Abu Dhabi 2021

The safety car is coming in at the end of this lap.

So those backmarkers are allowed to overtake the safety car.

It has left Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen side by side.

Hamilton will be ahead.

Verstappen is absolutely desperate to get on with this on that soft compound tire.

We are gonna have one lap of racing to decide the championship in 2021.

Hamilton has the advantage.

And we’ve got 3.2 miles of racing action all the way to the chequered flag as the crowd roar the drivers on to the final lap of this race.

Verstappen sets off to Hamilton.

Is it gonna be a FIRST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP for Verstappen?

Is it gonna be an 8TH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP for Lewis Hamilton?

Where can Verstappen try and get past Hamilton?

The first overtaking zone is normally down to turn 5

is Verstappen far enough back?

He's gonna make the lunge down to the inside

Hamilton sees him coming

it’s a late lunge by Verstappen

who takes the lead of the race

Verstappen now snatches the championship trophy from Lewis Hamilton who’s trying to fight back.

No DRS for two laps so Lewis Hamilton will not get the rear wing open.

Now, he's gonna go down the outside,

if Verstappen keeps it tight and neat

but he hasn't

he's gone a bit wide

This race that started with controversy is ending with controversy.

No Mickey!

No Mickey, that was so not right!

Here’s Lewis Hamilton tho down the back straight.

He's got a slipstream

they almost make contact into turn 9

Verstappen stays ahead of Lewis Hamilton

Of all the drama, of all the controversy, of all the magic moments in Formula 1 in 2021

it comes down to this

and at this moment it looks like its going to go the way of Max Verstappen

Mercedez not happy

Red Bull will be delighted

They have shared a brilliant championship battle

but the championship can only be won by one,

and its going Dutch in 2021.

Max Verstappen for the first time ever is champion of the world.

OH MY LORD!!!

MAX

OH MY GOD!!!

YESSSS!!!

YESSSS!!!

You couldn’t make it up, could you?

There is going to be so much acrimony going forward now about that procedure at the end.

Red Bull played every card they could because they hadn’t got enough speed

they hadn’t got track position, they played it really smart

Mercedez played it cautious out front

but to release the lap guard and end the safety car and give us one racing lap

wow, how quickly did that turn around?

What was Christian Horner saying it was?

The racing gods need to shine down on us.

They certainly did.

We need a miracle said Christian Horner.

The miracle arrived

Nicolas Latifi crashed

the safety car came out

the lapped cars were allowed to get out of the way

Verstappen pitted for fresher tires

and in the course of one racing lap

took the lead and kept it

MAX VERSTAPPEN!

YOU ARE THE WORLD CHAMPION!

THE WORLD CHAMPION!