Formula 1: Verstappen caps off incredible season for Red Bull

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen ended the Formula 1 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. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished second with Mercedes-Benz driver George Russell in third.

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 under any real pressure as he secured a third-straight win at Yas Marina Circuit, according to Red Bull Content Pool.

MAX VERSTAPPEN PROVED HE IS ONE OF THE GREAT FORMULA 1 DRIVERS

Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Pérez also produced a sublime drive as he crossed the finish line in second, though he was pushed back to fourth due to a five-second penalty for causing a collision with McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Red Bull’s sister team, Scuderia AlphaTauri, saw their driver Yuki Tsunoda have a race to remember as he was one of the last drivers to pit and found himself leading the grand prix after 19 laps.

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The Japanese driver would eventually finish in eighth place and was voted the driver of the day, while teammate Daniel Ricciardo was just outside the points as he came 11th.

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The numbers are extraordinary 🤯#F1 @redbullracing pic.twitter.com/d1VOCYeS2T

— Formula 1 (@F1) November 26, 2023

After the final race of the season, this is what the two Red Bull drivers had to say:

“It’s been an unforgettable season. It was emotional on the in-lap driving the RB19 for the last time. This car and Team has given me so much. I have to say a big thank you to everyone at Red Bull. We’ve had an incredible year. It will be hard to replicate a year like this, but we always want to do better and to improve so let’s see what we can do next year. In the meantime, I think the whole Team and everyone in the paddock needs a rest and to spend some time with friends and family. It’s been a simply lovely year,” Verstappen said.

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“Overall, we had a good race today. I think I could have maybe stretched it to a one-stop, it’s something to look at and review. It probably would have been possible, but we will never know! My honest opinion is it was just a racing incident with Lando, but unfortunately, the stewards didn’t agree with that, and I got the penalty and lost second place in the final race of the season. I have learnt this season to never give up. We have had some tough times, ups and downs, but it only matters where you finish when the season ends here. I am happy with the whole team, they have done a tremendous job and we deserved a lot more today and at times this season. We have had the best season in our history and so much credit to Max. He has been outstanding. Next year, we have another chance, and we go for it,” Perez said.

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