F1, Verstappen also wins in Abu Dhabi. Leclerc closes the World Championship in 2nd place

Charles of pride, courage and class. Leclerc vice-champion of the world, with 2nd place in the last gp of the year ad Abu Dhabi (his 11th podium of the season and 24th of his career) won without worries by the 2022 champion, Max Verstappen, which closes a championship dominated from half onwards with the 15th success. But the battle was behind the Dutchman, between his companion, Sergio Perezand the Ferrari driver. And it was the little prince who won it, overtaking Checo in the standings by 3 points and succeeding using cunning and strategy: with the team he opted for only one stop against the two of his rival. A choice that puts him at risk of being caught again in the final but Charles resists, manages the tires well, keeps his head down and his heart high. 2nd place among the riders was the maximum to achieve for him, but also the minimum in a year that began with very high ambitions.

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Ferrari second among the constructors

Also there Stable wins his battle for 2nd place among the Constructors: Carlos Sainz in fact, he closes 4th after a long initial battle with Lewis Hamilton. “That battle compromised my first stint a bit. Having said that, good race, objectives achieved for the team. This race demonstrates exactly where we are: a little behind Red Bull. Next year we will have to improve race pace and strategies” . The 7-time world champion was forced to retire towards the end due to a problem with the gearbox, perhaps the result of a contact with the Spaniard in the first laps. For Lewis, who dreamed of at least one victory this year, which he had always succeeded, the bitterness of a final with his hands over his eyes. Season to forget. His young companion, George Russell, closes 5th in the race and 4th in the general classification. The Scuderia closes the season with 554 points, +39 points on the Frecce.
Emotional finale for Sebastian Vettel, last race of his career for the German with the satisfaction of finishing in the points (he’s 10th). For the German, parties throughout the weekend and also the donuts, the donuts made with the car on the track, from him and his colleagues on the track under the finish line.

The season is at the finish line and tells its latest stories, anticipating those of the next. Verstappen almost moved: “Nice race, all focused on tire management. We took good care of the mediums and then with the hards we were able to manage right up to the last lap. Achieving a result like this is incredible. It will be hard to replicate something like this but it’s a motivation to do just as well next year.”

Leclerc: “We need to improve our race pace”

He will certainly find Charles at the gate: “I gave 110% from the first to the last lap. For us it was the perfect race, we couldn’t do more. The only way to beat Checo was to adopt a different strategy and manage well the tyres. We succeeded, the strategy worked, I’m very happy. Yes I’m 2nd, but I hope next year we can be on the last step and fight for the title. Looking back at where we were last year, we have We’ve made a big step forward and we’ve also improved our strategy. We need to improve our race pace, because we struggle more on Sunday. But we’re pushing and we’ll continue to do so this winter to make up more ground.” Disappointed, Checo: “3rd place in the championship? Sometimes it goes like this. We’re sorry, but we gave everything. I’m sure we’ll come back even stronger next year. We’ve had great moments and battles. Let’s hope this can be an aspect that we will improve next year”.

Vettel: “A joy to live this career”

The closing words belong to Seb: “I would have liked to score a few more points but I liked the race, even if there was a slightly different warm-up than usual. The last two years have perhaps been disappointing from the point of view sporty, but very useful and important for my life. A lot of things have happened that I have realized, it is a huge privilege to be in the position we are in but this also means responsibility. I hope I can pass them on to the other riders as well so that to continue the work we have done. We have the power to inspire, I believe there are more important things than racing. I am grateful for the messages, letters and all the love you have given me. It has been a joy to experience this career, thank you very much, I will miss all of this more than I realize now.”