Verstappen ends dominant campaign with victory in Abu Dhabi

Max Verstappen completed his championship year by taking victory at Formula One's season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – as Lewis Hamilton’s record of winning in every season of his career went up in smoke when he retired with three laps remaining.

Verstappen finished 8.7 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who made a one-stop strategy work to secure runner-up spot in the standings, ahead of Sergio Perez.

The Red Bull driver stopped one more time than Leclerc, but failed to catch the Monegasque in the closing stages and finished third.

Carlos Sainz was fourth for Ferrari with Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell fifth leaving Mercedes behind the Italian team and third in the constructors’ championship.

Verstappen snatched victory from Hamilton a year ago to claim his maiden title in the most contentious of circumstances.

But the Dutch driver has been the standout performer of 2022 and his win here under the thousands of bulbs that light up the Yas Marina Circuit was his 15th from 22 appearances.

Hamilton left Abu Dhabi at the end of last season pondering if he would ever return, so aggrieved was he by Michael Masi's officiating of the decider which cost him a record eighth crown.

The seven-time world champion decided against retirement, but he will head into this season’s winter break having failed to register a single win – the first time that has happened in his career which began in 2007 – and reflecting on a DNF which summed up a sour campaign.

As Verstappen raced away from pole position to pave the way for another crushing win, Hamilton was on the move when he get the jump on a slow-starting Sainz.

On the run down to Turn 6, Sainz had a nibble back at Hamilton with the latter taking to the escape road.

Hamilton hit the