Max Verstappen, the Red Bull driver and three-time world champion, concluded the Formula 1 World Championship by enhancing his record with his 19th victory in 22 races at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday. With this win, secured from pole position, the 26-year-old driver now stands alone in third place on the all-time list of Formula 1's most successful drivers with 54 wins.
Verstappen, who became the first driver to lead 1,000 laps in a single season and scored 575 points, said, "It has been a fantastic season." He added, "The last lap was a bit emotional; it was the last time I will sit in the car that has given me so much, of course. It will be difficult to do something similar again, but we certainly enjoyed this year."
Sergio Perez, Verstappen's Red Bull teammate, finished the race in second place but received a five-second time penalty post-race, which prevented him from standing on the podium, finishing behind Charles Leclerc of Ferrari and George Russell of Mercedes.
Mercedes ended the season without a victory for the first time since 2011 but finished second in the overall standings, trailing Red Bull, which accumulated 860 points compared to Mercedes’ 409 points and Ferrari’s 406 points.
