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The 2021 F1 drivers' title will be decided in the season finale in Abu Dhabi. With both Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen level on points, the race is expected to be a thriller.
However, this is not the first time the F1 championship will be decided in the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi. Ever since the venue's debut in 2010, there have been three occasions when the drivers' title was decided in the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
On that note, here's a look at what happened on the three such occasions:
#1 The 2010 F1 Championship
The very first race in Abu Dhabi saw the 2010 drivers' title getting decided in that race.
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Sebastian Vettel, a perennial outsider in the 2010 F1 championship, won the race from pole. Meanwhile, frontrunners Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber squandered a golden opportunity to win the title.
That would kickstart a four-year dominant run for Vettel and Red Bull. They won both the constructors and drivers championship in that period.
#2 The 2014 F1 Championship
The first year of Mercedes' domination was in 2014. It was a season that saw the title race ebb and flow between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, before the former emerged triumphant.
Heading into the last race of the season, Lewis Hamilton held the lead in the championship. But with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix featuring double points for the season, there was all to play for.
Nico Rosberg took pole position ahead of Lewis Hamilton, but Hamilton nailed his start perfectly to take the lead. Further reliability issues for Rosberg meant Hamilton sealed his second F1 world championship title that day.
#3 The 2016 F1 Championship
The last time the F1 championship was decided in Abu Dhabi was in 2016. That was when Nico Rosberg avenged his multiple losses against Lewis Hamilton by winning what would be his only F1 world championship.
Rosberg led Hamilton in the championship coming into Abu Dhabi. So if he finished second, he was guaranteed to win the title. In the race, Rosberg started second, and finished the race in that place to secure the title.
That was the last time the F1 world championship was decided in the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi
Five years later, Hamilton and Verstappen will battle it out to determine who wins the 2021 world championship.
