[3] The report concluded that race director Michael Masi had acted in good faith and that there could be different interpretations of the rules, which "likely contributed to some of the confusion surrounding the safety car unlapping procedure".

Yas Marina underwent redevelopment that shortened the track and the expected lap time in order to increase top speeds and overtaking opportunities.

[10] As of 2022[update], it also marked the last race for Antonio Giovinazzi, who moved to Formula E, and Mazepin, whose contract was terminated following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and the cancellation of Uralkali's title sponsorship.

[23] In the second qualifying session, initial flying laps on medium-compound tyres gave Hamilton a four-millisecond advantage over Red Bull Racing driver Verstappen.

[23] In the third and final qualifying session, Verstappen was able to use the slipstream of his teammate Sergio Pérez to secure pole position for the race, with Hamilton only able to take the second spot on the grid.

[28] On lap 26, Alfa Romeo's Räikkönen collided with the barriers at turn 6, prompting his retirement due to brake issues in his 349th and final Formula One race.

Using the advantage of fresher tyres, Verstappen gradually reduced the post-stop deficit from seventeen seconds to eleven, but not at a rate which would have been sufficient to catch Hamilton before the end of the race.

After Verstappen's pit stop, he retained second, but with five lapped cars (those of Lando Norris, Fernando Alonso, Ocon, Charles Leclerc, and Sebastian Vettel) between himself and Hamilton (in first).

[b][64] Amongst the reasons to discontinue, Wolff said that neither he nor Hamilton wished to be awarded the drivers' championship in court, and instead would focus their efforts in to ensuring an equitable result from the FIA's investigation into the sporting code.

[66] The statement also fuelled speculation that Hamilton could announce a snap retirement after being disillusioned by the race's events, although Wolff indicated both he and his driver would continue in the sport after a period of reflection in the off-season.

[70] Daniel Ricciardo, who was situated immediately behind Verstappen during the safety car period and was not permitted to unlap himself, said he was "speechless" at the instruction, especially as it did not allow him to also race the five-car pack on newer soft-compound tyres, and Sainz Jr., who was positioned behind Ricciardo and Lance Stroll's cars upon the restart and was under pressure from Tsunoda, Pierre Gasly, and Bottas, opined that the decision to resume racing under the circumstances "nearly cost [him his] podium".

[71] Speaking at Aston Martin's 2022 car launch in February 2022, Stroll described the Abu Dhabi situation as "ridiculous" and that rules should be set in stone before a season starts.

[42][73] Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic echoed a similar sentiment, suggesting that Masi's decision was to ensure that "Netflix gets another juicy storyline for the next season of Drive to Survive", and also questioned his capability in effectively officiating a race.

[79] India's first Formula One driver, Narain Karthikeyan, also questioned the concept of fairness: "It was a great battle for the championship but what happened yesterday it wasn't sport.

[80] German former rally champion Walter Röhrl called for races to be decided on the track or in a "fair, clear process that is not influenced by any opaque external decisions".

[81] Dutch former Formula One driver Christijan Albers also raised the issue of fairness: "Michael Masi seemed a bit unsure at a few races last year.

"[83] Labour peer and vice-chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Formula One, Peter Hain, commented that the events at the finale was not good for the sport.

Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant made note of the immense pressure on a Formula One race director to make snap decisions, and expressed sympathy with Masi on that basis.

"[92] McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl said that Masi's role needs to be understood in the context of an intense title battle and appreciated.

[94] Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan stated Mercedes had made the right strategic decisions and questioned Masi's ability to handle pressure.

[101] Formula One journalist Mark Hughes said Hamilton's silence since the race had echoes of Ayrton Senna's past feud with the governing body after the championship deciders in 1989 and 1990.

[102] Mitchell commented that the Abu Dhabi situation was just one part of wider dissatisfaction from teams with how the FIA had begun to apply regulations in the seasons following Masi's appointment in 2019.

The 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve opined that Hamilton was staying silent because he was trying to distance himself from Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and perhaps considering a career in the film industry.

On 15 December 2021, the FIA announced that it would be investigating the running of the race with the goal of learning what happened and to determine if adjustments are needed for the safety car procedure.

[107][108][109] Formula One journalist Scott Mitchell criticised the FIA's initial statement in response to the controversy for its suggestion that fans had misunderstood events that occurred at the end of the Grand Prix.

[110] Speaking on 17 December 2021, FIA president Mohamed bin Sulayem hinted he was considering making changes to avoid such controversy in future, and did not rule out the possibility of removing Masi from his role of Formula One race director.

Drivers were expected to cite what they perceived to be a lenient attitude by Masi and race stewards towards Verstappen's driving during the 2021 season, with Andrew Benson of BBC Sport saying this could result in the FIA being forced to take a harder line on driving standards in future,[112] and the FIA subsequently published these new guidelines ahead of the 2022 season which included stricter rules on wheel to wheel combat and stricter and better defined imposing of track limits.

[118] On 9 February 2022 it emerged the FIA had added previously unheard radio messages between Masi and Red Bull team manager Jonathan Wheatley to their lines of inquiry.

There are no other available mechanisms in the rules for amending the race classification.The report noted that differing interpretations of Article 48.12 and/or 48.13 "likely contributed to some of the confusion surrounding the safety car unlapping procedure".

The findings also stated that the communication between the team principals of Mercedes and Red Bull with Masi during the final laps was inappropriate, and recommended changes be made "in order to protect the Race Director from any pressure and allow him to take decisions peacefully".