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Published
Statistics taken from the F1 season have revealed that Max Verstappen was the worthy winner of the Drivers' Championship.
Lewis Hamilton looked to be in total control and on course to secure victory in the race and a record-breaking eighth world title, before the safety car came in and changed the course of the outcome.
The race was paused, as Verstappen was allowed to re-start with fresh tyres, while Hamilton was left trailing his wake with old ones.
Mercedes subsequently appealed to the FIA, but the stewards rejected those claims made by Hamilton's team and the result stood after several hours of tension.
The conclusion to the race sparked huge backlash on social media, with racing driver Bradley Philpot offering a detailed 'lawyer's perspective' on Mercedes' strong grounds for an appeal.
So, while Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes will be aggrieved with how the race finished in Abu Dhabi, little can be done to dispute these stats, as reported by GiveMeSport.
Verstappen had 10 Grand Prix wins, as opposed to eight for Hamilton, and he also had double the number of pole positions compared to the Brit. The Dutchman also finished the season with 18 podiums compared to 17 for Hamilton.
The evidence doesn't end there, with the Red Bull driver leading for 652 laps across the season - more than double the number which Hamilton led for. This is also reflected in how many kilometres they led for, which works out as 2,998 to 1,582 in Verstappen's favour.
So, despite the acrimonious end to the season, it appears that the right result may have been achieved after all.
Topics: Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton, F1, Max Verstappen