EA Sports have produced a dress rehearsal of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix title showdown between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
The 2021 F1 season has thrilled from start to finish thanks to the titanic world championship race between Mercedes’ Hamilton and Red Bull’s Verstappen - with plenty of controversy spilling over.
The two men have won 17 races between them this season, with the Dutchman claiming nine victories to Hamilton’s eight and they head into the finale of the season remarkably level on points.
Codemasters and Electronic Arts (EA) announced that they carried out a one-off simulated race to decide this season's champion using F1 2021, the official video game of the sport.
After securing pole position in qualifying, Verstappen experienced a dream start at the redesigned Yas Marina Circuit, pulling away from the chasing pack in the first few laps.
Hamilton gave his all but never had a chance to overtake the Dutchman and was forced to wait for the opportunity to break away from F1 icon Michael Schumacher on seven world championships.
There was no double title for Red Bull though as Mercedes secured an eighth successive constructors’ championship despite Sergio Perez securing his sixth podium of the campaign.
Who do you think will come out on top between Hamilton and Verstappen? Let us know in the comments section.
Valtteri Bottas, who will join Alfa Romeo for 2022 with George Russell replacing the Finn, scored points in his last outing for Mercedes.
Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz both finished in the top 10 to secure third place in the standings for the Maranello outfit.
Meanwhile, Kimi Raikkonen - the 2007 world champion who will retire after Sunday’s race - secured a 10th place finish to win a final point in his legendary career.
“Max and Lewis have provided some of the most dramatic racing ever witnessed in Formula 1,” said Paul Jeal, the F1 senior franchise director at Codemasters.
“We couldn't have wished for a better end to the season, and now it comes down to one final showdown for the title.
“ F1 2021 allows players to compete as their racing heroes, and we encourage everyone to share their Abu Dhabi race highlights with our social channels before lights-out this Sunday.”
