Champ Verstappen wins season finale

» RED Bull’s Max Verstappen won the final Formula One race of the season in Abu Dhabi as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc beat the Dutchman’s teammate Sergio Perez to secure second in the championship.

Leclerc, who was Verstappen’s title rival earlier this year before Ferrari’s season imploded in a flood of errors and reliability failures, held off Perez on divergent strategies to take second place.

Sebastian Vettel’s final race ended in disappointment, the four-time champion bemoaning when he felt was a poor strategy from Aston Martin.

Vettel took the final point for 10th place after Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes retired from fourth place with three laps to go.

Hamilton was on course to finish fourth until he lost gears in the closing stages, promoting Carlos Sainz and George Russell to fourth and fifth ahead of McLaren’s Bristolborn driver Lando Norris and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon. Norris finished seventh in the championship.