From pole position to the checkered flag, the 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was Max Verstappen’s weekend. A slower Mercedes team left a gap between themselves and Red Bull Racing’s winning driver, allowing the team to end a challenging season on a high.

After the chaos of Bahrain, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix kicked off with a smooth first lap. Polesitter Max Verstappen led the field to green, securing a 1.5-second gap over second-place Valtteri Bottas by the end of the first lap.

It was a relaxed 10 laps until Sergio Perez’s Racing Point stopped on the side of the track, warranting a virtual safety car. It appeared that the car just lost power and was unable to be continue. It’s especially heartbreaking for Perez, who is currently unsigned for 2021; this very well could be his final F1 race.

That VSC triggered a series of pit stops for just about everyone but the Ferrari team. Lewis Hamilton radioed in to state that he felt it was a questionable strategy.

Because Perez’s car couldn’t be easily moved, a real safety car hit the track to enable marshals to clear away the stopped machine. It was a short one, with the safety car coming back in at the end of lap 13. Once again, Verstappen led the field to green ahead of the two Mercedes. Once again, there were very few changes to the front of the pack, with the top three separating out from each other.

And that... was that. After one hell of a wild season, F1 ended on a bit of a predictable note, with no big battles shaking up the lineup through the rest of the event. Verstappen continued to lead, followed by Bottas and Hamilton. A handful of mid-pack battles changed things up, but only minorly.

Finishing Order for Abu Dhabi:

Max VerstappenValtteri BottasLewis HamiltonAlex AlbonLando NorrisCarlos Sainz Jr.Daniel Ricciardo (fastest lap)Pierre GaslyLance StrollEsteban OconDaniil KvyatKimi RaikkonenCharles LeclercSebastian VettelGeorge RussellAntonio GiovinazziNicholas LatifiKevin MagnussenPietro FittipaldiSergio Perez (DNF)

World Drivers’ Championship Standings:

Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes (347 points)Valtteri Bottas - Mercedes (223 points) Max Verstappen - Red Bull Racing Honda (214 points)Sergio Perez - Racing Point BWT Mercedes (125 points)Daniel Ricciardo - Renault (119 points)Carlos Sainz Jr. - McLaren Renault (105 points)Alex Albon - Red Bull Racing Honda (105 points)

Charles Leclerc - Ferrari (98 points)Lando Norris - McLaren Renault (97 points)

Pierre Gasly - AlphaTauri Honda (75 points)Lance Stroll - Racing Point BWT Mercedes (75 points)Esteban Ocon - Renault (62 points)

Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari (33 points)Daniil Kvyat - AlphaTauri Honda (32 points)Nico Hulkenberg - Racing Point BWT Mercedes (10 points)Kimi Raikkonen - Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari (4 points)Antonio Giovinazzi - Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari (4 points)George Russell - Mercedes/Williams (3 points for Mercedes)Romain Grosjean - Haas Ferrari (2 points)Kevin Magnussen - Haas Ferrari (1 point)Nicholas Latifi - Williams Mercedes (0 points)Jack Aitken - Williams Mercedes (0 points)Pietro Fittipaldi - Haas Ferrari (0 points)

World Constructors’ Championship Standings:

Mercedes (573 points)Red bull Racing Honda (319 points)McLaren Renault (202 points)Racing Point BWT Mercedes (195 points)Renault (181 points)Ferrari (131 points)AlphaTauri Honda (107 points)Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari (8 points)Haas Ferrari (3 points)Williams Mercedes (0 points)