And so to Abu Dhabi and the finale of an extraordinary rivalry. The irresistible force meets the immoveable rock. Max Verstappen against Lewis Hamilton. The heir apparent versus the king. You can cut it a thousand ways.
Nine months after it all began, just an hour's flight from here, the duo arrive on Yas Island, the extraordinary jewel of the Middle Eastern motor sporting world, with honours even.
In between there have been 21 Grands Prix across four continents. Fortunes have waxed and waned.
In May, Hamilton led by 14 points. Five races later, Verstappen was up 32 as Hamilton suffered the biggest slump of his career.
The man who was used to winning as he pleased couldn’t buy one. Crashing Verstappen out of the lead at Silverstone was the only way to hit the front.
I have no doubt Hamilton knew what he was doing that day every bit as much as the young Dutchman has been kicking himself ever since for allowing it to happen.
But Verstappen was doing what champions do. What we’ve seen Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher do. We've seen Hamilton himself do it.
That wasn’t where this season started spinning out of control. It happened when Hamilton leapt up and down with joy on the podium as his rival watched from his hospital bed after a 52G impact he was lucky to survive.
It happened when Hamilton was asked about his rival’s ruthless racing tactics and his reply was pretty much along the lines of ‘if you play with fire you are going to get burnt’.
Well, that cut both ways. Four races later, Hamilton was trapped in his cockpit, Verstappen’s Red Bull resting just above his helmet.
Respectful rivalry turned into a bitter battle with no quarter given.
Mercedes are plugging a narrative Hamilton is the deserving champion, who deals in the finer aspects of fair racing and Verstappen the bludgeoning, brutal, primeval wannabe braking all the rules.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - past winners
Jacques Villeneuve, who became champion in 1997 when Schumacher was kicked out of the championship for just such antics, has an interesting take on it all.
“They all play these little tricks,” he said. “When Lewis does them, he does them in a way that there's always the doubt whether he did it on purpose or not. It was the same against [Nico] Rosberg. When Rosberg did it, he got caught out and it looked dirty.
“When Lewis was doing it was ‘he didn't do it on purpose, it's clean’. And he's a master of that and he's amazing at that, of course.”
Villeneuve believes Hamilton deliberately drove into the back of Verstappen in Saudi and is playing dumb. The Canadian is just one voice and it’s not as if the Dutchman is entirely innocent on that score.
That swingeing punishment for Schumacher in 1997 was a big wake up call for the entire grid but has long since been forgotten.
The sport’s rulers at the time, race director Charlie Whiting, Max Mosley, and Bernie Ecclestone, were more than happy to wave the big stick even at the biggest names if they didn’t play by their rules.
Mosley and Ecclestone are gone and Whiting sadly died on the eve of the 2019 season.
The sport’s current owners, Liberty Media, and the new sporting director, Michael Masi, have a lighter touch. They do more by negotiation and compromise but aren’t sporting rules black and white absolutes?
After an epic season and signs of radical improvements for 2022, some would argue they are slowly getting it right. But in the absence of a firm (and strict) hand on the tiller, teams and drivers have adopted a ’shoot now ask questions later’ approach to see what they can get away with.
And the drivers themselves are so confused over the rules of combat, a meeting of the entire grid with Masi in Qatar stretched on for 90 minutes. The best drivers in the world spent over an hour discussing one of the most basic aspects of the sport and two races later appear non-the-wiser.
Verstappen himself complained he was punished in Saudi for doing something that was allowed in Brazil. And why was he the only one to suffer, he asked, when Hamilton had gone off too?
Of course, the referee can never win but he needs to bring confidence and consistency if nothing else. Athletes should never be in doubt about the rules of engagement. Especially not when driving 300kph.
That said, some of the best seasons in F1 history have ended in the wall amid splintered Kevlar and carbon fibre. But it would be a crying shame if such a stellar season was decided by stewards and lawyers rather than the two racing drivers.
It’s the titanic battle that neither side deserves to lose, yet someone has to.
THE%20SPECS
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Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
Company%C2%A0profile
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
More about Middle East geopolitics
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
RESULT
Bayern Munich 3 Chelsea 2
Bayern: Rafinha (6'), Muller (12', 27')
Chelsea: Alonso (45' 3), Batshuayi (85')
Results
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