Here are the details for the Formula One finale at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina, marking the 24th event of the championship: Lap length: 5.281km. Complete distance: 306.183km over 58 laps. 2023 pole sitter: Max Verstappen (Netherlands) for Red Bull, clocking one minute 23.445 seconds. 2023 race victor: Verstappen.
Race lap record: Verstappen’s 1:26.103 with Red Bull in 2021. (Track alterations occurred post-2020 race) Race start: 1300 GMT (1700 local time). ABU DHABI This Sunday will witness the 16th Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the 13th season finale on this anti-clockwise circuit. Among current drivers, three have claimed victories at Yas Marina, with Lewis Hamilton being the most prolific, having won five times (2011, 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2019). Verstappen has secured victory in the last four editions (2020-2023), while Valtteri Bottas triumphed in 2017. Hamilton has achieved pole position five times.
Notably, only once has a winner emerged from beyond the front row: Kimi Raikkonen started fourth with Lotus in 2012 to claim victory.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Verstappen secured his fourth consecutive championship title in Las Vegas last month. He becomes the sixth driver to achieve four championships and is only the second, after Sebastian Vettel, to claim his first four titles in a row. In the race for overall runner-up, McLaren’s Lando Norris is eight points ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with a maximum of 26 points still up for grabs. In the constructors’ standings, McLaren are leading Ferrari by 21 points, with 44 points yet to be won. McLaren are pursuing their first constructors’ title since 1998, while Ferrari seek their first since 2008.
WINS
Seven-time world champion Hamilton holds a record of 105 career wins from 355 starts, while Verstappen has achieved 63 wins from 208 starts. This season has seen victories from Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes. Seven different drivers have won at least twice each. Verstappen has claimed victory nine times this season, with McLaren and Ferrari both securing five wins each, and Mercedes achieving four.
Ferrari leads the all-time standings with 248 victories, followed by McLaren with 188, Mercedes with 129, and Red Bull with 122.
POLE POSITION
This year, Verstappen has achieved eight pole positions, including an impressive streak of the first seven consecutively. Norris follows closely with seven poles. The next closest is George Russell with four, while Leclerc has three and Carlos Sainz has secured one. Hamilton holds the record for poles with 104.
PODIUMS
Verstappen boasts 112 career podium finishes, whereas Hamilton holds a record with 202. This season, Verstappen has appeared on the podium 14 times, with Norris and Leclerc each achieving 12 podiums. Both Sainz and Piastri have made eight appearances.
POINTS
Red Bull has consistently scored in 66 consecutive races, marking the second-longest streak in Formula 1 history. Ferrari holds the record with points in 83 straight races from 2010 to 2014 when the top ten finishers earned points. Recently, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez has managed to accumulate just nine points over the last seven race weekends. Sauber garnered their first points of the season in Qatar, preventing what could have been only their second pointless season since 2014. Bottas’s 11th place at Lusail moved him up from the bottom of the standings, surpassing Williams’ dropped driver Logan Sargeant.
ONE-TWO FINISHES
This year, four distinct teams—Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes—have each achieved a one-two finish. This marks the inaugural occasion in Formula One championship history where this has occurred.
MILESTONE
Red Bull has secured more victories in Abu Dhabi than any other team, and winning on Sunday would mark their eighth triumph at a single circuit for the first time.
