F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Verstappen Wins at Yas Marina; Mercedes Beats Ferrari in Constructors' Battle
Max Verstappen won the season finale in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He was followed home by Ferarri's Charles Leclerc and Mercedes barely edged out Ferrari for second place in the constructors' standings.
By Divyam Dubey
The incredible 2023 Formula One season came to a close with a bang as Max Verstappen won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to clinch the driver's title. While Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc put up a good fight in the opening lap, Max Verstappen was always in control and cruised to his 19th victory in 22 races. The Red Bull driver's 54th career triumph moved him beyond Sebastian Vettel into third position on the all-time record of Grand Prix victories. Mercedes finished in second place in the constructors' championship, and George Russell took third.
After finishing second on the circuit, Sergio Perez dropped to fourth due to a five-second time penalty for colliding with McLaren's Lando Norris. Leclerc anticipated a penalty for Perez and let him pass him for second place in the closing laps. Russell's stellar effort, however, allowed him to remain only five seconds behind Verstappen.
Fifth position went to Lando Norris of McLaren, ahead of Oscar Piastri of McLaren, while seventh place went to Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin. Yuki Tsunoda showed superb driving skills by fighting off Lewis Hamilton's late charge for eighth position in the final lap. Aston Martin's Lance Stroll collected the final championship point in 10th position.
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F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Race Result
Both Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly from Alpine had disappointing season finales, Gasly's due to bodywork contact with Hamilton and then with Alex Albon's leading Williams.
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Although Nico Hulkenberg advanced to Q3, he ultimately finished the race in 15th place because Haas's efforts failed to convert their qualifying advantage into points. Logan Sargeant, a rookie for Williams, and Zhou Guanyu of Alfa Romeo placed 16th and 17th, respectively.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 58 Laps |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Scuderia Ferrari | + 17.993s |
| 3 | George Russell | Mercedes F1 Team | + 20.238s |
| 4 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing | + 21.453s |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren F1 Team | + 24.284s |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren F1 Team | + 31.487s |
| 7 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Formula One Team | + 39.512s |
| 8 | Yuki Tsunoda | Scuderia AlphaTauri | + 43.088s |
| 9 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes F1 Team | + 44.424s |
| 10 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Formula One Team | + 55.632s |
| 11 | Daniel Ricciardo | Scuderia AlphaTauri | + 56.6229s |
| 12 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine F1 Team | + 66.373s |
| 13 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine F1 Team | + 70.360s |
| 14 | Alex Albon | Williams Racing | + 73.184s |
| 15 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas F1 Team | + 83.696s |
| 16 | Logan Sargeant | Williams Racing | + 87.791s |
| 17 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo F1 Team | + 89.422s |
| 18 | Carlos Sainz | Scuderia Ferrari | + 1 Lap |
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo F1 Team | + 1 Lap |
| 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas F1 Team | + 1 Lap |
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Carlos Sainz, who was in the points in the race's final laps until opting for an alternate strategy that required a late pit stop, finished a disappointing 18th. The final two drivers for Alfa Romeo and Haas were Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen, respectively.
