Abu Dhabi F1 GP 2023 Results: Max Verstappen Wins Final Race After Clinching Title
Edmund So/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Stop us when you’ve heard this before: Max Verstappen just won a Formula 1 race.
Verstappen concluded putting together the greatest season the sport has ever seen as Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, walking away with his record-setting 19th win of the 2023 season.
Sky Sports F1 @SkySportsF1
A three-time champion of the world celebrating how you should… 🏆🏆🏆
Donuts on the grid for Max Verstappen! 🔄 pic.twitter.com/Fa1Et5UVjv
ESPN F1 @ESPNF1
MAX VERSTAPPEN BECOMES THE FIRST DRIVER TO LEAD FOR 1,000 LAPS DURING A SINGLE SEASON 🤯 pic.twitter.com/3ya4ayW977
Sky Sports F1 @SkySportsF1
“You’ve smashed it out of the park this year, we are incredibly proud” 🤝
Christian Horner ❤️ Max Verstappen pic.twitter.com/xuWpX3DiH4
Charles Leclerc finished second and George Russell rounded out the podium.
With Sunday’s race concluding the 2023 campaign, it’s only right to look back on what was one of the most impressive feats in sports history. Verstappen was victorious in 19 of the 22 races on the F1 circuit, breaking his own record for wins in a season by four—which was set just once year ago.
The 26-year-old now ranks third in the history of Formula 1 with 54 wins. Only Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher rank ahead of him, and Verstappen has at least another decade of prime driving ahead of him.
“Of course it’s quite a crazy number. We had a crazy, crazy year,” Verstappen told reporters this week. “It will end at one point, but hopefully not too soon. … I love driving, that’s the foremost (thing) and winning is the best thing in Formula One. At the same time, I’m very focused on what’s ahead of me and hopefully next year we have a competitive car again and continue that momentum.”
It’s impossible to contextualize Verstappen’s dominance in modern times. No one has ever been this dominant this often. Serena Williams, Tiger Woods, Novak Djokovic, all historically dominant but none of their peaks had them so far ahead of the competition.
Verstappen has now won three straight F1 championships, making him one of 11 drivers to pull off that feat. He could move into a tie for fourth on the all-time list if he wins next season, and there’s no sign of him letting up anytime soon.