VERSTAPPEN TAKES ROUTINE WIN IN ABU DHABI
Formula One to came to Abu Dhabi for the final race of the 2023 season in what turned out to be an uneventful race as it normally is at Yas Marina. It was another routine victory for 3x World Champion Max Verstappen in a season he has simply dominated from start to finish. A season where Verstappen broke record after record and if Red Bull can keep this pace into the future there's no reason why Max can't match the Hamilton's and Schumacher's of the world.
It was only man of course and that was Max Verstappen who lead into turn one ahead of Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri in third. Lando Norris got himself up to fourth ahead of George Russell. Leclerc attempted an over take on Max on three occasions over the course of the first lap but couldn’t quite pull it off.
Sadly the most interesting part of this race was the pit stops and seeing who lead this race and on lap 17 Verstappen pitted which puts Leclerc into the lead of the race . Yuki Tsunoda is now second with Sergio Perez in third. Max rejoins in seventh.
On the very next lap Leclerc pits which means Tsunoda now leads the race (becoming only the second Japanese driver to lead a Formula One race the first being Takuma Sato) from Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz in third. Of course the top three are yet to pit. Verstappen up to fourth. Leclerc rejoins in fifth.
On lap 23 Tsunoda pits from the lead and Verstappen regains the lead of the race - Leclerc is second with Russell in third.
Lap 37: After the second round of pit stops Verstappen still leads from his teammate Perez with Tsunoda in third with Leclerc in fourth.
Lap 38: Leclerc passes the Alpha Tauri for third.
With this victory Verstappen puts himself in third in the all time win list in Formula One ahead of Sebastian Vettel behind only Schumacher and Hamilton.
Max Verstappen is well on his way to becoming one of the greatest drivers this sport has ever seen.
Formula One returns in March 2024 for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
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