Sad truth behind heartbreaking Formula One photo

Formula One star Sergio Perez suffered a heartbreaking end to his final outing for the Racing Point team, which will be rebranded to Aston Martin for 2021, albeit without Perez in the cockpit.

An engine problem forced Perez to retire from the F1 season-ender in Abu Dhabi, just a week after he claimed a remarkable first victory at the Sakhir GP one week prior.

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Perez is still without a seat for next year’s F1 season, with only Red Bull Racing and junior outfit Alpha Tauri having vacant slots for next season.

With his future in doubt and his tenure at Racing Point coming to an unceremonious end in Abu Dhabi, Perez’s engineer cut an emotional figure in the team’s garage as the 30-year-old made his way back to the pits.

Perez embraced his engineer when he returned to the garage, still wearing his helmet, as this particular chapter in his racing career came to a close.

“I’m really sad that my final race with the team ended so early,” Perez said. “I really wanted to sign off with a strong race for everyone in the team.

“Some of them were crying at the end.

“I am leaving very happy. The team will always be my favourite team in Formula 1 and I look forward to seeing them winning more races.

“Who knows what will happen next? I am just looking forward to going back home. Whatever comes next, I will be ready for it.”

Perez has been linked to the vacant Red Bull seat after Alex Albon endured a difficult season in which he was thoroughly outpointed by teammate Max Verstappen and finished 7th in the drivers’ standings behind Perez, Daniel Ricciardo and McLaren’s Carlos Sainz.

Max Verstappen wins season-ending F1 Abu Dhabi grand prix

Max Verstappen brought the curtain down on the Formula One season with a superb win at the Abu Dhabi GP while Daniel Ricciardo bowed out for Renault with the race's fastest lap.

Dutchman Verstappen led every lap of what turned out to be a processional race in his Red Bull to cross the line on Sunday 15.9 seconds ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton, on an uncharacteristic off-day for the otherwise dominant Mercedes team.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo bowed out from Renault in his final race for the French team in some style, recording the day's fastest lap at the death as he finished seventh and fifth overall in the drivers' championship.

"At the end, I really risked it all to get the fastest lap," Ricciardo said.

"So, I get a point, which doesn't change anything.

"But I think honestly, the send-off, in terms of [it being] my last lap in this car, for it to be the fastest on track, it's a nice way to say goodbye to the team."

Mercedes, who have wrapped up a record seventh straight title double, had no answer to the pace set by Verstappen's Honda-powered car on Sunday.

Unbeaten in Abu Dhabi for six years in a row, with Red Bull's 2013 win in the Gulf Emirate the last time another team tasted victory at Yas Marina, Mercedes were running their cars with their engines turned down due to reliability concerns.

That denied them the satisfaction of capping a dominant season on a high, with the Brackley-based team signing off with 13 wins from 17 races.

With AAP

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