Verstappen closes dominant F1 season in style with '10' in Abu Dhabi

Verstappen: 10

Max Verstappen closed the 2023 F1 season in style. The Red Bull Racing driver was dominant all weekend and was fastest when he had to be. In the race, his victory was never in danger for a moment, especially the duel with Leclerc was impressive.

Leclerc: 9

Charles Leclerc did everything right this weekend, except the first lap of the race. There he gave Verstappen too much space and you shouldn't give that to the Dutchman. Verstappen probably would have been too fast anyway, but Charles didn't make it very difficult for him either.

Russell: 9

A strong weekend for George Russell, who still manages to get some pace out of the W14 at the end of the season.

Perez: 6

Sergio Perez blamed the track limit rules after qualifying and again pointed to the stewards after the race as the culprit for his lower classification. Although the penalty in the race was dubious, in the end it is Perez himself who ensures he does not finish higher.

Norris: 7

Lando Norris may have squandered pole position during qualifying, but came back in a strong race. A poor pit stop by McLaren ruined a chance at the podium.

Piastri: 7

Oscar Piastri still needs some work on his race pace, but that the Australian is fast is clear after 2023. You occasionally forget that the young driver is still only a rookie, while he is making great strides among the sport's big names.

Alonso: 8

A strong end to the season for Fernando Alonso. The comment about straight-line speed did raise eyebrows. Is there irritation with the Spaniard after all? For now, it is not reflected in his performance on the track.

Tsunoda: 9

Yuki Tsunoda suit finished the season with a strong performance. With all the changes alongside him, the Japanese driver has proved to be a very stable force for AlphaTauri this season anyway, at least as long as he can keep his emotions under control.

Hamilton: 5

A bad weekend for Lewis Hamilton. The Briton was too slow in qualifying and also briefly went wrong in duel with Pierre Gasly. Yes, the Frenchman braked, but he was just on the racing line. In a weekend where Mercedes desperately needed the points, an off-weekend from the seven-time world champion was ultimately not fatal to the battle for P2.

Stroll: 6

Lance Stroll scored another point, concluding a solid end to his season. In the middle of the year, Lance ended up in a slump, which the Canadian now seems to be out of.

Ricciardo: 5

Daniel Ricciardo did not make the most of AlphaTauri's car this weekend, and that on a weekend when the Faenza-based team could well have used the points. Work to be done for the Australian if he wants a chance of getting a seat at Red Bull in 2025.

Ocon: 6

Esteban Ocon had an invisible weekend. Weaker in qualifying than his teammate, slightly better in the race. Points did not result.

Gasly: 6

Pierre Gasly was furious with his team, but should be especially critical of himself for being beaten in terms of race pace for the second weekend in a row.

Albon: 7

Alexander Albon has been important for Williams' seventh-place finish among constructors this season. However, the last few weeks have been tough as, despite good performances from the Thai, he has not been able to shine as much as he did earlier this year.

Hulkenberg: 6

A good qualifying, followed by a dramatic start. It does sum up the year for Haas, who ended up at the bottom of the rankings.

Sargeant: 4

Logan Sargeant was the only driver not to set a time in Q1, exceeding the track limits twice. Things did not go much better on Sunday, ending a difficult debut year in the same style for the American.

Zhou: 6

Guanyu Zhou had an okay weekend in the background. Less so in qualifying and stronger in the race than his teammate.

Sainz: 5

Carlos Sainz failed to help Ferrari to second place among constructors in Abu Dhabi. The crash was unfortunate, but afterwards the Spaniard was nowhere near his teammate.

Bottas: 6

Valtteri Bottas concluded the 2023 season invisibly, as Alfa Romeo's entire year has been.

Magnussen: 5

Kevin Magnussen was not particularly comfortable this weekend, but there was little honour to be had with the Haas anyway.