The 25-year-old Verstappen dominated from start to finish, but he was unable to assist his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez in his bid to beat Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and take second place behind him in the drivers’ title championship. Leclerc, who drove with great precision and awareness, made his one-stop strategy work by holding off Perez on fresher tires after the two stopped in the final lap, ensuring Ferrari won both the contractors’ and drivers’ races.
Image Courtesy: Instagram – f1techhubVerstappen’s win was the third in succession in Abu Dhabi and the 35th of his career. His engineer came over the team radio, telling the Dutch driver Twilight that his drive at the Yas Marina circuit had been sublime. He took the lead from Perez with ease.Hamilton struggled to shake off Sainz, and as the Spaniard forced his way through, Hamilton took a run of the area to avoid a collision, moving up to the fourth place. The stewards cleared Sainz of any misdemeanor, leaving the Briton to give the place back. By lap five, Hamilton had found his way back and passed Sainz in the chicane, but again struggled to pull clear, complaining his car was damaged as he rode the curbs on the opening lap. As the lights went out at the glitzy YAS Marina circuit, the Red Bull boys darted to maintain their 1-2 lead, with Leclerc hot on their tail.With the Dutchman pretty much seeming comfortable leading the pack, Leclerc’s precision worked wonders, and in what was a rare sight this campaign, Ferrari’s strategic call succeeded as the Italian beat Perez for a second spot thanks to a well-worked one-stop strategy.This is indeed a top-notch win for Max Verstappen, and the winning streak is still on for him.What do you think of this win by Verstappen? Comment down below.
