Oracle Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen ended the season in style as he cruised to a record-extending 19th victory of 2023 with yet another dominant display at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The three-time world champion, who has been far and away the best driver on the grid and has led for more than 1,000 laps during the 2023 season, started from pole position and was never any real pressure as he secured a third-straight win at Yas Marina Circuit.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc came in third and Mercedes’ George Russell was third. Leclerc mounted an early challenge, but Verstappen’s dominance proved unwavering, leaving him unchallenged throughout the remainder of the race.
Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez crossed the finish line in second place but was subsequently penalized five seconds for a collision with McLaren’s Lando Norris, resulting in his demotion to fourth position.
Norris finished fifth ahead of Piastri, Alonso, Tsunoda, and Hamilton. Verstappen pitted on lap 17, handing the lead to Leclerc for a brief stint before the Monegasque driver also made his pit stop. Verstappen held a three-second advantage after the pit cycle, but Leclerc had Russell breathing down his neck and needed to extract every ounce of performance from his fresh tires.
Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) was the last of the drivers starting on medium tires to pit, enjoying a brief spell in front before stopping on lap 23.
By the halfway point of the race, as dusk settled over the circuit, Verstappen had extended his lead over Leclerc to over six seconds, while Perez overtook Alonso and Piastri to secure fifth place by lap 28.
The second round of pit stops commenced on lap 34, with Norris being the first of the top five to pit. Russell followed suit on the next lap, attempting to undercut Leclerc, who responded in kind and was aided by Russell getting stuck behind Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin.
Hamilton passed Alonso with 20 laps remaining, claiming that Alonso brake-tested him during his out-lap on the run to Turn 5. However, Alonso reclaimed the position a lap later.
Perez held second place until lap 43 before making his final stop, rejoining in sixth position. Alonso and Hamilton overtook Ocon in the lower reaches of the top 10.
Verstappen then made his second stop and rejoined five seconds clear of Leclerc. Perez comfortably overtook Tsunoda for fifth place and chased down Norris, engaging in a wheel-to-wheel battle with the McLaren driver at Turn 6 on lap 47. Perez cleanly passed Norris at the same corner a lap later but received a five-second penalty for causing the earlier collision.
Perez overtook Russell at Turn 9 and had just over four laps to build a five-second gap over the Mercedes driver. Alonso passed Tsunoda for seventh on the penultimate lap with a bold move at Turn 9.
