Watch: Max Verstappen Overtakes Lewis Hamilton In Dramatic Final Lap To Win Maiden F1 World Championship in Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

In what was a thrilling finish to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Red Bull's Max Verstappen had to wait till the final lap to overtake Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and seal his maiden F1 World Championship title at the Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday. After Nicholas Latifi crashed in the 54th lap, the Dutch driver took advantage of a second safety car to overtake Hamilton, who was on course to win a record-breaking eighth title. Here is the video of the 58th lap when Verstappen overtook Hamilton to win his maiden championship title:

The last lap #F1Finale Verstappen beats Hamilton in one of the greatest finishes to an #F1 season ever. pic.twitter.com/fI08NXHCDE

— Graeme (@1965graeme1965) December 12, 2021

The duo had entered the race level on points with Verstappen having an advantage due to a countback rule.

In the second grid after finishing behind Verstappen during qualifying, Hamilton started well and grabbed an early lead. Verstappen had to rely on some extraordinary teamwork from Red Bull's Sergio Perez to claw himself back into the race and into second position.

Such was Perez' help that Verstappen exclaimed in the team radio, "Checo is a legend".

With Hamilton edging closer to a record-breaking eighth title, Latifi's crash changed everything with Verstappen quickly pitting for fresh tyres.

With degrading hard tyres, Hamilton witnessed Verstappen go past him in the final lap. The British driver did try to get back his position but couldn't get past his opponent due to his older tyres.

The race also saw Kimi Raikkonen retire midway, putting an end to his impressive Formula 1 career.

Topics mentioned in this article

Mercedes Red Bull Lewis Hamilton Max Verstappen Yas Marina Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Formula 1 Social