The 2023 Formula 1 World Championship came to a close on Sunday with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, held at the Yas Marina Circuit.
Although Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen was already named this season's champion in October at the Qatar Grand Prix, he didn't let off one bit during Sunday's race, finishing comfortably some 18 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Third place went to Mercedes-Benz AMG's George Russell, who finished more than 20 seconds behind the winner.
Red Bull's Sergio Perez was the second to cross the finish line, but a five-second penalty for a clash with McLaren’s Lando Norris dropped him to fourth in the results.
Verstappen's win was his 19th this season, which is a new record for F1. The previous record of 15 wins was set last season, also by Verstappen. The Red Bull driver also set a record for consecutive wins in a season this year by amassing 10 straight wins, plus the record for the most points won in a season, with his tally coming in at 575. Red Bull also set a record for points won by a team in a season, with its tally coming in at 860.
2023 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Verstappen started Sunday's race on the pole position and was joined at the front of the grid by Leclerc. The Ferrari driver got the better start, but Verstappen managed to move ahead by the first turn, while McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Norris fought for position directly behind.
In the closing stages, Verstappen was in a race of his own, followed by Leclerc and Russell. Perez pushed hard and managed to pass Russell. In an effort to help his team secure second in the Constructors' Championship, Leclerc then allowed Perez to move into second place with the hope that Perez would have more than a five-second gap with Russell and thus deny Mercedes of extra points. It didn't pay off and Russell still finished third and scored the necessary points to put Mercedes ahead of Ferrari.
Following the weekend's action, Verstappen's 575 points in the Drivers' Championship is followed by Perez in second with 285 points and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton in third with 234 points. In the Constructors' Championship, Red Bull ends the season with 860 points. Mercedes is second with 409 points and Ferrari is third with 406 points.
While the season is officially over, teams will stay in Abu Dhabi for some final testing before the long winter break.
Yas Marina Circuit, home of the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Below are the full results from the 2023 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix:
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
2) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +17.993 seconds
3) George Russell, Mercedes-Benz AMG +20.328 seconds
4) Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing +21.453 seconds
5) Lando Norris, McLaren +24.284 seconds
6) Oscar Piastri, McLaren +31.487 seconds
7) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin +39.512 seconds
8) Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri +43.088 seconds
9) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz AMG +44.424 seconds
10) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +55.632 seconds
11) Daniel Ricciardo, AlphaTauri +56.229 seconds
12) Esteban Ocon, Alpine +66.373 seconds
13) Pierre Gasly, Alpine +70.360 seconds
14) Alexander Albon, Williams +73.184 seconds
15) Nico Hulkenberg, Haas +83.696 seconds
16) Logan Sargeant, Williams +87.791 seconds
17) Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo +89.422 seconds
18) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari - DNF
19) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo +1 lap
20) Kevin Magnussen, Haas +1 lap
