GP Racing UK February 2022

@BenAndersonF1 ‘The lap that decided a championship’. This neat summary of the Abu Dhabi GP by our art editor, Frank Foster, would ordinarily be cause for near-universal celebration. The title settled on the final lap of the season – what a time to be alive! But this was no ordinary season. This is an age of polarisation; divisions amplified and solidified by the toxic power of unfettered and irresponsible social media. It’s true in F1 as it is in life. Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Mercedes and Red Bull tore lumps out of each other – on track and off – creating an atmosphere of mutual distrust and resentment, which spilled beyond the paddock. Regardless of where you personally sit on the fence that divides these two camps, we can all agree they raced…

ANDREW BENSON Andrew analyses how Max Verstappen managed to come out ahead of Lewis Hamilton in one of F1's craziest title battles (p40) ADRIAN MYERS Adrian visited Brackley to shoot portraits for our Mercedes feature on the team's technical efforts in 2021 (p66) MARK GALLAGHER This month Mark talks with Jacques Villeneuve about his title success, 25 years on, and the influence his father had on his career (p92) LUKE SMITH Luke stayed in Abu Dhabi for F1's postseason test, and his take on the new 18-inch wheels and the drivers on show is on page 30…

I know Honda has said it’s never going to return to Formula 1, but I really hope the company changes its mind at some point down the line. I can think of fewer organisations more passionate about racing, and the decision to bring forward developments originally planned for 2022 has paid off. This is straight after parc fermé, as you can tell by the fact that Max still has his crash helmet on – he literally legged it towards the team after getting out of the car and I had to run after him with my gear in tow. This is a historically significant moment and you can see what it means to all involved, not least Mr Yamamoto on the left. Where Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi When 6:41pm, Sunday 12 December 2021 Details…

One of the bonuses of shooting on behalf of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix promoters is that you get access to viewpoints no other photographers have. In this case it’s the grandstand at the end of the back straight, the idea being to demonstrate to putative ticket buyers the quality of the view they’re going to get. It was one of the best seats in the house and an overhead perspective on one of the most significant points in the race. Here Max Verstappen lunges inside title rival Lewis Hamilton at Turn 6 on lap one, Max trying to regain the lead after fluffing the start. A controversial trip across the run-off area for Lewis would follow… Where Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi When 5:02pm, Sunday 12 December 2021 Details Nikon D6 24-70mm lens, 1/1250…

I felt like Max was curiously muted in the immediate aftermath of the race, almost as if he couldn’t believe he’d done it and won the world championship – or that he had, but was half expecting it to be taken away from him again, what with the post-race brouhaha. Patience paid off – over an hour after the end of the race, Max emerged from his interviews and got down to a proper celebration with his crew. Red Bull’s mechanics are as competitive a bunch of people as you’re ever likely to meet. They’re absolutely dedicated to Max and this win meant the world to them – the joy is written all over their faces. Where Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi When 8:10pm, Sunday 12 December 2021 Details Nikon D6 14-24mm lens, 1/800th @…

When Red Bull went over to the matt effect paintwork for the 2016 season there were those who declaimed it as a backwards step, but I’ve never had a problem with it. In fact, Red Bull’s livery is a nice mix of strong colours and it really lends itself to dramatic action shots where you use slow shutter speeds to produce a motion blur. And you’re going to see more of them as photographers shift over to Canon’s excellent new mirrorless R5, which can go slower than I thought possible. Max’s driving style lends itself to dramatic imagery. I got this shot in Q3, where he produced a lap that was special even by his high standards. Where Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi When 5:58pm, Saturday 11 December 2021 Details Canon EOS R5 70-200mm lens,…