UAE Winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Red Bull's Dutch driver Max Verstappen closed the 2023 season with 19 wins in 22 races.
Verstappen completed the 58 laps at Yas Marina in 1 hour 27 minutes 2.624 seconds, 17.993 seconds faster than Ferrari runner-up Charles Leclerc. The overwhelming victory helped the defending champion end 2023 on a high note for both himself and the Red Bull team.
With 19 wins in 22 races, Verstappen has set a new record for winning percentage in F1 history - 86.4%. Two races ago, at the end of the Brazilian Grand Prix, Verstappen broke the record of winning percentage in a season of 75% set by Alberto Ascari in 1952. But winning the last two races and setting a new record of 11% more than the old record shows the superiority of Verstappen and Red Bull.
Verstappen drifts on the Yas Marina track to celebrate his victory on the evening of November 26. Photo: X / redbullracing
At the end of the race, Verstappen was emotional as he brought his car to the prize-giving area. "These are my last moments in a car that has helped me so much this season. It has been an incredible season. It will be very difficult to do the same again. Red Bull is working hard to have a more competitive car for next season. Other teams will try to beat us, but we are ready for any challenge that comes our way," the champion said after the prize-giving ceremony.
The Dutchman’s Abu Dhabi win came easily, with the Dutchman having the advantage of a head start. The most significant pressure on Verstappen’s RB19 came on the opening lap, when Leclerc’s SF23 attacked three times at the end of the straights, only to be quickly beaten by Verstappen at Turns 1, 6 and 7.
The final race of Red Bull's successful season would have been even more perfect if their other driver, Sergio Perez, had finished second. However, the Mexican was penalised five seconds for colliding with Lando Norris's MCL60 at Turn 6 on lap 60. The penalty saw Perez drop to fourth despite finishing second after a surprise overtake on Leclerc on the penultimate lap. Ferrari instructed Leclerc to slow down to allow Perez to pass in order to gain a points advantage over Mercedes in the battle for second place in the constructors' championship.
Ferrari's calculation was to let Perez pass in the hope that the Mexican, with fresher tyres, could open up a gap of more than five seconds to Russell - who was running fourth - and overcome the five-second penalty to finish third. But in the end, Perez only managed to open up a gap of less than four seconds, and the Red Bull driver dropped from second to fourth, 1.1 seconds behind Russell.
Leclerc finished second, but could not help Ferrari take second place. Photo: X/ScuderiaFerrari
Leclerc could have slowed down in the final laps to hold Russell back and allow Perez to open up a gap of more than five seconds, but the Monaco driver kept up the pace. As a result, Mercedes finished second in the constructors' standings. Before the final race, the German team had a four-point lead over Ferrari. In Abu Dhabi, Leclerc finished second with 18 points, Russell third with 15, and Hamilton ninth with two points. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz did not score any points, so despite having a three-point lead over his rival at the final race, Ferrari was still one point behind his rival for the season.
"This result means a lot to the whole team after a difficult season. I'm really happy that Mercedes kept second place," Russel said after the race in Abu Dhabi.
Leclerc regretted: "Perez had a 5-second penalty, so we tried to get him faster enough to get ahead of Russell. I tried to help, but unfortunately it wasn't enough. It's really disappointing to lose second place in the constructors' standings, but I'm proud that Ferrari has recovered strongly after a difficult time at the beginning of the season."
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Results
Rank on one's own | Racer | Team | Location start | Number of tire changes | Fastest individual lap | Achievements | Point |
1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1 | 2 | 1 minute 26.993 seconds | 1 hour 27 minutes 02.624 seconds | 26 |
2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 2 | 2 | 1:28,199 | +17,993 seconds | 18 |
3 | George Russell | Mercedes | 4 | 2 | 1:28,187 | +20,328 | 15 |
4 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 9 | 2 | 1:27,493 | +21,453 | 12 |
5 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 5 | 2 | 1:28,164 | +24,284 | 10 |
6 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 3 | 2 | 1:28,138 | +31,487 | 8 |
7 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 7 | 2 | 1:28,256 | +39,512 | 6 |
8 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 6 | 1 | 1:29,256 | +43,088 | 4 |
9 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 11 | 2 | 1:28,372 | +44,424 | 2 |
10 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 13 | 2 | 1:28,050 | +55,632 | 1 |
11 | Daniel Ricciardo | AlphaTauri | 15 | 2 | 1:28,571 | +56,229 | |
12 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 12 | 1 | 1:30,033 | +66,373 | |
13 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 10 | 2 | 1:29,016 | +70,360 | |
14 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 14 | 2 | 1:27,845 | +73,184 | |
15 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | 8 | 2 | 1:29,217 | +83,696 | |
16 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | 20 | 2 | 1:28,580 | +87,791 | |
17 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 19 | 2 | 1:28,746 | +89,422 | |
18 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Ferrari | 16 | 2 | 1:29,452 | Abandon the race | |
19 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 18 | 1 | 1:29,863 | Abandon the race | |
20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 17 | 2 | 1:29,934 | Abandon the race |
+) Fastest-lap: 1 minute 26.993 seconds set by Max Verstappen (Red Bull) on lap 45.
Final individual standings for the 2023 season
Rank on one's own | Racer | Team | Point |
1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 575 |
2 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 285 |
3 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 234 |
4 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 206 |
5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 206 |
6 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 205 |
7 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Ferrari | 200 |
8 | George Russell | Mercedes | 175 |
9 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 97 |
10 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 74 |
11 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 62 |
12 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 58 |
13 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 27 |
14 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 17 |
15 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 10 |
16 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | 9 |
17 | Daniel Ricciardo | AlphaTauri | 6 |
18 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 6 |
19 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 3 |
20 | Liam Lawson | AlphaTauri | 2 |
21 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | 1 |
22 | Nyck de Vries | AlphaTauri |
Final Team Standings for 2023 Season
Rank on one's own | Team | Point |
1 | Red Bull | 860 |
2 | Mercedes | 409 |
3 | Ferrari | 406 |
4 | McLaren | 302 |
5 | Aston Martin | 280 |
6 | Alpine | 120 |
7 | Williams | 28 |
8 | AlphaTauri | 25 |
9 | Alfa Romeo | 16 |
10 | Haas | 12 |
Minh Phuong
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