks for following us and for your emails and tweets. Goodbye,

And here is Hamilton after his 165th podium: “You can’t win them all. Considering the last two weeks I’ve had, I’m really happy with that. Maybe it wasn’t 100%. Congratulations to Max, it was a very physically tough race for me, and a big thank you to the team for their continued support. It’s still great to get two places on the podium here.

“Physically [after having Covid] I don’t think I’ve ever been so impressed, my body wasn’t great, but last week I didn’t think I’d be here so I’m really thankful to be alive and here. I hope to train again.

“It’s a fantastic job to see Alex [Albon] with us in a two-team battle, that’s what this sport needs. “

Verstappen speaks: “It was really nice yesterday and today, we had a good start and today we tried to take care of the car and we had a very good balance. You can control the race a bit more when you start at the front. ”Regarding his concerns about the tire lag, he says:“ I saw that they were also lagging behind me, so I could take it a little easier, it was a race very strong for the tgeam. I’m going to enjoy the poduum and then I’ll enjoy going home. “

Bottas is next: “Red Bull was too fast today, surprisingly fast and they were able to control the race. I tried but couldn’t keep up with them. I had a solid race, but couldn’t get more out of the package we had today. It’s been a while since I’ve been on the podium so I’ll enjoy it. The team has been amazing this year so I am very proud to have gone 1-2 in the drivers’ championship. I am very proud of all of them. “

As for the royal champion, Hamilton, this is your biggest margin to win titles. He jumps out of his car, looks at him in admiration and hugs his teammates

Verstappen didn’t get that running hit in the end Ricciardo edged him out with a late fastest lap, which seems like a fitting reward for his driving.

Fireworks lights up the night sky as corridors pass. Albon in fourth place is followed by the McLaren pairing of Norris and Sainz. Ricciardo is seventh, Gasly eighth. Celebrations at McLaren Camp as they finish third in the constructors’ championship.

Lap 55/55: That was hardly ever in doubt. Albon tries a bit with Hamilton for third place but never gets close to attacking distance. So Hamilton is third, Bottas second and Verstappen a resounding winner.

Lap 54/55: Verstappen is told on the radio to “take him home.” You won’t find it too worrisome from here.

Lap 53/55: Verstappen leads by 11 1/2 seconds with two laps to go. All over. Nothing has happened in a long time, we must be honest.

Lap 52/55: So McLaren is heading for third place in the constructors’ championship, which will give them great encouragement for the upcoming season. Norris and Sainz have driven well.

Lap 51/55: Ocon, 10th, against Stroll in 9th is probably the closest battle right now, with very few contenders.

Lap 50/55: There will be no more pit stops now. We are almost done.

Lap 49/55: “You can turn off the engine if you want,” Verstappen yells to his team, sounding like a man on easy street. Lead for 11.6 seconds. He would be the youngest man to land a grand slam from pole, win the race, lead from the start and the fastest lap if he sees this one out.

Lap 48/55: Ricciardo is fighting to beat Sainz in sixth, which, given his confidence in early driving, might have seemed more possible than it is now. The Renault driver is still seventh, which would be a pretty respectable result.

Lap 47/55: A black and white flag for Leclerc, after his third recorded runway boundary violation, although Sky’s commentary team suggests that it is actually his fifth. Verstappen now leads by 11 seconds. Surely you should have this now.

Lap 46/55: Hamilton has gotten pretty close to Bottas now and is only two seconds behind his teammate; Could you hit late for second place?

Lap 45/55: But Mercedes cannot pick up the pace at the moment on hard compounds and Verstappen’s lead is slightly extended, more than nine seconds with 10 laps to go.

Lap 44/55: Ooh, and now Verstappen is reporting some tire vibration concerns and asking his team if Mercedes is showing similar signs. Does that mean Mercedes will face Hamilton to let Bottas loose?

Lap 43/55: Update your situation: 1 Verstappen 2 Bottas 3 Hamilton 4 Albon 5 Norris 6 Sainz 7 Ricciardo 8 Gasly 9 Stroll 10 Ocon

Lap 42/55: “I think Toto should tell Bottas to shit or get out of the boat and let Hamilton hit Max’s throat,” roars Steve Carbert. I’m not sure Hamilton has that in him today, to be honest, but Bottas certainly hasn’t put a glove on Verstappen this race. Verstappen is 8.5 seconds ahead.

Lap 40/55: Old warhorse Kimi Raikkonen shows all his smarts by quickly counterattacking after Leclerc overtakes him, falling back directly in front of the Monaco driver in 12th position.

Lap 40/55: Sure enough, Ricciardo enters the pits, shifts to medium tires and returns to the track in seventh place, which is impressive for a driver who started in 11th.

Lap 39/55: Verstappen drops his lead a bit, but overall remains unthreatened. However, Ricciardo closed a touch right there, suggesting that a dive is imminent. His has been a strong impulse.

Lap 38/55: Ah well, it has exceeded expectations in general, this F1 season, even if this is dragging a bit.

Lap 37/55: Verstappen now leads by 8.1 seconds, with Bottas second and Hamilton third. The first three have not changed from the beginning. Ho hum.

Lap 36/55: Lewis Hamilton reports that he has a flat spot as Vettel makes what will likely be his last Ferrari pit stop. And it is slow. He goes out behind Leclerc. Ricciardo is now the only rider on the same tires he started on.

Lap 35/55: Lance Stroll has traction issues, preventing him from making a move on Vettel, who is still ninth. Leclerc moves up one place to 14 after beating Russell. In fifth, Ricciardo is still looking strong, and he’s not in the pits yet.

Lap 33/55: Verstappen almost eight seconds ahead now – you could stick into a playlist right now and just relax.

Lap 32/55: Charles Leclerc’s miserable career continues: he only records a fourth violation of the track boundary, which will mean a penalty.

Lap 31/55: And a real overtaking happens, just at the right time. Gasly runs over Vettel, who tries to hit back, but stops: Gasly now eighth, Vettel ninth.

Lap 30/55: Verstappen is stealthily building his lead without taking too much risk, preserving the tires and the lead. All a bit uneventful at the front, but always a risk with this hostile circuit for overtaking.

Lap 29/55: Apparently Sainz’s pit lane prevented Stroll and Racing Point from complaining.

Lap 28/55: Here are the scores at the gates just over half: 1 Verstappen 2 Bottas 3 Hamilton 4 Albon 5 Ricciardo 6 Norris 7 Sainz 8 Vettel 9 Gasly 10 Stroll.

Lap 27/55: Sainz will be investigated after the race, we were told, for that pit lap problem, which could mean that the final championship classification is determined at that point. Verstappen now six seconds clear.

Lap 26/55: Ricciardo contacts his team to tell them that his tires still feel good as Verstappen has a firm lead at 5.2 seconds.

Lap 25/55: It doesn’t make sense that Ricciardo is going to pit just yet, his pace is still strong in fifth.

Lap 24/55: Verstappen shows a hint of anxiety by radioing his team to ask “Is Lewis getting Valtteri?”

Lap 23/55: Sure enough, Leclerc enters the pits and exits from behind. Hamilton is starting to get closer to Bottas in the fight for position with his teammate, it’s about 1.5 seconds right now. But Verstappen is five seconds ahead and looks comfortable.

Lap 22/55: A bit of mid-race calm at the moment. Leclerc is sliding further back, now past Ocon to drop to twelfth. You will surely need a tire change soon. Although his teammate Vettel is well placed to sign with points