Author: Darshan Chokhani

Max Verstappen wins F1 Abu Dhabi GP as Charles Leclerc secured second after fending off Sergio Perez in the battle for second.

It was a clean start from the drivers at the front with Max Verstappen leading F1 Abu Dhabi GP from Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was third from Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton fourth after a run-in with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.

The Spaniard tried an inside move as Hamilton went off to keep the place. There was no further investigation in two separate investigations but the Brit gave up fourth with the Brit in fifth. McLaren’s Lando Norris was sixth from Mercedes’ George Russell.

Alpine’s Esteban Ocon was seventh from Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel as Alpine’s Fernando Alonso rounded out the Top 10. While the leaders were ahead, the fight between Sainz, Hamilton, Norris and Russell continued on for fourth and sixth place.

Having given up the place, Hamilton came back on Sainz to retake fifth as Russell cleared Norris for sixth. The Brit then tried a move on the Spaniard but it didn’t work. They continued to tussle as Ocon and Vettel started their battle for eighth.

The German took the Frenchman but he came back on him with Alonso joining in. Just ahead of them, Sainz stayed on Hamilton’s tail and eventually passed him to retake fourth with Russell also clearing his teammate who seemed to be suffering a bit.

The pit stop game started but the order remaining the same with Verstappen leading Perez and Leclerc. There was a slow stop for Russell which turned into an unsafe release after he was released in front of an incoming Norris to pit.

Russell was handed a 5s penalty for it with teammate Hamilton keeping him in check. Vettel went long on his first stint as Alonso retired due to a problem with a potential water leak. It was another reliability issue which he has been talking about all-season long.

Verstappen kept his F1 Abu Dhabi GP lead from Perez but Leclerc kept the Mexican in check, with Sainz in fourth from Russell, Hamilton, Norris, Ocon, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda in the Top 10 points position.

Perez pitted the second time to drop to sixth but Verstappen, Leclerc and Sainz were trying for a one-stop which left the Mexican to not only catch them but also pass. At the back, Haas’ Mick Schumacher and Williams’ Nicholas Latifi had a coming together.

The German went for an inside move but a minor touch led to them spinning as Schumacher was handed a 5s time penalty for causing a collision. Sainz and Russell pitted for a second time with Verstappen and Leclerc trying to do a one-stop.

It started to get tasty with Hamilton trying to keep Perez off for third. The Mexican eventually got around to pass him in his chase of Leclerc. Hamilton was fourth with Sainz and Russell catching him as Norris was a lonely seventh from Ocon.

Stroll passed both Vettel and Ricciardo to ninth with the Australian being chased by the German along with Tsunoda for the final point. Up front, Hamilton was forced to retire due to a hydraulic problem after he was caught by Sainz and eventually passed too.

Verstappen held off well to win F1 Abu Dhabi GP from Leclerc who secured second after keeping off Perez in the Top 3. Sainz was fourth from Russell with Norris in sixth ahead of Ocon, Stroll, Ricciardo and Vettel in the Top 10, as the German scored the final point.

Aston Martin and Alfa Romeo tied on points in the championship but the latter’s fifth place finish helped them to keep the position. Tsunoda ended up 11th with Guanyu behind him in 12th from Williams’ Alexander Albon, Gasly and Bottas in the Top 15.

Schumacher 16th from Haas’ Kevin Magnussen as both Hamilton and Latifi were classified despite not seeing the chequered flag. Everyone from Tsunoda onward ended up a lap down on the leaders to end the 2022 F1 season.

Max Verstappen took F1 Abu Dhabi GP pole in a Red Bull 1-2 with Sergio Perez second and Charles Leclerc third.

Q1:

The first part in F1 Abu Dhabi GP qualifying saw the Red Bull pair lead the way with Max Verstappen (1m12.754s) heading Sergio Perez, as the Ferrari pair followed with Carlos Sainz ahead of Charles Leclerc to comfortably make it in Q2.

It was a mighty lap through the traffic for Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel to make it in Q2 after ending up sixth. It was close for Alpine’s Fernando Alonso who was struggling in the session as he just made it in Q2 by 0.052s in 15th.

Haas’ Kevin Magnussen (1m25.834s) missed it in 16th from AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly (1m25.859s), with Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas (1m25.892s) also out in 18th from Williams’ Alexander Albon (1m26.028s) and Nicholas Latifi (1m26.054s).

Q2:

The second part in F1 Abu Dhabi GP qualifying saw Red Bull’s Perez lead the way with a 1m24.419s lap as Mercedes’ Hamilton was second after the team selected an out of position run for both him and Russell, who was fourth in early part.

But the order changed in the final run where Perez maintained the top spot with Leclerc improving to second being 0.098s off with teammate Sainz up to third. Despite the traffic troubles with the Red Bull, Vettel still maintained his pace to be in Q3.

It was a miss for Alpine’s Alonso (1m25.096s) by 0.028s in Q3 with AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda (1m25.219s) in 12th from Haas’ Mick Schumacher (1m25.225s), Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll (1m25.359s) and Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu (1m25.408s).

Q3:

The final part in F1 Abu Dhabi GP qualifying saw Mercedes doing an out of position run again, as Red Bull’s Verstappen had provisional pole with a 1m23.988s lap as he and Perez in third were separated by Ferrari’s Sainz, while Leclerc was fourth.

Despite a close call, Verstappen actually bettered his previous lap to set a 1m23.824s lap to take F1 Abu Dhabi GP pole from Perez (1m24.052s), who had some help from the Dutchman. Crucially the Mexican was ahead of Leclerc (1m24.092s) who was third from Sainz (1m24.242s).

Hamilton (1m24.508s) looked good but was only fifth from Russell (1m24.511s), with Norris (1m24.769s) taking best of the rest in seventh from Alpine’s Esteban Ocon (1m24.830s), Vettel (1m24.961s) and McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo (1m25.045s) in the Top 10.

Red Bull pair led the Mercedes pair in FP3 of F1 Abu Dhabi GP as Sergio Perez was fastest from Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

There was some action in FP3 of F1 Abu Dhabi GP at Yas Marina circuit, with Red Bull pair leading the Mercedes pair and McLaren separating them and the Ferrari pair. It was Sergio Perez on top with a 1m24.982s lap from Max Verstappen (1m25.134s).

The Dutchman did a late lap but in qualifying, it would be deleted for track limits. Lewis Hamilton (1m25.222s) was third from George Russell (1m25.395s), with the two running different rear wings. The former is under investigation for not slowing under red flag.

McLaren’s Lando Norris (1m25.518s) slotted in fifth. The Brit had his brakes heated up which was same for teammate Daniel Ricciardo, while Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel having one too. The McLaren led the Ferrari pair who weren’t feeling superb.

Charles Leclerc (1m25.571s) was sixth after his late lap with Carlos Sainz (1m25.605s) just behind him, as Ricciardo (1m25.950s) was eighth from Vettel (1m26.012s) and Williams’ Alexander Albon (1m26.051s), who lost a bit of a car part from the rear on his final lap.

The Alpine pair were 11th and 12th with Esteban Ocon ahead of Fernando Alonso, where the Frenchman caught out the stewards. They raised the yellow flag for him thinking he was stopping but replays showed him just slowing for other cars.

AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda was 13th from Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas, who dropped a bit of a pace in FP3. AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly was 15th after causing a red flag. His wheel cover came off after a kerb ride which needed to be recovered.

The Frenchman managed to return to the track after the mechanics fixed it up. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was 16th from Haas’ Kevin Magnussen & Mick Schumacher, Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu was 19th and Williams’ Nicholas Latifi 20th.

Max Verstappen was fastest in FP2 of F1 Abu Dhabi GP from George Russell and Charles Leclerc under the floodlights.

The FP2 session in F1 Abu Dhabi GP was mostly sedate as well under the floodlights at Yas Marina circuit as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen returned to the cockpit to lead the standings with a 1m25.146s lap from Mercedes’ George Russell (1m25.487s).

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc (1m25.599s) was third to make it three different teams in the Top 3, as Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton (1m25.761s) was fourth from Red Bull’s Sergio Perez (1m25.852s) and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz (1m25.932s) to make it the Top 3 teams in the Top 6 of the standings.

The Alpine pair led the best of the rest pack with Esteban Ocon (1m26.038s) ahead of Fernando Alonso (1m26.043s), while McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo (1m26.124s) was eighth despite some floor troubles. Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas (1m26.300s) ended up in 10th.

The other McLaren of Lando Norris was 11th from Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel, who did have a run-off moment along with Verstappen and Leclerc. The Ferraris were also trialing experimenting with different wheel covers in the session.

Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu was 13th from Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll with the lead AlphaTauri of Yuki Tsunoda in 15th. Williams’ Alexander Albon was 16th from Haas’ Mick Schumacher, as teammate Kevin Magnussen was 17th.

The Dane had a moment with Hamilton, where he almost blocked him in the corner. AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly was 19th where he couldn’t set his best time on the soft tyres, with Williams’ Nicholas Latifi rounding the 20 runners.

George Russell secured his first F1 win in Brazil GP as Mercedes got their first in 2022 in a 1-2 with Lewis Hamilton P2 and Carlos Sainz P3.

Having won the sprint race, Mercedes’ George Russell made a clean start in F1 Brazil GP at Interlagos to lead from teammate Lewis Hamilton as Red Bull pair of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez slotted in third and fourth behind them.

Perez had McLaren’s Lando Norris on his left at Turn 1 but managed to stay ahead, with he Brit keeping the Ferrari pair at bay where Charles Leclerc was ahead of Carlos Sainz – both of them opting for the medium tyres to start the grand prix.

Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel was eighth with AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly and Haas’ Mick Schumacher in the Top 10, gaining from the collision between Haas’ Kevin Magnussen and McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo which is under investigation.

After a brief safety car period to clear the cars of Magnussen and Ricciardo, the re-start saw Russell lead the way in F1 Brazil GP but Hamilton and Verstappen made contact at Turn 2-3 sequence where the Dutchman tried to take the inside line.

With no space, they touched which dropped Verstappen to back and needing a pit stop, while Hamilton dropped to eighth. Moments later, Norris and Leclerc came together after the Brit ran a bit on the kerb and was thrown on the track.

He clipped Leclerc which sent onto the barrier but he managed to continue on. He was forced to pit, with both the incidents under investigation. Russell led the way from Perez and Sainz, with Norris in fourth from Vettel, Gasly and Schumacher.

Hamilton was eighth from Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas in the Top 10. Both Verstappen and Norris were handed 5s time penalty for causing a collision as Hamilton started to make inroads and was up to fourth after clearing four cars.

Russell started to extend his lead from Perez and Sainz, with Hamilton gaining on them. Norris kept Vettel at bay for fifth as Gasly was seventh from Schumacher. Bottas passed Stroll for ninth who dropped out of the Top 10 with Alpine’s Esteban Ocon in 10th.

With Russell leading Perez, Sainz decided to pit early for a soft switch. His right-rear brakes seemingly was on fire when he came in but it cooled down by the time he headed out. Both Leclerc and Verstappen also pitted again after their initial stop for damage.

Russell kept the lead after his stop even though Hamilton was leading F1 Brazil GP. Perez was third in the order with Sainz fourth. Post the pit stop for Hamilton, he was down to fourth but got third when Sainz decided for a second stop a few laps later.

Bottas gained from the pit stops to be fifth from Vettel, as Ocon was seventh from Norris, whose 5s pit stop and a steering wheel issue dropped him to eighth. The Brit had Leclerc on his tail, with Schumacher in the Top 10 from Verstappen.

The German’s pit stop was under investigation after it was spotted that a Alfa Romeo member was strolling near their pit box. After Hamilton caught Perez and passed him for second, both pitted few laps later for their final stop.

Russell continued to lead F1 Brazil GP after his stop but Sainz was close behind him. Hamilton was down to third from Perez as Bottas was fifth. A Virtual Safety Car was deployed soon for Norris, who stopped at the side of the track due to an issue.

Sainz and Alonso pitted for tyre change, as the full safety car was then deployed as it became difficult to get the car in. It was Russell in the F1 Brazil GP lead from Hamilton, Perez, Sainz, Bottas, Leclerc, Vettel, Ocon, Alonso and Verstappen in the Top 10.

After Williams’ Alexander Albon and Nicholas Latifi were allowed to get back onto the lead lap, AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda seemingly wasn’t allowed which kept him in the pack. Russell continued to lead F1 Brazil GP from Hamilton and Perez.

The Mexican had Sainz on his tail along with Leclerc, with Alonso gaining places to be sixth from Bottas, who was cleared by Verstappen for seventh. Ocon was up to eighth after Bottas’ lock-up at Turn 1. Vettel rounded out the Top 10.

Up front, Russell had control over Hamilton as Sainz was up to third but not troubling the Mercedes ahead, with Leclerc, Alonso and Verstappen managing to clear Perez who was struggling on the medium tyres. Bottas and Vettel were in the Top 10.

Finally, Mercedes broke the winless jinx of 2022 F1 season as Russell took his career first in Brazil GP in a 1-2 finish from Hamilton. Sainz was third despite pleas from Leclerc to let him pass thinking about the championship standings.

Likewise, Verstappen retained seventh from Perez despite a late call from Red Bull, as Alonso ended up fifth ahead of them. Ocon in eighth made merry for Alpine as Bottas ninth from Stroll who passed Vettel late in the race to be 10th.

Gasly was 12th from Guanyu with Schumacher dropping to 14th after early Top 10 run as Albon, Latifi and Tsunoda rounded out the 17 runners. DNF: Norris, Ricciardo, Magnussen.

George Russell passed Max Verstappen to win F1 Brazil GP sprint win from Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton in the Top 3.

Pole-sitter Kevin Magnussen made a good start in his Haas in F1 Brazil GP sprint race as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen had to defend from Mercedes’ George Russell starting on the medium tyres with the Dutchman staying in front of the Brit.

McLaren’s Lando Norris stayed in front of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz as Alpine’s Esteban Ocon kept sixth after a fight against teammate Fernando Alonso going into Turn 4. The Spaniard was forced onto the kerbs as he kept himself behind in the order.

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was eighth in points, with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc rounding the Top 10. At the front, Magnussen managed to lead for a lap or two before Verstappen took the sprint race lead with the Dane dropping behind.

He lost to both Russell and Sainz, who cleared Norris for fourth and moved up to third. The Brit lost to Hamilton who cleared Ocon. The Frenchman had a tangle with Alonso in the final corner where the Spaniard damaged his front wing and forced him to pit.

Hamilton was up to fourth with Perez up in fifth after passing Magnussen and Norris who were sixth and seventh. Ocon dropped to 10th with Leclerc in eighth from AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel.

The two had a squabble for track position where Stroll moved across to his left at Turn 1 with Vettel on the grass. The Canadian was eventually handed a 10s penalty for dangerous moved as the German eventually passed him for 10th on the order.

Up front, Verstappen started to be pressured on by Russell. The Brit stuck to his tail and tried a move for multiple laps but the Dutchman kept him at bay. He was helped by a brief yellow for Williams’ Alexander Albon stopping at the side.

But it didn’t deter Russell who eventually got through Verstappen at Turn 1 to lead the F1 Brazil GP sprint race with the Dutchman soon losing his touch with the Brit after noting of damage. He had Sainz and Hamilton on his tail in a three-way fight for second.

And soon Sainz made a move on Verstappen to snatch second. They made contact at Turn 1 with the Dutchman losing endplate of his front wing. He fended off Hamilton for couple of laps but he had too much at hand to eventually lose out to the Brit for third.

He dropped long behind in fourth as Perez started to close in on Verstappen. Leclerc was up to sixth as Norris passed Magnussen for seventh in the Top 8. Vettel was just outside points after passing Gasly for ninth as three drivers were put under investigation.

It was down to grid positioning for Hamilton, McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu with the incident to be investigated after the race. At the front, Russell eased in to win the F1 Brazil GP sprint win from Sainz who fended off Hamilton.

Verstappen was fourth from Perez, Leclerc, Norris and Magnussen in the Top 8 points position, with Vettel and Gasly rounding the Top 10. Ricciardo ended up 11th from Stroll, who eventually dropped to 17th after his 10s time penalty.

It promoted Haas’ Mick Schumacher to 12th where he also had a moment with the Canadian. Guanyu was 13th from Alfa Romeo teammate Valtteri Bottas, with Alonso recovering to 15th from AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda.

Stroll was 17th from Ocon who dropped like a stone after his early contact with Alonso with the Alpine pair far behind in the fight for fourth. Williams’ Nicholas Latifi – the other on the medium tyres – was 19th after Albon retired.