Red Bull’s Max Verstappen ended the most dominant season in Formula 1 history with victory in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, his 19th win in 22 races.
The comfortable victory, after brushing off a brief challenge from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on the opening lap, gives Verstappen an 86.4% win rate in 2023.
Verstappen said: “An incredible season. I was a little emotional on the in-lap – it is the last time I am sitting in the car which has given me a lot.
“I am proud to win the last race. It was an incredible year. It will be hard to do something similar again.
“We are working hard again to have a very competitive car. The other teams will be trying to beat us but we are ready for the challenge.”
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez took second on the road after Leclerc let him by on the penultimate lap in a vain attempt to secure second in the constructors’ championship for Ferrari against Mercedes, but was demoted to fourth on the road by a five-second penalty.
That promoted George Russell to third for Mercedes and, with Lewis Hamilton securing two points for ninth place, that was enough to keep Mercedes in second place by three points.
Leclerc’s strategy had been to let Perez by in the hope that Mexican, on fresher tyres, could build enough of a lead to negate his penalty, imposed for a collision with McLaren’s Lando Norris.
But Perez did not quite make it, and he dropped down to be classified 1.1 seconds behind Russell.
The scant consolation for Leclerc was that he vaulted both Norris and his team-mate Carlos Sainz to take fifth in the drivers’ championship behind Verstappen, Perez, Hamilton and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.
