Ratings | Verstappen and Hamilton in a titanic fight, Perez shows his worth

Max Verstappen is the world champion of 2021 after a crazy race in Abu Dhabi. Despite all the chaos, we still try to analyse the race as best as we can and on behalf of GPblog we give the drivers grades for the last time this season.

Verstappen: 10

Max Verstappen drove the lap of his life on Saturday but gave the race away at the start. He passed Lewis on the first lap but unfairly failed to regain the lead that Hamilton held off-track. Verstappen continued to chase Hamilton throughout the race, forcing Mercedes out of the pits during the (virtual) safety car situations. He needed a bit of luck, but looking at the whole year that luck balances out.

Hamilton: 10

The defeat will be particularly hard on Lewis Hamilton because the Briton could not have done better himself. He dominated the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix but was hopeless against Verstappen on the final lap. He fought for what he was worth, but in the ultimate final stage, he was not as lucky as the champion.

Sainz: 9

Carlos Sainz drove a great race in the background. Although he owed the podium mainly to Perez's precautionary retirement, he had earned that spot with a good qualifying session and a typical Sunday for the Spaniard.

Tsunoda: 9

Anyone who has only seen the first and last race of this season would think that Yuki Tsunoda is a world-class talent. Points on your debut in F1 and finishing with a P4. It's promising, although the results over the rest of the season need to be a lot better if the Japanese driver is to make the next step in Formula 1.

Gasly: 8

Pierre Gasly was surprisingly trumped by his teammate this weekend. The Frenchman was the only driver to beat his teammate in all qualifying sessions so far, but he still had to let the Japanese driver go once. With a P5, the AlphaTauri team leader will still be very satisfied.

Bottas: 6

Throughout the season Valtteri Bottas has been Hamilton's ideal wingman, but on the weekend when he was needed most, the Finn didn't deliver. In qualifying, Bottas didn't get further than P6 and in the race, he failed to come forward. Where Perez played a crucial role on Saturday and Sunday, Bottas was no help to Hamilton.

Norris: 7.5

Lando Norris has not had luck on his side in the last few races of the season. After a great third place in qualifying, a slowly deflating tyre prevented the Brit from fighting Sainz for P3.

Alonso: 7.5

Fernando Alonso's main focus with 'El Plan' is on 2022, but an eighth-place finish in Abu Dhabi was a fine way for the Spaniard to end his season in Formula 1.

Ocon: 7.5

Esteban Ocon was faster than Alonso in qualifying, but he had to give up that slim margin in the race.

Leclerc: 7.5

Charles Leclerc had to watch his teammate take another podium and secure himself the title of 'best of the rest.' On Saturday and Sunday, the Monegasque was no match for his teammate.

Vettel: 6.5

Sebastian Vettel ended the season where he has ended so often this season: just outside the points. It was a dismal end to a dismal season.

Ricciardo: 6

Daniel Ricciardo also ended his season in style, as the Australian never came close to Norris despite a flat tire for his teammate. Although he managed one win, the move to McLaren has yet to prove a great success for Ricciardo.

Stroll: 6

Lance Stroll qualified ahead of his teammate but otherwise drove a colourless race.

Schumacher: 2.5

Mick Schumacher couldn't make a big deal out of this Haas car in 2021, but he did what he could and was faster than his teammate almost every weekend.

Perez: 9

While Sergio Perez hasn't always been at home as Red Bull Racing's second driver this year, he was there when he needed to be. He helped Verstappen to pole, qualified P4 and defended like a lion against Hamilton. He brought Verstappen back into the race and deserves a lot of credit for that.

Latifi: 2

Red Bull and Verstappen fans will be more than happy to give Nicholas Latifi a ten, but the reality is that Latifi will unintentionally go down in the books as the man who decided the world title in Verstappen's favour. Timo Glock will have a successor, having had to give interviews every year after his role in the 2008 title fight. With the role, the Canadian has now played he may now be relieved of these obligations. Latifi did so well by qualifying ahead of Russell on Saturday, but the mistake in the last few laps not only had disastrous consequences for Hamilton. A rookie is allowed to make these kinds of mistakes, but Latifi is not now.

Giovinazzi: 5

Antonio Giovinazzi ends his Formula 1 career with a retirement due to a gearbox problem. The Italian had a great weekend but unfortunately cannot crown it with a final point.

Russell: 3

George Russell lost another qualifying to his teammate and seems to be with his attention already on Mercedes. With the speed he's shown in recent weeks, he's not exactly an upgrade for Mercedes.

Raikkonen: 7

Kimi Raikkonen didn't end his career the way he had hoped, but he himself will be miffed about that.

Mazepin: N/A

In qualifying, Mazepin was once again run down by his teammate, but on Sunday he produced a positive COVID-19 test.