2020 ABU DHABI GP

RED BULL RB16 STARTED 1ST

The 2020 Abu Dhabi race was far from a classic GP. We called it a “turgid and lifeless” affair, with Verstappen utterly dominating from pole. But it was a statement drive to a 10th F1 win, Verstappen in the process beating two examples of what should be remembered as one of the greatest F1 cars of all time: the Mercedes W11.

These had been given a cut in engine output due to fears over MGU-K fires hitting customer units in practice (and Sergio Perez’s Racing Point in the race), but Mercedes insisted that this wasn’t enough to explain its shock fourth defeat of the season. Instead, the critical factor was missing pole to Verstappen, when Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas failed to get their soft tyres into the required operating window.

In the race, Verstappen was in command from the off and in rebuilding his lead after a pitstop under the safety car, which had been called to cover Perez’s stricken car and erased a 3.3-second advantage built in just nine laps over Bottas. Verstappen pulled off a masterful tyre-management drive, his preferred style in turning a car so much earlier in corner entry allowing him to open the wheel at the apex and take stress off the rubber. It had long been a part of his game, but in the seasons that followed this contest it finally got the recognition it deserved. Yes, Hamilton was recovering from COVID-19 and Bottas isn’t a top-tier rival, but this was also a confidence-boosting win that supplied critical momentum to Verstappen’s first title-winning season in 2021.