ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Max Verstappen claimed an astonishing first F1 world championship title by overtaking title rival Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of a hugely controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Verstappen appeared to have lost out to Hamilton until a crash by Nicholas Latifi triggered a Safety Car on lap 52 of 58. The race restarted on the final lap of the race and Verstappen caught and passed the Mercedes of Hamilton, who was struggling on worn tyres with less grip, to snatch the lead, the race victory and the world title.
The decision to restart the race was controversial, with FIA race director Michael Masi seeming to crumble under pressure from Red Bull boss Christian Horner to let lapped cars overtake the Safety Car in order to move Verstappen behind Hamilton for the restart.