Max Verstappen beats Lewis Hamilton to F1 world title on last lap in Abu Dhabi

• Verstappen overtakes champion on final lap after safety car
• Mercedes' two protests over result not upheld by stewards

After a season of intense, turbulent, and controversial yet gripping racing, Formula One almost unfeasibly found aspects of every element for its denouement in the desert. With Max Verstappen's victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix decided in taking the lead from Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the final race, he believed he had sealed his first F1 world championship.

His reaction and that of his Red Bull team was one of unbridled joy while Hamilton and Mercedes were left disconsolate and convinced the win that had been in their hands had been unfairly snatched from their grasp, leaving the greatest prize in motor racing potentially in the laps of the lawyers.