Max Verstappen capped off a record-breaking, championship winning 2023 F1 season in style with victory in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
After successfully defending against Charles Leclerc’s early challenge, Max Verstappen secured a comfortable victory, extending his record to 19 wins in 22 races. This win also marked Verstappen’s 54th career victory, surpassing Sebastian Vettel and elevating him to third on the all-time list of most grand prix wins. Leclerc finished far behind in second place, while George Russell claimed third, helping Mercedes secure second place in the constructors’ championship ahead of Ferrari. Sergio Perez initially finished second, but a five-second time penalty for causing a collision with Lando Norris dropped him to fourth. Despite strategically allowing Perez to move ahead, Leclerc’s efforts were in vain as Russell stayed within the five-second penalty margin. Norris finished fifth, followed by his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in sixth, and Fernando Alonso in seventh. Yuki Tsunoda brilliantly held off Lewis Hamilton’s last-lap attack to secure eighth place, while Lance Stroll of Aston Martin claimed the final point in tenth.
