On 13 December, Chequered Past revisits a Formula One finale unlike any other. The 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix did not decide a championship, but it brought down the curtain on the most disrupted season the sport has ever endured. Run behind closed doors, shaped by a Safety Car interruption and settled without drama at the front, it offered Formula One something it badly needed in 2020: closure.

We reflect on how Max Verstappen’s controlled victory capped a year defined by adaptability, resilience and compromise — and why the quiet at Yas Marina spoke volumes about what the sport had just survived.

Beyond Formula One, we remember Bill Vukovich, a towering figure of American racing whose back-to-back Indianapolis 500 victories came at a time when the race counted towards the World Championship — making him a two-time World Championship race winner despite never racing in Formula One.

And finally, we return to 1992, when Nigel Mansell’s dominance carried him beyond the cockpit and into the wider sporting consciousness, as he was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

A story about endings, legacy, and perspective — and a reminder that history doesn’t always roar when it’s being made.

Cover Image: By Jen Ross - Max_Verstappen,_2020_pre-season_testing, CC BY 2.0, Link

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Music by #Mubert Music Rendering