Hamilton leads title race in F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix over Verstappen

By Emre Asikci and Beyza Binnur Donmez

ISTANBUL/ANKARA (AA) – The final round of the 2021 F1 World Championship has started in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates on Sunday.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton is currently leading the race on lap 31 of 58.

Pole holder Max Verstappen from Red Bull is trying to chase down Hamilton in his bid to take his first championship, while the gap between the two drivers stands at 0.464.

Verstappen's team mate Sergio Perez currently holds the final podium position.

The 22nd race of the season is taking place at Yas Marina Circuit on a 5.2-kilometer (3.2 miles) track with 58 laps.

Verstappen came first in qualifying with a time of 1:22:109 on Saturday.

Verstappen and Hamilton have been in fierce competition for the 2021 title as they have collected 369.5 points so far. In case of DNF (Did Not Finish) of both names, Verstappen will be the champion due to the number of wins he bagged during the season.

Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen, who will retire from F1 today, said goodbye to the race on lap 28 due to brake issues.