Max Verstappen dominates Yas Marina Circuit to win Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Red Bull's Dutch driver cruises to victory at Yas Marina Circuit, with Mercedes duo completing the podium

Red Bull's Max Verstappen after winning the 2020 season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit. Getty

Fireworks go off as Max Verstappen crosses the line to win the race. Getty

Red Bull's Max Verstappen. AFP

Red Bull's Max Verstappen leads at the start of the Abu Dhabi GP. EPA

Race winner Max Verstappen in a press conference after the race. Getty

Third placed Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes. Getty

Second placed Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes. Getty

Max Verstappen of Red Bull. Getty Images

Red Bull's Max Verstappen leads the pack. AFP

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands leeads at the start of the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. AP

Reigning champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes. Getty

Race winner Max Verstappen with second placed Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton who finished third. Getty

Max Verstappen celebrates with his Red Bull team after winning in Abu Dhabi. Getty

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton burns tires after the race. AP

Red Bull's Max Verstappen celebrates victory. Getty

Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes during the race. Getty

Max Verstappen celebrates with his Red Bull team after winning in Abu Dhabi. Getty

Mercedes' Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas and teammate Lewis Hamilton do doughnuts after the race. AFP

Mercedes' Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas and teammate Lewis Hamilton do doughnuts after the race. AFP

Mercedes' Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas and teammate Lewis Hamilton do doughnuts after the race. AFP

Red Bull's Max Verstappen celebrates winning the race. Reuters

Left to right: Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Getty

Red Bull's Alexander Albon who finished fourth. Reuters

An Etihad jet flies over the circuit ahead of the Grand Prix. AFP

Action from the start of the race. Reuters

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who finished 13th. AFP

Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton during a warm up lap before the race. Reuters

Lance Stroll of Canada on his way to the grid prior to the race. Getty Images

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc during the race. AFP

Renault's Daniel Ricciardo, who finished 7th in Abu Dhabi. AFP

Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas. Reuters

Red Bull's Max Verstappen leads at the start of the race Pool. Reuters

Alexander Albon of Thailand. Getty

Racing Point's Lance Stroll. AFP

Red Bull's Max Verstappen leads at the start of the race. Reuters

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen. AP

Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes. Getty

Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas. PA

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc makes a pitstop. Getty

Red Bull's Max Verstappen. AFP

Safety car leads the field during the race. Getty

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton. AP

Mercedes' driver Lewis Hamilton. AFP

Red Bull's Alexander Albon. AFP

Red Bull's Alexander Albon of Thailand during the warm-up lap. AP

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel. AFP

ed Bull's Max Verstappen in action at the start of the race. Reuters

Drivers on the starting grid ahead of the race. AFP

Fernando Alonso and Renault Sport F1 team members with his 2005 F1 title winning Renault R25. Getty

Fernando Alonso and Renault Sport F1 team members with his 2005 F1 title winning Renault R25. Getty

Max Verstappen cruised to victory in the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday, leading from start to finish and never looking like he was in any serious danger of not taking first place.

The Red Bull driver, who had earlier secured pole position with a blistering final qualifying lap, went into the first corner pursued by second placed Valtteri Bottas, but that was as close as it got. The victor finished 15.9 seconds ahead of his Mercedes rival, who also kept his No 2 slot throughout the entire race.

Under the spotlights blazing down on the track, Verstappen jumped out of his car after re-entering the pits, looking as fresh as if he’d just been taking a stroll round Yas Marina Circuit, rather than charging around it at breakneck speeds in a fast-but-fragile vehicle.

“What a way to close a season - fantastic, mate," a Red Bull engineer said to the victorious driver on the team radio as the car crossed the line.

"After such a busy year, I think everyone was a bit tired at the end, but it is amazing," Verstappen replied.

"It was really enjoyable," the 23-year-old Dutchman said after the race. "We had a good start and we did everything well. Once you get a good start, you can control the pace and it makes your life easier.”

Despite Verstappen’s apparent spriteliness, the season finale marked the end of a tough year for the entire Formula One community, and he indicated that he himself hadn’t found it as easy as it might have appeared.

"I am going to enjoy the podium, and then I am going to enjoy going home," he said.

Radio exchanges between Verstappen and his crew hinted at potential problems with the car as the race progressed, but the issues, whatever they were, were not enough to bring his race to an untimely end.

It was Red Bull's first win in Abu Dhabi since Sebastian Vettel won in 2013 and ended Mercedes' streak of six straight victories in the capital.

This was also the first time Verstappen had managed to lead a race from green lights to final flag. His victory secured him third place in the drivers’ championship.

Lewis Hamilton, who finished third, some 18.4 seconds behind Verstappen, already had the drivers' championship in the bag after victory at the Turkish Grand Prix gave him sufficient points to ensure he was uncatchable, but the Englishman found the weekend's racing tough.

He did not seem 100 per cent fit after testing positive for the coronavirus and spending time in quarantine before he was given the all clear, and said as much on Saturday.

"You cannot win them all,” the Mercedes driver said after the race. “Considering the past couple of weeks I had, I am happy with the weekend. It is not 100 per cent and as good as I would have liked.

"That was a really hard race for me physically. All year, I have been fine, but today I wasn't so I am just glad it is over.

"I didn't think any time last week I would be here, so I am truly grateful for my health and to be alive."

Hamilton’s teammate Bottas was happy with his performance, but acknowledged Verstappen’s superior driving.

"The Red Bull was too quick today,” the Mercedes driver said. “We could not get near them and could not keep up with them, but it was a solid race from my side."

The Finn’s second placing sees him retain that very position in the drivers’ championship.

There was also jubilation and much air-punching in the McLaren camp after the drivers, Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz, secured third place in the constructors’ championship for the team after they finished fifth and sixth respectively.

A solid drive saw Alex Albon take fourth spot in the second Red Bull, just 1.5 seconds behind Hamilton, while Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo, in his last race for the team before replacing Sainz at McLaren, came in seventh. The Australian’s teammate Esteban Ocon was ninth in the standings. For his part, Ricciardo finished fifth in this year’s drivers’ championship.

The race top 10 was rounded out by Scuderia AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly who finished eighth, and Racing Point’s Lance Stroll, who secured a spot at the tail end of the first half of the final results.

Sergio Perez, who confounded all expectations to win the Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain a week ago, was unlucky today as he was forced to retire on lap 10 due to engine failure.

The race was briefly held up after the incident occurred and the safety car had to come out. Perez was the only driver not to finish in Abu Dhabi. However, he still managed to finish fourth in the drivers’ championship.