F1 in Abu Dhabi: And that's the championship

"Going into the final race-worth 25 points for a win-Norris was on 408, Verstappen on 396, and Piastri on 392 points. A podium finish was all Norris needed to seal the championship. If Verstappen won and Norris came fourth or worse, the Dutch driver would claim his fifth championship. Piastri, for a long time the title leader, had the hardest task of all-nothing less than a win, and some misfortune for the other two, would do."

"Come race day, Verstappen made an OK start, defended his position, then got his head down and drove to the checkered flag. The Yas Marina circuit, which is reportedly the most expensive race track ever created, had some corners reprofiled in 2021 to improve the racing, so the kind of "slow your rival down and back them into the chasing pack" games that Lewis Hamilton tried to play with Nico Rosberg in 2016 no longer work."

"Verstappen was pursued by Piastri, who saw a chance to pass Norris on lap 1 and took it. For his part, Norris let him go, then gave his team some cause for panic by letting Leclerc's Ferrari close to within a second before showing more speed. An early pit stop meant Norris had to do some overtaking on track. Which he did decisively, a far cry from the more timid driver we saw at times earlier this year."

Entering the final race, Lando Norris led on 408 points, Max Verstappen had 396 and Oscar Piastri 392, with 25 points available for a win. A podium would have sealed the title for Norris, while Verstappen needed a win and Norris to finish fourth or lower; Piastri required a win plus misfortune for the others. Qualifying put Verstappen on pole with Norris and Piastri behind. In the race Verstappen led from the start to the finish. Piastri passed Norris on lap one. Norris pitted early, completed decisive on-track overtakes, and faced delay from Yuki Tsunoda.

Read at Ars Technica