ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — NASCAR champion Kyle Larson’s first Method One race was the season finale, and he’s as conflicted as anybody over the controversial ending of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen handed Lewis Hamilton on the ultimate lap Sunday to win the title, however the turmoil has continued. A late crash worn out an almost 12-second Hamilton lead, Verstappen pitted underneath yellow for contemporary tires, and the race was restarted with one lap remaining. Verstappen handed Hamilton within the fifth flip of a NASCAR-style shootout to win the race and the title.

“The race fan in me was like, ‘Man, I want there could be a warning and this factor can get thrilling ultimately and produce some drama,'” Larson informed The Related Press. “After which it occurred. Then I used to be like, ‘Effectively, I do not know if that was significantly truthful.'”

Hamilton led 51 of the 58 laps, and the race had been a little bit of the bust after F1’s spectacular season. The seven-time champion appeared so in management that Larson and his group had already headed for the exits when the yellow flew with 5 laps go. They watched the end on viewing screens positioned round Yas Marina Circuit and on their telephones.

Mercedes filed two protests on behalf of Hamilton after the end, which had been each dismissed. Mercedes has now taken the case to the Worldwide Courtroom of Enchantment.

“It feels like they bent the principles a bit of bit to get a inexperienced end, and it looks as if that was their principal purpose,” Larson stated. “I do not actually know F1 nicely sufficient, but it surely does not look like they did it to assist Max or something like that. However they did make it thrilling.”

Larson and Verstappen shared similarities of their seasons in that each received a series-high 10 races, each led probably the most laps and each received their first championship after late cautions and pit stops for tires. Larson in November wanted a late warning at Phoenix Raceway to get again into rivalry, and his Hendrick Motorsports crew carried out its quickest pit cease of the season to get him again on monitor within the lead. Larson led the ultimate 28 laps for the win.

He has since been feted at NASCAR’s season-ending championship celebration, run eight grime races — profitable three — and made his approach to the Center East to signify NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports and HendrickCars.com, the web gross sales arm that sponsored him this 12 months when he returned from an almost seasonlong suspension for utilizing a racial slur. HendrickCars.com has since signed a full season sponsorship bundle by way of 2023 for Larson, who has additionally been prolonged at Hendrick for 2 years.

“It feels like they bent the principles a bit of bit to get a inexperienced end, and it looks as if that was their principal purpose. I do not actually know F1 nicely sufficient, but it surely does not look like they did it to assist Max [Verstappen] or something like that. However they did make it thrilling.”

Kyle Larson, on the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

In Abu Dhabi, Larson bumped into Fernando Alonso earlier than he even entered the gate and Sergio Perez as quickly as he received into the paddock. Alpine reserve driver Daniil Kvyat, who attended his first NASCAR race the week earlier than the Cup Sequence championship in Virginia, acknowledged Larson instantly.

“I need to go NASCAR racing!” Kvyat informed him.

Humorous, Larson was questioning how he may get into Method One. When Nikita Mazepin examined constructive for COVID-19 earlier than Sunday’s race and Haas fielded just one automobile, Larson informed Haas boss Guenther Steiner, “I ought to have introduced my helmet.”

Steiner reached for his cellphone, joking, “Watch how shortly I could make one thing occur.”

Alas, Larson is like almost each different American race automobile driver in that he does not have the FIA tremendous license wanted to compete in F1 and has no thought tips on how to get one.

Larson was stunned when IndyCar driver Pato O’Ward each acknowledged him and knew about his NASCAR season after which took time to drive Larson across the monitor in a McLaren 720S. The papaya orange McLaren was screaming across the 3.2-mile circuit Sunday.

“It is method completely different using in a passenger seat. You simply really feel like you’re getting slung across the whole time,” Larson stated. “I by no means received to deal with the monitor or work out what the corners had been like. I want I had received to do three or 5 consecutive laps and I might have gotten extra snug within the passenger seat. He did an important job. Had I been within the driver seat and he was the passenger seat, I might have tried simply as arduous to slip the automobile all over.”

He additionally regretted not getting extra time to talk with O’Ward, who was an IndyCar championship contender final season and on Tuesday accomplished his first check in a Method One automobile.

“I needed to hang around with him as a result of I needed to ask him what’s his path? He is an IndyCar driver, how is he going to make it to Method One?” Larson stated. “He is giving me a ride-along, and I am curious, ‘Is that this a part of his path?’ I simply needed to study his story.”

Larson stated he wish to attend his subsequent F1 race as a fan — not the NASCAR champion on a VIP move — to benefit from the environment of a grand prix weekend. On trip till Friday, his common experiences have been restricted to tourist-type issues all through Dubai.

He visited the Burj Khalifa skyscraper and the Dubai Mall, was planning a visit to Expo 2020, and took an tour into the desert to journey a camel, sandboard and see a hearth present. It is a good time to be the NASCAR champ, even when the journey into the desert by way of the dunes did not go over so nicely with the perfect present driver on grime.

“I positively did not just like the dunes,” Larson stated. “I received actually sick. Effectively, not likely sick, however very queasy sitting within the third row. No extra of that for me.”