Max Verstappen Won Abu Dhabi GP, 19th Victory Of Season
Sergio Perez claimed two victories for Red Bull this season, which won 21 of 22 races.
A record-breaking 19 victories this season and 54 total for Max Verstappen, who finished third overall in the standings, marked the conclusion of his incredible season. The driver took home a comfortable victory at the Abu Dhabi racecourse on Sunday.
In addition to taking home the fastest lap bonus, Verstappen finished ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. With just Michael Schumacher (91) and Lewis Hamilton (103) still in front of him, he has now surpassed former Red Bull great Sebastian Vettel by one win in his career.
After going over the limit, Verstappen said, “What an amazing year.”
Sergio Perez claimed two victories for Red Bull this season, which saw them win 21 of 22 races. Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, informed him over the radio, “You’ve knocked it out of the park this year.” “We’re all extremely pleased with you.”
After a five-second time penalty, Perez, who had been in second position, slipped to fourth? With Mercedes and Ferrari vying for second place in the manufacturers’ title, Leclerc let Perez to pass him on the last lap in the hopes that Perez would finish more than five seconds ahead of Russell.
With Carlos Sainz Jr. of Ferrari out of the points and teammate Hamilton of Russell finishing tenth for two points, Mercedes secured second place in the constructors’ classification behind Red Bull.
Leclerc said, “Sadly, that wasn’t sufficient.”
With Leclerc starting behind Verstappen and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in third, Verstappen has started from pole position 12 times this season, more than any other driver.
Verstappen got off to a strong start by fending off a pair of charges from Leclerc on the Yas Marina circuit, which is one of the trickiest to pass.
Yuki Tsunoda of AlphaTauri was in the unique situation of leading a race on team Principal Franz Tost’s last grand prix until withdrawing after Verstappen and Leclerc switched to hard tires on lap 17 of 58.
A few circuits later, Max Verstappen recovered the lead and never looked back. Despite the fact that it seemed like Lando Norris had adequate room and shifted into Perez’s front right tire, Perez was penalized for late-race tire contact with the McLaren driver.
“Why do we have to pay this fine?” On team radio, a puzzled Perez stated, “I was ahead.”
