Max Verstappen ended his record breaking 2023 season with a historic 19th win, making it 21 wins out of 23 for Red Bull. Sergio Perez won two races, making it a near-perfect season for Red Bull, with the team already having claimed the Constructors Championship.
The Dutchman has now claimed his 54th win in Formula 1, moving into the top three of all-time after overtaking Sebastian Vettel. He is behind only Michael Schumacher (94 wins) and Lewis Hamilton (104 wins), but could surpass both of them in the coming seasons.
Max Verstappen ends 2023 season with a win in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Sergio Perez finished second behind his teammate, but was handed a five-second penalty for bumping tires with McLaren’s Lando Norris. Reviews now suggest that Norris might have turned onto Perez’s tires even though he had ample space.
However, he dropped down to fourth because of the penalty, with Charles Leclerc bumped up to second followed by George Russell completing the podium.
The final few laps saw Leclerc allow Perez to pass through so that Ferrari would have a better chance at finishing second in the Constructors Championship. However, they finished only three points behind Mercedes with Russell ultimately claiming the podium.
The season ends with the three-time world champion unmatchable on the track, breaking almost every record in the sport in one year. Now, the 97-day wait begins for everything to start again in Bahrain, once the drivers and teams have rested and regrouped.
