After a long 246 days, the 2022 Formula One season finished in a puff of smoke as fireworks sounded off and two Red Bulls, a Ferrari and later, an Aston Martin perfectly executed donuts in front of the main grandstand.
Elsewhere on the track, a McLaren and a Haas followed suit as fans cheered through the looming farewell that hung over the paddock in recent months, weeks and, for one driver, days. Some drivers were left likely hoping for more from Abu Dhabi, like Lewis Hamilton, who had his first mechanical failure of the season, while others, like Charles Leclerc, could finally let out the breath they were holding after a roller coaster year.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was a nail-biter once again as Leclerc and Sergio Pérez battled for second place in the drivers’ championship, while Ferrari hoped to hold onto its lead over Mercedes for second in the constructors’ standings. This season was the longest one yet, starting back with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 20 and ending in the United Arab Emirates on Nov. 20, approximately 372 miles from where the first match of the World Cup kicked off on Sunday.
