The neutralization in the closing stages of the race at the Yas Marina Circuit resulted in a single lap sprint race. Verstappen was on newer tires than Hamilton. Sainz himself was busy fighting to reach the podium, but eventually got the hang of how the battle ended up front. The Ferrari driver praises the neatness of both gentlemen and is happy that there was no crash.
“Given the various possibilities that were available at the start of the race, this championship ultimately had a nice outcome,” Sainz looks back on the season finale in Abu Dhabi. “Personally I thought it was a great fight up front. They kept it clean. There were no crashes or collisions. The sport deserved this great battle in the last race.”
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Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1st position, is congratulated by Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari, 3rd position, in Parc Ferme
Foto: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
After a busy battle with Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas and the two AlphaTauri drivers, Sainz eventually finished third in Abu Dhabi. This meant that he was allowed to make the corridor to the honorary scaffold for the fourth time in 2021. Once there, he immediately approached Verstappen and Hamilton. “First of all I congratulated Max and Lewis. Whoever would win that weekend, it would always have been deserved. They drove incredibly well and both deserved the title. The most important thing to me is that nothing unfair or strange happened on the track. They both kept it tidy.”
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