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      Lewis Hamilton says ‘we finished with a car we didn’t want’ in brutal dig at Mercedes after ZERO F1 wins

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      LEWIS HAMILTON slammed Mercedes for giving him a car he “didn’t want” after ending the F1 season with ZERO wins.The seven-time world champion was hoping to end a miserable year with a victory at the Abu Dhabi GP on Sunday.
      Lewis Hamilton was forced to retire from the Abu Dhabi GP on SundayCredit: Getty
      But Hamilton’s season in further disappointment after he was forced to retire with a suspected hydraulic issue three laps from the end.
      It means the 37-year-old failed to win a single race for the first time since he joined the F1 circuit in 2008.
      His DNF in Abu Dhabi saw him slip to sixth in the Drivers’ Championship, his worst ever return.
      Hamilton even finished below Mercedes teammate George Russell, who came fourth.
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      The Englishman reflected on a frustrating year and wasn’t exactly thrilled with the car he drove.
      He said: “Ultimately, I think we started with a car that we didn’t want and we finished with a car that we didn’t want but we were basically stuck with it.
      “We kept trundling way, kept working away at improving it, but I think the fundamentals have still been there until the end, as you saw this weekend.
      “It’s been more of a team building exercise this year and I’m very, very proud of everybody.
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      Despite his obvious frustrations, Hamilton still thanked his team for getting him through the worst season of his career.
      He added: “Whilst we’re not celebrating a World Championship, we’ll be celebrating them still for their hard work and efforts.
      “I hope that the struggles this year really provide us with the tools and the strength to fight for many more championships moving forward.” More

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      Shock stats reveal just how bad Lewis Hamilton’s F1 season was as he goes his first EVER without single race win

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      LEWIS HAMILTON’S Formula 1 season ended in the worst possible way after he was forced to retire at the Abu Dhabi GP on Sunday.While Max Verstappen tasted victory in the final race of the year, the seven-time world champion suffered more misery after he pulled out.
      Lewis Hamilton finished the 2022 season without a single winCredit: Alamy
      It means that Hamilton failed to win a single race in a season for the first time in 16 years on the F1 circuit.
      The 37-year-old’s terrible time also saw him end in sixth-place for the championship, the lowest of his career.
      Hamilton had finished in the top two in each of the last eight years and was on course to come fifth having held a six-point lead over Carlos Sainz ahead of the race.
      But his DNF in the Middle East saw him slip down one place in the Drivers’ Championship.
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      He racked up just 240 points, a whopping 214 fewer than Verstappen.
      George Russell, who came fifth in Abu Dhabi, secured fourth place overall, meaning Hamilton finished below his teammate for just the third time in his career.
      The other two occasions were in 2009 when Jenson Button won the world title and Nico Roseberg seven years later.
      Despite his struggles, Hamilton is hopeful of challenging for world titles in the future.
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      He said: “These next couple of weeks, we’ll be back at the factory, we’ll get to see everybody, and while we’re not celebrating a world championship, we’ll be celebrating them still for their hard work and efforts.”
      “I hope that the struggles this year really provide us with the tools and the strengths to fight for many more championships moving forward.” More

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      Pep Guardiola joins Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes as stars including Patrice Evra, Shaq and Usain Bolt flock to Abu Dhabi GP

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      PEP GUARDIOLA was among the stars who came along to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as big celebrities filled the grid. It was the final F1 race of the season and many big names were out on show to mark the occasion.
      Guardiola was enjoying some time off with the Premier League season on hiatusCredit: Splash
      Usain Bolt and Patrice Evra were along the stars enjoying the Abu Dhabi actionCredit: Getty
      American singer Usher enjoyed the action in the UAECredit: Splash
      Last year’s Abu Dhabi race went down as one of the most controversial in the history of the sport.
      But with the title resolved several races ago and many other plot lines already wrapped up, it was a relaxed atmosphere on the grid as celebrities descended.
      Among the biggest names was Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.
      He is enjoying a rare mid-season break while the World Cup takes centre-stage.
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      The Spaniard joined Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes team for the weekend – and became the latest big name to snub Martin Brundle.
      The former F1 driver and Sky Sports pundit attempted to reel in Guardiola during his traditional pre-race grid walk, but the manager was not in the mood for a chat.
      As Brundle tried to talk to him about Man City, the manager said: “No, let’s not talk about football today.”
      He then walked away as body guards ushered Brundle away, leading the unflappable F1 pundit to quip: “It’s okay, I’ve been thrown out of better places than this.”
      Ben Stokes was one of many English cricketers in attendanceCredit: Getty
      Film star Martin Lawrence took a selfie alongside comedian Michael DapaahCredit: Getty
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      Elsewhere, other major globe-trotting celebs popped up.
      Olympic legend Usain Bolt was also visible in the paddock ahead of the race, while fellow sports star Shaquille O’Neal was also present.
      Former Manchester United full-back Patrice Evra also arrived at the star-studded event and mingled alongside other celebs, including American pop star Usher.
      And England legend Ben Stokes was among several cricketers who turned up to watch the race – only a week after their brilliant T20 Cricket World Cup win.
      It ended up being a disappointing Grand Prix with Max Verstappen waltzing unchallenged to his 15th win of the season.
      A frustrated Hamilton meanwhile was forced to retire his Mercedes with only a couple of laps to go. More

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      Lewis Hamilton wants England AND Brazil to lift World Cup 2022 trophy as F1 stars predict winners with hilarious results

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      FORMULA ONE star Lewis Hamilton has hilariously predicted that he wants England and Brazil to win the World Cup together. The 37-year-old is of course cheering on England in Qatar but he also has a soft spot for Brazil after becoming an honorary citizen of the country.
      Hamilton was given a diploma and medal to signify his citizenship for Brazil
      Alexander Albon made a hilarious predictionCredit: Getty
      Hamilton is hugely popular in the South American nation and cites Brazillian legend Ayrton Senna as his idol.
      Many drivers were asked who they think was going to win the World Cup and when it came to Hamilton he joked: “I’m going to have to have a t-shirt for Brazil and England put together, stitched together.”
      And the seven-time world champion has a good chance of being correct with his prediction with Brazil tipped as one of the favourites.
      Hamilton was given his honorary citizenship a matter of weeks ago in a special ceremony prior to the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
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      Most F1 drivers went for their own nation to win with Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz both confidently saying Spain.
      Lando Norries went for England and Pierre Gasly thought France would retain their crown.

      There was a number of comical answers, Alexander Albon admitted he didn’t even know the World Cup was on.
      The Williams racer then said: “I have to say Thailand. Even though Thailand aren’t playing.”
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      Speaking ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which was Sebastian Vettel’s last race before retirement, Mick Schumacher joked the German would switch sports and win the World Cup.
      F1 title winner Max Vertsappen was hopeful the Netherlands would do well and his Red Bull teammate said he hoped Mexico would win, if not, he was backing Argentina.
      Daniel Ricciardo, who will not be on the grid next season, backed a team from Group D.
      He said either his nation Austrailia or France would lift the trophy come December. More

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      Max Verstappen cruises to 15th win of F1 season at Abu Dhabi GP as Lewis Hamilton forced to retire TWO LAPS from finish

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      LEWIS HAMILTON’s miserable season came to a fitting end as he retired from the Abu Dhabi two laps from the end.The Brit’s Mercedes suffered a hydraulic problem that proved terminal and condemned him to an unwelcome landmark of going a whole season without a single victory.
      Verstappen took control of the race early and none of the other drivers could challenge the Red BullCredit: Reuters
      It was a frustrating end to a frustrating season for Lewis Hamilton, who had to retire his carCredit: Getty
      The Mercedes man has won at least once in each of his previous 15 years, but this season, a dreadful car design coupled with Max Verstappen’s dominance, put an end to his record.
      He had previously been involved in a clash with Carlos Sainz and later in the race blamed his team for putting him on the wrong tyre strategy.
      It all proved irrelevant as he finished this race early, sick of the sight of the sluggish Merc that has been ravaged by porpoising problems.
      Verstappen meanwhile, wrapped up his 15th win of the season in a dreary race in Abu Dhabi that was never going to live up to last year’s drama.
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      Remember the flashpoint 12 months ago that threw F1 into turmoil? The fudged rules by FIA race director Michael Masi as Verstappen took the win and the title.
      This year, the championship had been sewn up ages ago as this billion-dollar track in the desert served up a more-routine dullard.
      Verstappen led from the line and was not put under any pressure from Charles Leclerc, who was second to take the runner-up spot in the championship.
      Verstappen, who was booed as he was interviewed after the race, said: “It was a good race. All about tyre management from lap one to the end.
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      “It was incredible to win here again this year and the 15th win of the season.
      “It has been really enjoyable to work with the whole team and I know it will be hard to replicate but it is good motivation for next season.”
      Sergio Perez’s third place meant he denied his Red Bull team the chance of a one-two finish in the championship.
      Sainz was fourth and George Russell was fifth following on from his win in Sao Paulo last weekend.
      Ironically, Hamilton’s retirement from the race catapulted his mate Sebastian Vettel into the points on his final race in F1.
      Sebastian Vettel received a guard of honour from his fellow drivers in his final F1 raceCredit: Getty
      The 35-year-old is calling time on his F1 career and the four-time world champion said: “I wish it had been a couple of more points but I enjoyed the race.
      “It was a little different than before and I am sure I am going to miss F1 more than I understand today.
      “The last few years have been disappointing from a sporting point of view, but very useful to me and a lot has happened.
      “I hope to pass on some of the good work to the other drivers. It is great to have the power to inspire and we have far bigger and more important things than racing in circles.
      “But that is what we love and if we can transfer that, it would be good. It has been a joy throughout my career.” More

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      F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix LIVE REACTION: Hamilton RETIRES from final race as Verstappen wins & Leclerc finishes second

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      LEWIS HAMILTON retired from his final race of the F1 season with just two laps to go. The Brit’s car suffered from a mechanical failure late on as his season ended in misery.
      Max Verstappen won the race while Charles Leclerc came second in Abu Dhabi.

      Start time: 1pm GMT
      TV channel: Sky Sports F1
      Live stream: NOW TV

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      Curtain comes down on 2022
      And that’s that. The 2022 F1 season has come to an end, with the drivers managing to bring plenty of excitement every week, even though the eventual winners have been a formality for a long time.
      How will Ferrari and Mercedes look to take down Red Bull? Can anyone stop Max Verstappen?
      So many questions, but it’s quite the wait until we have any answers.
      Danke, Seb

      The year of Verstappen
      The Dutch national anthem has become awfully familiar to us this year, thanks to the dominance of the now two-time champion.
      Can anyone put up a fight next season?
      Mercedes prove last week a flash in the pan
      Last week, George Russell was on top of the world after a thriling and dominant race win, with his teammate following behind.
      Today, Russell was a spectator for the second half of the race, while Hamilton was forced to retire late on.
      Plenty of work needed over the summer for Mercedes to challenge again next season.
      Vettel: “I’ll miss more than I understand”
      “I wish it would’ve been a couple more points.
      “It was a shame.
      “A big day, and a big thank you to the support.
      “I hope to pass on a little bit to the other drivers. There’s far bigger and more important things than racing.”
      Verstappen: “Hard to replicate this”
      Met with boos, Verstappen said:
      “It was all about tyre management.
      “Incredible to win again.”
      Leclerc: “I was 110%”
      “I knew we needed a different strategy.
      “I hope next year we can take a step forward.”
      Perez: “I gave it my all”
      “We have to come stronger next season.”
      Vettel donuts on the grid
      A legend says his final goodbyes.
      Heartbreak for Perez
      Ferrari finally get something right this season, as Leclerc held off a charging Perez to finish second behind Verstappen in the championship.
      Vettel waves goodbye in the points
      Hamilton’s issues see Vettel end in the points, as he pushes Ricciardo right to the end, finishing in P10.
      Lap 58/58 – Leclerc holds on to second
      Leclerc holds off Perez to finish second in the championship!
      Lap 58/58 – Here we go then
      1.6 seconds. Can Perez catch Leclerc?
      It’ll need to be a mammoth lap from the Red Bull.
      Lap 57/58 – Hamilton retires
      Hamilton is out of the race.
      Meanwhile. its a two lap shootout for second between Leclerc and Perez.
      2.2seconds is the gap.
      Lap 55/58 – Hamilton going slowly
      Hamilton can’t get out of 7th gear, and a miserable season is set to end in heartache for the seven-time champion.
      Lap 54/58 – Five laps to go
      We’re stil no closer to knowing who will come out on top in this battle for second.
      Hamilton is also furious with his team, and under pressure for from Sainz behind him.
      Lap 51/58 – Battle for second set to be a blast
      These last few laps are going to be extremely exciting in the battle for second in the Championship.
      Perez is 6.3 seconds behind Leclerc, who is doing everything he can on his degraded tyres.
      Lap 50/58 – Vettel let down by his team
      An unhappy radio message from the departing star, asking how his team have got things so wrong.
      The one stop stratergy has not worked out for Vettel at all.
      Lap 48/58 – Advice from Verstappen to Perez
      The leader has told his team on the radio to tell Perez to push hard to the end here.
      About eight seconds is the gap between Perez and Leclerc, but he is catching.
      Lap 47/58 – Perez finally completes overtake
      After a big wait, Perez fnally gets the overtake done on Hamilton.
      Has the Mercedes repaid the favour on the Red Bull from last year by holding him up enough?
      Lap 45/58 – Perez urged on
      The Red Bul team told Perez that he had to get an overtake on Hamilton done quickly.
      It was temporarily done, before the Mercedes fought back to retake the place.
      Lap 44/58 – Safety car could be key
      With the differing strategies of Ferrari and Red Bull, a safety car would be a gamechanger in these final few races.
      Leclerc has said on the radio that he “won’t come back” if he is brought into the pits.
      Lap 42/58 – Verstappen domination again
      The champion holds a seven second lead, and he’s not even pushing hard anymore as he looks to stay on his one-stop strategy.
      Lap 40/58 – Sainz and Russell pit
      Both enjoy good pit stops, and come out cleanly.
      As for the incident, it seems Latifi was tagged by an oncoming Haas, with Schumacher surely taking the blame.
      Lap 39/58 – Incident between Schumacher and Latifi
      The pair collide, with Latifi going very slowly as a result.
      Both are currently still going.
      Load more entries… More

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      Max Verstappen takes pole position for Abu Dhabi GP a year after controversial F1 title win with Lewis Hamilton fifth

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      MAX VERSTAPPEN is on pole for the Abu Dhabi GP as he bids for his 15th win of the season.A week after ignoring team orders to help Sergio Perez, he dutifully played his role in helping the Mexican by giving him a tow down the long straight.
      Max Verstappen finished on pole inCredit: AFP
      The Dutchman will bid to secure a sensational 15th win of the season in the UAECredit: REX
      Verstappen controversially won the F1 title in Abu Dhabi last yearCredit: AFP
      Perez was able to utilise the slipstream to lock out the front row and seal a second-place start on the grid.
      Verstappen, who took his seventh pole of the season and the 20th of his career, said: “It was a bit of an up-and-down qualifying. It started off quite well.
      “Q2 was a little bit messy. I don’t know why but on those tyres I couldn’t get the grip together.
      “But then in Q3 it all felt a bit more normal.
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      “We had a bit of a scare, the car turned off before the first run, so we had to reboot everything.
      “Then we went out and both of the laps were good enough.
      “I’m very happy that both cars are on the front row, because we want to win the race, but we also want to finish second with Checo in the championship, so that’s definitely a great start.
      “I still expect it to be a good battle but at least we have both cars there and we can do what we want.”
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      Perez added: “It is a good starting place. It is good to lock out that front row tomorrow.
      “Max did a good job for me, we worked well as a team on that last run. I hope we can have a strong race.”
      The Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will line up in third and fourth place respectively.
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      Lewis Hamilton was only good enough for fifth while his teammate George Russell, who won in Brazil, was sixth-quickest.
      Sebastian Vettel, who will race in his final GP tomorrow will do so from ninth on the grid, comfortably ahead of his teammate Lance Stroll, who was 14th. More

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      Lewis Hamilton picks up the tab after hosting farewell meal for old F1 rival Sebastian Vettel and 19 other drivers

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      SEBASTIAN VETTEL toasted his F1 career at a meal with the other 19 drivers on the grid as he prepares to bail out of the sport.The get-together was planned by his old rival, Lewis Hamilton, who also picked up the tab at the end of the night.
      Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton have had numerous battles through the yearsCredit: AFP
      Hamilton has arranged a farewell meal for Vettel alongside the 18 other F1 driversCredit: Alamy
      Vettel’s final race in Abu Dhabi is his 299th in F1Credit: Alamy
      The two traded blows during their 16 years in F1 having both made their debuts in 2007.
      They famously clashed at the Azerbaijan GP in 2017 when the German rammed his Ferrari into the Mercedes man in a fit of rage.
      The flashpoint came up ahead of this weekend’s Abu Dhabi GP, when Hamilton was asked about his thoughts on Vettel, who interrupted to apologise for the incident.
      Hamilton said: “When I think of Seb… he was a bit of a nuisance back then!”
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      Vettel then interjected and said: “I’m actually quite sorry… it’s your answer, but I think Baku wasn’t a great moment, because what I did wasn’t right. But actually from that moment onwards our friendship got better!
      “So I don’t want that moment to… not happen, if you see what I mean!”
      Hamilton added: “I agree. We always had such great battles, honestly, and I was just thinking, most drivers are coming back.
      “Alonso came back, [Hulkenberg is back in 2023] Seb’s probably going to come back.
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      “We’re seeing other drivers coming back, so I’m sitting here accepting, yes, it’s your last race… but… he’ll be back.
      “Formula One has a way of sucking you back in. We’ve noticed that from so many other drivers.”
      Vettel will notch his 299th start on Sunday – one shy of a landmark because his Ferrari broke down on the way to the grid in Bahrain in 2016, while he missed two races this season due to covid.
      After winning his four titles with Red Bull and joining Ferrari, he sees out his career at Aston Martin where he has been hamstrung by car performance.
      For the meantime, the 35-year-old, who has taken a keen interest in the environment, says he has no plans other than to spend time with his wife and three children at their home in Switzerland.
      When asked if he would join another championship, he said: “I think naturally you do look at other stuff. I don’t know yet, is the answer.
      “I look forward to the idea of nothing, at first, and then see what it does to me. I mean, there are lots of other things in my head as well.
      “Other interests and ideas outside racing. I’ve done this for so long and it’s central to my life.
      “It will be difficult to say that I’m not going to miss it, but how much and whether then I start to look at something else, we’ll see.
      “I always liked, for some reason, rallying, but I can see it’s a major challenge, because it’s so different to what we do.
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      “I’m looking forward to being surprised and as I said, learn about myself, spend more time with my kids and family, learn together with them, which obviously will be a different challenge to me and a different pace.
      “And to give more room to maybe the things that I naturally didn’t have time for.” More