Max Verstappen: Red Bull driver claims record-extending win in 2023's F1 season

World Champion Max Verstappen ended the most dominant season in Formula One history with another victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and took sole ownership of third on the sport's all-time list of race winners.

The Dutchman finished 17 seconds clear of team-mate Sergio Perez but the Red Bull driver was demoted to fourth following a five-second penalty for a collision with Lando Norris.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was promoted to second with Mercedes’ George Russell third. Lewis Hamilton finished ninth in the other black-liviried machine with Mercedes three points clear of Ferrari in the standings to land a £105million reward, rather than £95m.

However, it marked a second straight season without a victory for Hamilton – a losing streak of 45 races – and Mercedes’ first winless campaign in a dozen years. Norris finished fifth for McLaren, one place ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri.

Verstappen has been in a class of one this season and Sunday’s 58-lap race round the Yas Marina Circuit and ends the season with a record total of 575 points, more than double his nearest challenger Perez, with Red Bull winning all but one race.

Overcoming some practise struggles to take pole in Saturday's qualifying session, the chance of Verstappen not converting from pole appeared minimal, but calmly managed his tyres to remain outside of DRS range, before easing into the distance as the race developed. Verstappen holds a win percentage of above 86% which is not affected by an ever-growing calendar.

Verstappen moved clear of Vettel, the last Red Bull driver to win a drivers' title before him, in race wins, and will now be focused on returning in 2024 to match the streak of four successive championships the German won between 2009 and 2012.

Verstappen, who became the first driver to lead 1,000 racing laps in a season, said after his 19th victory of the year: “It has been an incredible season.The in-lap was emotional because it was my last time sitting in a car that has given me so much. It will be hard to do something similar again but we definitely enjoyed this year.”