It is the kind of end to a contest that feels scripted. It was the thing you would do when you were a kid. It is also the finalAB in the bottom of the ninth. The bottom of the ninth of Game 7 is where the Red Sox came back from a five-run deficit in Game 4 to win the series. Anything is possible in your imagination.
We never see this kind of thing in the real world. There are Game 7s. The comeback was odd. In decisive games, OT was necessary. The miracle is over. How many homers do you remember from that series? What about Joe Carter? Game 7 or the Super Bowl have overtime goals or buzzer beaters. What about Vince Young? The Fiesta Bowl didn't crown a champion. Leonard was in the second round. Jordan's jumper left time on the clock. That seemed to be an intervention by a higher power to provide something.
The Formula 1 season ended in controversial and weird circumstances at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are so far ahead of the competition that the world championship will be decided at the last race. They were always the favorites, but not having enough of an advantage to separate from each other for a long time.
It doesn't happen every year. It required Hamilton to win the last three races. It required Mercedes to switch out its engine a month ago. They qualified the top two for the race in Abu Dhabi yesterday, with Verstappen and Hamilton.
We didn't have to wait long for more controversy between them because they were at each other's throats the whole season. It wasn't a single lap. Hamilton went past Verstappen as soon as the lights went out. Hamilton was forced off the track by Verstappen at Turn 6. Hamilton and Mercedes would tell you that. Hamilton cut the corner to stay ahead of Verstappen.
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Race officials didn't make Hamilton give up the place, but they have done this before. It seemed odd. Red Bull and Verstappen would have different opinions on it.
The rest of the race was dominated by Hamilton. His lead grew to 16 seconds. Red Bull and Verstappen changed their course and went for a second time with about 18 laps to go in hopes that they could eat into Hamilton's lead lap-by-lap while Hamilton's tires wore away. They did not make up enough time.
Verstappen might call it divine intervention or even karma from the first lap incident. The gods might be called the cruel ones by Hamilton. The only thing that could have made the race more competitive was it. Nicholas Latifi was miles from the leaders when he crashed into the wall. The race was paused for a few laps after a safety car came out. It wasn't that simple.
Hamilton was unable to catch the safety car as he had caught Verstappen's pit stop to get more fresh tires. He would have come out behind Verstappen even if he did. Verstappen wouldn't have fought. The race would finish under yellow flags. It is impossible to get a grasp on the many things that could have happened.
But that wasn't the end. As the safety car approached, it appeared that Verstappen would not be allowed to pass Hamilton and the safety car at the restart of the race. It is usually the custom to give no one an advantage. The broadcast remarked on how unusual it was for them to not be allowed to pass. Verstappen and Christian Horner were angry with the officials on their radios. Even with his fresh tires, having five cars to pass in one lap before Hamilton would have been too much.
The safety car was overtaken by the lapped cars. The normal way is for the safety car to pull into the pits and not complete a lap after the cars clear. The race would have been finished under yellow flags. The restart was thrown upon Hamilton. Before the restart, Verstappen was behind Hamilton. Mercedes was screaming into their radios. The broadcast was lost in words.
One lap to make a decision.
It was already decided. Verstappen ran on barely touched tires that had more than 30 laps in them already, and he had a huge advantage over Hamilton. Verstappen passed Hamilton in the last lap. Hamilton couldn't get past one stab. And then it was over. The world champion is Max Verstappen.
This may not be over. Mercedes will appeal the dismissal of their initial protest. You can imagine this going to court before the whole thing is done.
It is difficult to comprehend all that went into making this ending. The most decorated driver in the history of the sport finally being looked at by a young driver tipped for greatness since he showed up. No one else can touch them. The F1 season has had its share of twists and turns, with crashes here and there and an odd decision from the FAI keeping them out of each other's sight. Hamilton is in a tie with one race to go. The gap was erased when Latifi crashed at that moment. Hamilton has his fifth-straight world championship after the race finishes under caution. The decisions to pit or not.
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