Max Verstappen has upper hand over Lewis Hamilton in final F1 race due to rule

Max Verstappen has the upper hand over Lewis Hamilton for the final Formula One race of the 2021 season due to a rule quirk.

Verstappen, 23, and Hamilton, 36, have put on one of F1's greatest ever title fights this year.

They miraculously head into the concluder in Abu Dhabi this weekend level on 369.5 points each, meaning it is winner-takes-all come the race on Sunday.

Many World Championships have gone down to the wire, but it is only the second time ever that the contenders have equal tallies with one race to go – though there is one thing separating them.

And that is that Verstappen has won nine races this season, while Hamilton has picked up just eight victories.

That means should they remain on the same number of points after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the Dutchman will win the title instead of the Brit.

The FIA, who govern the sport, rule that in the case of a tie, the championship goes to whichever driver has the greater number of wins.

What is your prediction for the Abu Dhabi GP? Let us know in the comments section.

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If that number is the same, then they move on down the rankings of finishes to find a difference.

But it is impossible for them to finish level if Hamilton wins, so all the seven-time World Champion has to focus on is bettering Verstappen's result.

It is because of the rule that the Red Bull driver remains ahead in the driver standings following the dramatic Saudi Arabia GP.

There is a very unlikely scenario that Hamilton could finish higher than Verstappen and still lose out on the title.

If the Mercedes man finishes ninth (picking up two points) and his rival finishes 10th (one point) while also recording the fastest lap of the race (one point), then they will still be level.

And Verstappen knows that a double DNF, which his father Jos doesn't think his son would force, would also see him reign victorious.

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