P1racenews AI automatic summary:
George Russell and most of the grid expected Max Verstappen to play some sort of game in the title-decider, something which did not happen.
George Russell was surprised by Max Verstappen’s decision not to slow down the pack during the Abu Dhabi GP, which he had expected. Verstappen won the race but missed out on the championship by two points.
Lando Norris secured his first championship with a third-place finish, while Russell finished fifth, disappointed with his performance.
Russell anticipated Verstappen to control the pace to cause trouble for Norris, but it was not possible as McLaren’s Piastri moved up to second position.
Despite Ferrari’s Leclerc briefly challenging Norris, Russell was shocked by his own and Mercedes’ weak pace during the race.
Russell expressed surprise at Ferrari’s occasional bursts of great speed and was relieved that the challenging era had ended.
