Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Max Verstappen crowned grand winner, concludes the season in style

End clap. As usual, it is in Abu Dhabi that the curtain will come down to close this 2023 season, the longest in F1 history. Max Verstappen starts in pole position, for the fourth consecutive year, ahead of Charles Leclerc. The second row is occupied by Oscar Piastri followed by George Russell.

As a reminder, among the few remaining stakes, Ferrari will try to steal the second place in the constructor championship from Mercedes. A battle to closely watch since only 4 points separate the two teams.

A lackluster start

At the end of the lights out, Max Verstappen keeps the advantage. The entire grid navigates through the first corner smoothly.

The McLarens have pace. Lando Norris overtakes George Russell in the first few meters before attacking his garage neighbor, Oscar Piastri. The British driver, starting in 5th, finds himself in 3rd behind Charles Leclerc, whom he is closing in on.

A beautiful battle is starting between Oscar Piastri and George Russell. The Mercedes driver tries several times to overtake him, but the rookie defends remarkably. With the DRS open, on the straight of the pit lane, he finally manages to crack him and takes 4th place.

At the same time, after a long battle, Sergio Pérez takes the advantage over Pierre Gasly and is now in 7th place.

Troubled tires

After just ten laps, the tires are starting to suffer for everyone. The hard compounds seem to be less performing than expected due to the high temperatures. Max Verstappen in particular complains about it over the radio. Several drivers decide to make their first pit stop. Lando Norris pays a high price for a time-consuming pit stop and comes out far behind George Russell.

The pit stops continue, leaving the lead of the race to… Yuki Tsunoda. A small gift for Franz Tost, team principal of AlphaTauri, who will retire at the end of this weekend.

Just before the halfway point, the ranking returns to a more usual order. Max Verstappen has taken the lead, followed by Charles Leclerc and George Russell. The two McLarens complete the top 5.

Pierre Gasly, slightly struggling since his minor collision with Lewis Hamilton earlier, is trying to hang on to his teammate. The French drivers are in 12th and 13th place.

After about thirty laps, the drivers who opted for a two-stop strategy begin a series of pit stops. This is notably the case for Lando Norris, George Russell, Charles Leclerc, and Lewis Hamilton.

Ferrari and Mercedes keep the suspense alive

The action on the track is quite timid. To have something to chew on, you have to keep an eye on Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz. As the pit stops come along, the two drivers are fighting for the top 10. The 2nd place in the constructors’ standings keeps shifting between Ferrari and Mercedes.

On lap 47, Lando Norris collided with the front of Sergio Pérez’s car. This was followed by a tense duel between the two drivers. After an investigation by the FIA, it was ultimately the Mexican driver who was deemed responsible for the incident and received a five-second penalty.

Poker move in the final lap. Ultra strategist, Charles Leclerc gives up his position to Sergio Pérez in an attempt to push George Russell as far back as possible and thus offer Ferrari second place in the constructors’ standings. A strategy that ultimately fails as after applying his penalty, the Red Bull driver finishes behind Russell.

Max Verstappen is the first to cross the finish line with a commanding lead. Behind him, Charles Leclerc finishes this last race in second place ahead of George Russell.

And thus the 2023 season comes to an end. The garages will close for 97 days and will reopen on March 5th next year for the first Grand Prix of the 2024 season in Bahrain.

The ranking of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2023