MERCEDES staff have missed out on a whopping bonus after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen controversially pipped their man Lewis Hamilton to the F1 world title. But a contentious safety car decision gave title rival Verstappen clear air to attack the Merc man, with the Dutchman pouncing to claim victory on the last lap. Hamilton was leading at Yas Marina Circuit when a late Nicholas Latifi crash resulted in the safety car being deployed. That cleared the way for Verstappen in second to attack Hamilton on a fresher set of tyres, with the 24-year-old taking victory and his first world title.

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