Simply Abu Dhabi XXXVI

7 1 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I THE RACE: Hamilton started from pole and led every lap of the Grand Prix to end his sixth championship year on a high, finishing more than 17 seconds clear of the field. To read that statistic alone is doing the race an injustice as battles raged right through the field and down to the chequered flag with Bottas charging hard in the last few minutes only to miss the final podium place by less than one second to LeClerc with Verstappen in between grabbing second. However a cloud remained over LeClerc’s result pending a stewards inquiry into the legality of his car after it was found to be carrying 4.88kg of extra fuel just moments before the race. What might seem as a hindrance of carrying more weight is quite the opposite as more fuel means more power. A technical report issued by the FIA 40 minutes before the start said there was a "significant difference" between the amount of fuel in the car and that declared by Ferrari before LeClerc left the pit lane to go to the start line. "The stewards determined that the team should be fined €50,000 for its inaccurate declaration," confirmed a statement issued later in the evening which also confirmed that he kept his podium result. It was one of the most dominant victories of Hamilton’s sixth title- winning season, matching his personal-best tally of 11 victories in a year and set a new points record of 413 for a season. By claiming pole, winning the race, leading every lap and grabbing the bonus point for fastest lap, Hamilton completed a rare Grand Slam weekend - the sixth of his career. "I'm proud definitely but just super grateful for this incredible team," he said. "To all at Mercedes who have continued to push this year. Who would have thought at the end of the year we would have this strength in the race? Even though we had the championship won, we just wanted to keep our head down and to see if we can learn and extract more from this beautiful car. It's a piece of art." Verstappen was able to win the battle for second despite losing a place to Charles LeClerc on the opening lap, completing a longer first stint than his Ferrari rival before passing with fresher tyres in the second half of the race. His second place also confirmed the Dutchman's third place in the Drivers' Championship behind Hamilton and Bottas.