The longest Formula 1 season, 22 Grand Prix, so that ultimately everything is settled on the very last lap of the very last race of the season in Abu Dhabi.
And on a revamped Yas Marina circuit, it was finally Max Verstappen who got the better of his competitor Lewis Hamilton to afford his first world championship title.
It was already extraordinary after years of undivided domination by Lewis Hamilton that the title was decided on the final circuit.
But it was also the second time only in the history of the discipline, after 1974, that the last two rivals are tied on points: 369.5 precisely.
Lewis Hamilton starts in the lead
Verstappen started with the advantage of pole position ahead of his competitor.
But, at the start, it was Lewis Hamilton who achieved the best takeoff and took the lead in the first corner.
The Dutchman is trying to regain the advantage immediately by attempting a late braking at turn 5 after taking advantage of the suction of the Mercedes.
The two drivers touched each other and Hamilton cut the turn before returning to the track in front of Verstappen.
To the despair of the Red Bull team, the commissioners refuse to open an investigation into the accident.
Lewis Hamilton took the opportunity to take off and the gap grew between the two contenders for the title.
A performance differential which can be explained in particular by the choice of tires: medium for the Briton, soft for the Dutchman.
The latter being less designed to last.
To limit the damage, Verstappen stops on the 14th turn.
An early stop which forced the Dutchman to come out in traffic and wait a long time behind Carlos Sainz's Ferrari.
On the Mercedes side, we do not take any risks and we pass Hamilton to the pits in the following lap.
With the lead taken by the Briton, he comes out in second place, behind the second Red Bull, that of Sergio Perez.
Effective defense of Perez
The Mexican is going to be the perfect teammate.
Despite soft gums worn to the core, he managed to defend for several laps on the defending champion, leaving the possibility for Max Verstappen to pick up behind Lewis Hamilton.
But the contender for a first world title did not see the rear wing of number 44 for long. The latter quickly regained a comfortable lead over his competitor, constantly improving his lap times.
A racing event, however, will cast doubt on the world champion: the abandonment of Giovinazzi (Alfa-Romeo) causes a virtual safety car, allowing Verstappen to stop almost free of charge at the pits to put on fresh tires at 20 rounds of the conclusion.
The equation is simple for the Dutchman: 20 laps, 17 seconds, 0.8 seconds per lap to take to get the league title.
The best laps follow one another.
The Red Bull are gradually approaching the Mercedes, but at an insufficient pace to dislodge Hamilton from its leading position.
At this stage of the race, nothing seems to be able to prevent Hamilton from offering himself an eighth title, until a crash at the end of the peloton comes to scramble the perfect race of the Briton.
The safety car was taken out by the marshals, allowing Verstappen to put on new soft tires and take it back to the Mercedes.
And on the final lap, he finally gets the better of his opponent.
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