McLaren’s Lando Norris claimed the extra point for setting the fastest lap at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The British driver had a rather quiet evening finishing the race in sixth place though he did come under pressure from Alpine’s Esteban Ocon towards the end, with Norris finishing 1.006 seconds ahead of the Frenchman.
Norris was able to set the fastest lap of the race on lap 44 after the British driver made his second pit stop of the evening. His time of 1:28.391 remained the benchmark for the remaining 14 laps of the 58-lap race after leaders Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc opted to stay out on a one-stop.
Norris ends the season seventh in the Drivers’ Championship and helped his McLaren team to fifth in the team standings in what could be viewed as a slightly disappointing season for the Woking-based squad.
Leclerc secures P2
At the head of the order Ferrari’s Leclerc secured second in the Drivers’ Championship after Ferrari outfoxed Red Bull with a one-stop strategy.
Despite having arguably the slower car on the day, Ferrari and Leclerc were able to reel in Perez during the second stint and make the hard tyres last for a little over half the race’s distance, beating Perez and Red Bull who opted to stop twice.
While the result is a far cry from their ambition of winning the championship at the start of the season, the result undoubtedly serves as a morale boost for the team as they head into the off-season.
