The Formula 1 season did not disappoint in 2021 - and the final day topped it all off in the most extraordinary fashion.
Coming into the final day, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were tied on points in the pulsating race for the Formula 1 Drivers' Championship, and everything was set up for a grandstand finish.
For some time during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix it appeared as though there wouldn't be any nip and tuck action between Hamilton and Verstappen; Hamilton had built up a substantial lead over the Red Bull driver and it looked as though he was set to notch a record eighth Drivers' Championship.
But then the race was turned on its head.
With just over five laps left, Nicholas Latifi spun out of control and crashed into a wall after coming out of a seemingly straightforward corner.
This resulted in the need for his crashed car to be cleared, as well as the debris out on the track.
Enter the safety car.
The safety car was brought out and all of a sudden Max Verstappen was called into the pit lane and given fresh soft tyres - his rival Hamilton had not pitted since earlier in the race and his Mercedes team opted against a pit stop late on.
Remarkably, the introduction of the safety car allowed Verstappen to swallow up the 11 second gap between him and Hamilton who had retained pole position.
It put the race on an even keel and the departure of the safety car came with just one lap remaining.
Armed with his fresh tyres and from an advantageous position right beside Hamilton, Verstappen tore off in pursuit of the lead and it wasn't long before he overtook the British driver.
Hamilton looked to respond and mounted a late fightback himself but it was no use as Verstappen's fresh tyres carved out an easy path to the chequered flag and the first Formula 1 championship of his career.
Needless to say the bedlam on track caused quite a stir.
Many high profile British celebrities took to Twitter to vent their anger at what had taken place.
Former ITV presenter Piers Morgan couldn't believe the result, and he took to Twitter to share his surprise.
He said: "I don't know what I've just watched but it can't be right. Hamilton's been robbed, surely?"
And even his own Twitter sparring partner and ex-footballer Gary Lineker was on the same page, saying:
"What a joke. That stinks."
BT Sport's Jake Humphrey, himself a former F1 presenter, was not best pleased either.
He simply said: "Disgrace."
And there was even comment on the race from someone who had been directly involved, too; Williams driver George Russell retired from the Abu Dhabi showdown and so was able to watch the drama unfold as it happened.
He paid tribute to Verstappen but could not bring himself to agree with the decision that had been made by the powers-that-be.
He said: "THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!!!!
"Max is an absolutely fantastic driver who has had an incredible season and I have nothing but huge respect for him, but what just happened is absolutely unacceptable. I cannot believe what we’ve just seen."
As of Sunday evening, Sky Sports were reporting that Mercedes were piling supreme efforts into challenging the result of the race through the channels of their legal team.
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