Formula 1®

DHL Fastest Lap Award: FORMULA 1 2018 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX

Key Takeaways

  • Sebastian Vettel’s DHL Fastest Lap in Abu Dhabi is his third of the campaign
  • Valtteri Bottas wins the DHL Fastest Lap Award for the first time

Sebastian Vettel sets DHL Fastest Lap in the grand finale to the Formula 1 season in Abu Dhabi. Valtteri Bottas lifts the 2018 DHL Fastest Lap Award trophy.

Sebastian Vettel clocks the DHL Fastest Lap in Abu Dhabi

The 21st and final race of the 2018 Formula 1 season was dominated by world champion Lewis Hamilton, who won on the Yas Marina Circuit from pole position and set a new record for the number of points scored in a season – 408.

As in the world championship, Sebastian Vettel was the race runner-up. The Ferrari driver also set the DHL Fastest Lap, rounding the 5.5km track on the shores of the Arabian Gulf in 1:40.867 minutes.

“I think today’s race sums up the year pretty well,” said Vettel. “A few ups and downs and in the end just being close, but not close enough. At one point, I had hopes of winning the race, so I was pushing as hard as I could, but in the end, it was not enough.”

Even before the last race of the season got underway, Valtteri Bottas had cause for celebration when he was presented with the DHL Fastest Lap Award by Ken Allen, Global CEO of DHL Express. The Mercedes man set the fastest race lap seven times during the season – more than any other driver.

“I’m happy to receive this trophy,” said Bottas after becoming the fifth Mercedes driver in succession to win the classification. “It was quite a tough season for me personally; I was expecting more, but receiving this award brings back positive memories from this year. It also shows that I had a very decent pace in most of the races.”

Fastest laps: FORMULA 1 2018 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX

  1. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 1:40.867 - on lap 54
  2. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 1:40.953 - on lap 42
  3. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) 1:41.249 - on lap 35
  4. Carlos Sainz (Renault) 1:41.351 - on lap 54
  5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1:41.357 - on lap 53
  6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1:41.909 - on lap 51
  7. Fernando Alonso (McLaren) 1:42.393 - on lap 53
  8. Sergio Pérez (Force India) 1:42.816 - on lap 53
  9. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) 1:42.822 - on lap 53
  10. Charles Leclerc (Sauber) 1:42.876 - on lap 54

History: Fastest Laps at the FORMULA 1 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX

Sebastian Vettel’s DHL Fastest Lap was six tenths slower than the lap record set by the German in 2009 when Abu Dhabi first hosted its Grand Prix. Still a Red Bull driver in that year, he set a time of 1:40.279 which has not been bettered by any other driver since then.

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