© Getty ImagesMax Finishes The Season In StyleMax ends the 2020 F1 season on a high winning his second race of the year at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Alex added to the Team’s biggest points haul of the season with P4 and 12 points.
When the lights went out, Max made a good getaway and comfortably took the lead ahead of Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas with Lewis Hamilton P3.
The order changed though on lap six when, with the aid of DRS, Alex powered past McLaren’s Norris to claim P4. Meanwhile, at the front of the field, Max was comfortable in the lead, 2.6s clear of Bottas with Hamilton a further 3.5s further back. Alex held P4 ahead of the McLarens of Norris and Carlos Sainz.
The race was reset on lap 10, however, when Sergio Pérez’s Racing Point pulled over at the side of the track between turns 18 and 19 with a power unit issue. An initial VSC became a full safety car as marshals struggled to recover his car and during the caution the top nine drivers pitted with all taking on hard tyres.
Max Comes In His For Sole Pit Stop© Getty Images
Max re-joined in the lead ahead of Bottas, Hamilton and Alex but the pit stops vaulted hard-tyre starter Daniel Ricciardo’s Renault to P5 ahead of Norris, though the Australian would need to pit later in the race.
The order settled as the race headed past one-third distance as Max again began to eke out a gap. By lap 20 he was 3.4s ahead of Bottas, with Hamilton two seconds further back. Alex was now 4.2s behind the seven-time champion but though he was losing ground to the Mercedes he was steadily pulling away from Ricciardo who was six seconds behind the Thai driver.
Max though continued to build his comfort zone and by lap 32 he was 7.5 seconds clear of the lead Mercedes with Hamilton also comfortable third, six seconds ahead of Alex.
Further back the man on the move was AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly with the Frenchman passing Racing Point’s Lance Stroll and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel as he climbed to P8 behind the McLarens.
At the end of lap 39 Ricciardo was the last to shed his starting hard tyres and after taking on medium tyres he re-joined in P7, behind the McLarens of Norris and Sainz.
Max was now totally dominant at the head of the field. On lap 48 he was 12 seconds clear of Bottas and telling the Team on the radio that they could turn the engine down if required.
And seven laps later Max powered across the line to take his and the Team’s second win of the year after early-season victory at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. The win is the Team’s fourth in Abu Dhabi, its first since 2013 and our 64th victory overall.
Max Celebrates His 10th F1 Win© Getty Images
Bottas settled for P2 a little under 10 seconds behind Max as the race winner throttled back in the closing stages. Hamilton claimed the final podium place ahead of Alex.
P5 for McLaren’s Lando Norris and P6 for teammate Carlos Sainz handed the Renault-powered team P3 in the Constructors’ Championship ahead of Racing Point for whom Lance Stroll was P10 on the night. Ricciardo took P7 ahead of Gasly and the second Renault of Esteban Ocon.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Race
Abu Dhabi Delight For Max© Getty Images
Max Gets Off The Line Well In P1© Getty Images
Alex With A Solid Drive To P4© Getty Images
Early Stages In Yas Marina© Getty Images
Sunsets During The Race© Getty Images
Max On Mediums At The Start© Getty Images
Picking Up The P1 Silverware© Getty Images
Shining Bright At Night© Getty Images
Celebrating The Abu Dhabi Win© Getty Images
Max Out In Front Alone© Getty Images
Max Performs Well In The Spotlights© Getty Images
“It has been a very enjoyable two days which we didn’t really expect coming into the weekend. Being on pole was already great but to win here is a perfect end to the season for us all. The tyre management was good and the car had a nice balance which made it very enjoyable to drive. I expected a very tough fight today but I think we managed everything very well and there was never really a moment where I felt under pressure which is a pretty good feeling.
Everyone in the Team and at Honda has worked so hard the whole year to improve the car and this is a really good boost going into the winter.
"To finish the year off like this I’m of course very happy with and I just hope we can start next season competitively, so we can be there right from the start, as we want to be able to try and fight for the championship but for that we need to start strong. Everyone in the Team and at Honda has worked so hard the whole year to improve the car and this is a really good boost going into the winter and I hope everyone gets to celebrate tonight.”
“I’m happy and I think if the race was a couple of laps longer I’d be even happier as I feel we could’ve got past Lewis and taken another podium today. I was managing my tyres at the beginning of the stint and maybe I was too conservative as I had lots of life left in them at the end of the race whilst everyone else’s were starting to drop off. But overall it’s a great result for the Team today and I’m happy with my race. I’ve felt very good with the car this weekend and it’s probably been my best in F1.
"There was obviously a lot of pressure coming into this race and my only goal was to focus on my performance and do the best job possible so I’m proud of how I’ve delivered under the circumstances. It feels great to prove to everyone that I’m strong enough mentally to deal with all the external talk and keep improving. As a Team we haven’t given up, I’ve had a lot of support from everyone back at the factory and we’ve worked hard with the engineers to make me more comfortable in the car. Now I’m just looking forward to going home and relaxing with my family."
A win was the best possible way to sign off the 2020 season in what has been a challenging and disrupted year.
“A win was the best possible way to sign off the 2020 season in what has been a challenging and disrupted year. To beat Mercedes fair and square from pole position, the first time Mercedes have been beaten at this circuit since 2013 when we last won with Vettel, is a phenomenal performance. Max has been supreme all weekend, delivering the perfect qualifying lap which he was able to convert into his 10th win today.
Alex had arguably one of his strongest race weekends of the year to finish fourth just behind Lewis. "Alex had arguably one of his strongest race weekends of the year to finish fourth just behind Lewis and collectively this was a very strong Team performance at this venue. All credit to Honda for being the only engine manufacturer not to incur any penalties this year and on achieving a second win with us this season.
A big thank you must also go to all the staff in Milton Keynes who have worked tirelessly in difficult circumstances this year. "A big thank you must also go to all the staff in Milton Keynes who have worked tirelessly in difficult circumstances this year to keep developing the RB16 and ensuring we kept the momentum going throughout the season. This is also a fitting way to end our title partnership with Aston Martin and we look forward to seeing them back in the paddock next year. It’s been a rollercoaster season and once the test finishes on Tuesday I hope that everyone can enjoy a well-deserved break.”
AbuDhabiGrandPrix-RaceTop10
| Position | Driver | Team | | 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. | 6. | 7. | 8. | 9. | 10. |
| Max Verstappen | Valtteri Bottas | Lewis Hamilton | Alex Albon | Lando Norris | Carlos Sainz | Daniel Ricciardo | Pierre Gasly | Esteban Ocon | Lance Stroll |
| Aston Martin Red Bull Racing | Mercedes | Mercedes | Aston Martin Red Bull Racing | McLaren | McLaren | Renault | AlphaTauri | Renault | Racing Point |
