--- title: "Verstappen Wins 2022 Abu Dhabi F1 Race; LeClerc Claims 2nd Ahead of Perez" description: "The final race of the 2023 F1 season in Abu Dhabi ended predictably, with Max Verstappen winning and Charles Leclerc in second." date: "2022-11-20" modified: "2022-11-20" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/verstappen-wins-2022-abu-dhabi-f1-race-leclerc-claims-2nd-ahead-of-perez" categories: - "F1" - "News" - "Racing" --- # Verstappen Wins 2022 Abu Dhabi F1 Race; LeClerc Claims 2nd Ahead of Perez ![]() *Photo | Heuler Andrey/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images* The 2022 F1 season ended about as predictably as it could have in Abu Dhabi. Red Bull's Max Verstappen started in pole position and pretty much stayed there for the race's entirety. Outside of a brief stint behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, following his pit stop, the dominant Dutchman was barely challenged for his 15th grand prix win of the season. Leclerc raced hard, though, and was able to hold off Verstappen's teammate, Sergio Perez, to secure second place in both the grand prix and the season's drivers championship. There was some hope that Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton would be able to win the Abu Dhabi grand prix, giving him is first and only win of the 2022 season. However, the seven-time world champion's race and season ended in disappointing fashion, after gearbox failure forced him to retire from the race in the closing laps. That's the first time in 15 seasons that Hamilton has failed to win at least one grand prix. Sergio Perez failed to beat out Charles Leclerc for the second place finish, which meant he finished third in the drivers championship, only three points behind Leclerc. Had [Verstappen let Perez pass]() him last week, as the team instructed him to do, Perez would have had enough points after his third place finish today to secure the second place in the drivers standings. ![]() *Sebastian Vettel waving at the crowd for the last time | Photo by Dan Istitene - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images* However, there was some feel-good news from Abu Dhabi, as Sebastian Vettel finished out his career in the points. The four-time F1 champion is retiring after this season and, while his last F1 race didn't end as well as he'd hoped, he was able to battle for a 10th place finish, even with a team strategy that didn't seem to be working. Aston Martin gave him a great send off after the race, though, and the crowd cheered as he waved them on for the last time. It was an emotional tribute to a driver who had an incredible career and gave fans some of the most thrilling F1 moments of the past 16 seasons. Next season, the FIA is adding even more races, giving the [2023 season]() a whopping 24 races, the most there have ever been. The 2023 season kicks off March 5, with the Bahrain grand prix. *Got tips? Send them over to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()