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Hamilton's Mercedes team took the constructors' title for an
unprecedented eighth year in a row but their run of double
dominance was ended by the 24-year-old Dutch driver, his
country's first champion.
Two post-race protests, which might have overturned the outcome,
were dismissed but Mercedes refused to drop the matter and said
they had filed notice of intention to appeal.
"It's insane," said Verstappen of a race that started with fans
on the edge of their seats and ended in uproar, with lawyers
looming.
Verstappen's hopes had soared when he qualified on pole
position, sunk when he lost the lead at the start and rose again
as the safety car came out and race director Michael Masi
decisively pushed the boundaries late in the race.
"This is unbelievable guys! Can we do this for another 10-15
years together?" he had said over the radio after the most
emotional lap of his life.
"We needed a bit of luck and we got it," said team boss
Christian Horner, who had said earlier in the race that it would
take a miracle to win and hailed the victory as Red Bull's
greatest achievement.
NO COLLISION
The floodlit race at Yas Marina avoided the collision many had
feared, with Verstappen sure to be champion if Hamilton failed
to score, but instead left arguments raging long after the
finish.
As Verstappen and Red Bull bosses shed tears of joy, Mercedes's
management turned on race director Masi.
"Michael, this isn't right," Mercedes principal Toto Wolff had
said over the radio to Masi after the Australian's handling of
the ending of the safety car period left some feeling Hamilton
was robbed.
The safety car had been deployed after Canadian Nicholas Latifi
crashed his Williams with five laps to go and Masi then decided
not to demand all lapped cars pass it before resuming racing.
That allowed Verstappen -- on fresher, faster tyres after
strategic stops -- to close and go wheel-to-wheel with Hamilton
for the lead.
Just when it seemed the race would be finishing behind the
safety car, which would have handed Hamilton the title, it
turned into a sprint finish.
"We were screaming at the end to let them race," said Horner,
whose partners Honda are now departing the sport. "It is unheard
of to leave the cars unlapped. They wanted to get the race going
again. They absolutely made the right call."
Hamilton, who had been heading for a fourth successive race win,
congratulated the new champion.
"I think we did an amazing job this year, with my team. Everyone
back at the factory, all the men and women we have, and here,
worked so hard this whole year," he said.
"It's been the most difficult of seasons and I'm so proud of
them, so grateful to be a part of the journey with them. We gave
it everything this last part of the season and never gave up,
that's the most important thing."
MORE POLES
Verstappen ended the season with 10 wins to Hamilton's eight,
having also led more laps and taken more poles and podiums.
After 22 races, Verstappen had 395.5 points to Hamilton's 387.5.
Mercedes scored 613.5 to Red Bull's 585.5.
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz finished the race in third place, with
AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda fourth and team mate Pierre Gasly
fifth.
Hamilton's team mate Valtteri Bottas was sixth in his last race
for the team, ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris and the Alpines of
Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc took the final point with the Italian
team ending the season third overall.
Verstappen's Mexican team mate Sergio Perez, hailed as a
"legend" by the Dutch driver for slowing Hamilton significantly
while leading earlier in the race, was retired in the pits.
The race hit immediate controversy on the opening lap when the
title rivals almost collided after the Briton had taken the
lead.
Hamilton was pushed wide, cutting a corner as he came back still
in front of Verstappen who had made a lunge on the inside and
seemed to be ahead at the turn, and stewards decided no
investigation was needed.
Horner told Sky Sports television from the pitwall that there
was "a total lack of consistency" in the stewards' decision and
his team now had to "do it the hard way".
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Ed Osmond,
Clare Fallon and Toby Davis)
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