Verstappen finishes 2023 in style as Mercedes claim P2 in the Championship

Max Verstappen won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix quite comfortably. The Dutchman was only put under pressure on Lap 1 by Charles Leclerc, but after he defended well against the Monegasque driver, he sailed away into the distance. The world champion also got the additional point for the fastest lap of the race.

Charles Leclerc finished in P3 on track, and in P2 after Sergio Perez's penalty was applied, but it was not enough for Ferrari to finish in second place in the constructors' standings.

Sergio Perez finished in second place on track, but after he got a five-second penalty for causing a collison, the last place on the podium was given to George Russell. The Mexican was demoted to P4. Lando Norris' second stint was not as great as his first one, and finished the race in fifth position ahead of Oscar Piastri.

Fernando Alonso could not earn his 33rd victory in F1 in 2023 with Aston Martin, and finished seventh in Abu Dhabi. Yuki Tsunoda did well to complete a one-stop race, and finished in P8. The Japanese driver was overtaken by Lewis Hamilton, but the Briton almost lost his car in Turn 9 and had to settle for ninth place. Lance Stroll earned the final point of the race.

The only driver who did not cross the line was Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard had to pit on the last lap as he completed both of his two stints on the hard tyres, and he did not return to the track on a different set.

As it happened

Most drivers chose to begin the race on a set of medium tyres, except for Lance Stroll, Carlos Sainz, and Valtteri Bottas, who opted for the hard tyres.

It was an incident-free start in Abu Dhabi. Charles Leclerc got off a better start than Verstappen, but the Dutchman could hold onto first place. During Lap 1, Leclerc put pressure on the world champion at the end of both straights, but he could not complete an overtake.

Lando Norris was able to overtake Russell after the start, and Hamilton could also gain two positions and was in a tight battle with Perez. On Lap 3, Perez could overtake Hamilton with DRS, but the Briton might have been told to let the Red Bull driver pass and give the position back.

On Lap 5, Norris was up to P3 after he passed his teammate, Piastri. After a lengthy chase, after the Australian made a mistake on Lap 11 in the chicane between the two long straights, Russell could also get past Piastri.

Alonso's stop on Lap 13 caused a domino effect at the front. McLaren first reacted with Piastri, and then with Norris. The Briton pitted on the same lap as Russell, and after Norris had a slower stop, the Mercedes driver could jump him.

After Pierre Gasly locked up into Turn 6 on Lap 16, Hamilton could not avoid making contact with the Frenchman and partially damaged his front wing. Hamilton pitted a lap later. Max Verstappen was first called into the pit lane on Lap 17, and Leclerc did the same on Lap 18, giving the lead to Yuki Tsunoda. Tsunoda changed tyres on Lap 23, as Verstappen got his lead back.

After the first pit stops, Sergio Perez slowly started to rise up the grid. By Lap 28, the Mexican overtook Alonso and then Piastri.

The Second Pit Stops

At the front, it was Lando Norris who pitted first on Lap 34. While Russell wanted to do a one-stop race, Mercedes had to react to Norris’ undercut and could stay ahead of the McLaren. As a result, Leclerc also changed tyres, and returned to the track ahead of the two British drivers.

Hamilton also tried an undercut, and it worked against Alonso, as after the Spaniard exited the pit lane, he wanted to first let his former teammate pass to get DRS, then on the straight Hamilton overtook him. However, on Lap 39, Alonso returned him the favour and got ahead of the Mercedes into Turn 6. Alonso was also investigated for driving erratically by the stewards but did not receive a penalty.

Perez and Verstappen pitted on Lap 43 and 44 respectively. Verstappen’s P1 was not in danger, while Perez returned to the track in P6 and quickly overtook Tsunoda. On Lap 47, the Mexican went for a move on Lando Norris, and the two cars made contact in Turn 6. A lap later, Perez could get the move done in the same corner without a further incident. A lap later, Perez got a five-second penalty for causing a collison.

On Lap 47, Lewis Hamilton also made a move on Carlos Sainz, claiming P2 in the championship for Mercedes. Leclerc tried everything he could to let Perez pass so that he could gain five seconds on Russell, but he reacted too late to complete his plan.