Max Verstappen has ended rival Sir Lewis Hamilton's F1 championship reign, after he beat him at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen beats rival Lewis Hamilton to F1 Championship
The Red Bull Racing and Mercedes drivers were tied with 369.5 points each ahead of Sunday's (12.12.21) big finale, which has only happened once before in F1 history.
And Verstappen, 24, made history as the first racer from the Netherlands to win the Driver's Championship during the epic showdown, while he claimed his team’s first drivers’ title since 2013.
Hamilton, 36, has previously won seven F1 Driver's Championships, like F1 legend Michael Schumacher.
However, Verstappen put an end to his consecutive wins.
The victory came in the very final lap and amid tense scenes at Yas Marina racetrack.
Verstappen had new tires fitted for the final restart of the race after he was 11 seconds behind Hamilton when Williams Racing's Nicholas Latifi had a smash with five laps left to go.
Formula 1 had said that the cars between Verstappen and Hamilton would not be allowed to pass Hamilton before they restarted.
However, officials swiftly changed their minds, and Verstappen was given the opportunity to triumph over his rival by restarting on his bumper.
Relations between Verstappen and Hamilton have grown intense in the build-up.
Verstappen admitted ahead of the final race when asked if his view of his competitor and Mercedes has changed: "Yes very much, and not in a positive way."
And asked about intentional crashes to claim the title - which motorsports governing body the FIA warned would see racers penalised for - Hamilton said: "I would like to believe everyone wants to do it in the right way, so I don't even let that creep into my mind."
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