Max Verstappen Concludes Remarkable Season with Victory at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Max Verstappen's sensational season comes to a triumphant close as he clinches an astounding 19th win, setting a new record, at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix A dominant force in Formula One, Verstappen and his Red Bull team have left an indelible mark on the sport
The Formula One season comes to a close with Max Verstappen and his Red Bull team's dominant performance, as the Dutchman secures his 19th victory of the year at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Verstappen's unprecedented regularity and ease in winning races have solidified his status as a three-time world champion, with another comfortable victory at the season-ending race at the Yas Marina Circuit.
At 26 years old, Verstappen's recent win has propelled him to third place on the all-time list of career F1 wins with a total of 54 victories. He follows seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who boasts 103 victories, and Michael Schumacher with 91. Verstappen's dominant performance in Abu Dhabi marks his fourth consecutive win, leading from start to finish. The only driver to pose any challenge was Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who unsuccessfully attempted to challenge him into the first corner.
Max Verstappen of Red Bull celebrates on the podium alongside team principal Christian Horner after securing victory at the Japanese Grand Prix, clinching the constructors title in the process. REUTERS/Issei Kato
Issei Kato/Reuters
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After amassing a remarkable 575 points this season and achieving the largest winning margin in championship history with 290 points separating him from teammate Sergio Perez, it was no shock to hear Verstappen express his emotions post-race.
"It was an unbelievable season," Verstappen shared with reporters. "I felt emotional on the in-lap, knowing it was the last time I would be sitting in the car that has given me so much."
"It will be hard to do something similar again but we definitely enjoyed this year."
Such has been Red Bulls superiority that Verstappen wrapped up the drivers title at the beginning of October.
At one point, it appeared likely that the team would win every race of the season, but this possibility diminished when Ferraris Carlos Sainz claimed victory at the Singapore Grand Prix. However, Red Bull clinched its second consecutive constructor's championship at the Japanese Grand Prix in September, with six races still left to go. The team's car has been widely praised as one of the best ever in the sport, surpassing last year's model, which won 17 out of 22 races.
The team set a new single-season record with their 20th race win at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The final race of the season saw even more records broken, with Verstappen becoming the first driver to lead over 1,000 laps in a season. Reporting contributed by Issy Ronald.
