2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Explained

Type:F1
Grand Prix:Abu Dhabi
Previous Round:2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix
Next Round:2024 Bahrain Grand Prix
Details Ref:[1]
Date:26 November
Year:2023
Official Name:Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2023
Race No:22
Season No:22
Location:Yas Marina Circuit
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Course:Permanent racing facility
Course Km:5.281
Course Mi:3.281
Distance Laps:58
Distance Km:306.183
Distance Mi:190.253
Weather:Clear
Pole Driver:Max Verstappen
Pole Country:NED
Pole Team:Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
Pole Time:1:23.445
Fast Driver:Max Verstappen
Fast Country:NED
Fast Team:Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
Fast Time:1:26.993
Fast Lap:45
First Driver:Max Verstappen
First Country:NED
First Team:Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
Second Driver:Charles Leclerc
Second Country:MON
Second Team:Ferrari
Third Driver:George Russell
Third Country:GBR
Third Team:Mercedes

The 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2023) was a Formula One motor race held on 26 November 2023 at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It was the twenty-second and final round of the 2023 Formula One World Championship. The race was won by Max Verstappen ahead of Charles Leclerc and George Russell. Russell's podium placing allowed the Mercedes team to secure second position ahead of Ferrari.

Background

The event was held across the weekend of 24–26 November. It was the twenty-second and final round of the 2023 Formula One World Championship and the fifteenth running of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.[1]

Championship standings before the race

Coming into the weekend, Max Verstappen led the Drivers' Championship with 549 points. He led his teammate Sergio Pérez by 276 points and Lewis Hamilton by a further 41 points. Hamilton was ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr. in fourth by 32 points, tied with Fernando Alonso. Red Bull Racing led the Constructors' Championship with 822 points, 430 points ahead of Mercedes and a further four points ahead of Ferrari. McLaren, in fourth, was behind Ferrari by 104 points and ahead of Aston Martin, in fifth, by 11 points.[2]

Entrants

The drivers and teams were the same as the season entry list with the exception of Daniel Ricciardo, who replaced Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri starting at the Hungarian Grand Prix.[3] [4]

During the first practice session, nine teams fielded alternate drivers who had not raced in more than two Grands Prix, as required by the Formula One regulations:

O'Sullivan and Dennis made their Formula One practice debut.[3] [5]

The Grand Prix marked the last race for AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost, who was replaced by Laurent Mekies, as well as the last race for his former team under the AlphaTauri name, as they were renamed RB in .[6] [7] It was also the last race for Alfa Romeo, who ended their partnership with Sauber ahead of their forthcoming partnership with Audi set to start in 2026.[8] [9] This Grand Prix also marked the last race for Haas' team principal Guenther Steiner, who was replaced by Ayao Komatsu.[10] [11]

Tyre choices

Tyre supplier Pirelli brought the C3, C4, and C5 tyre compounds (designated hard, medium, and soft, respectively), the three softest compounds in their dry tyre range, for teams to use at the event.[12]

Practice

Three free practice sessions were held for the event. The first free practice session was held on 24 November 2023, at 13:30 local time (UTC+4). It was topped by George Russell ahead of Felipe Drugovich and Daniel Ricciardo.[13]

The second free practice session was held on the same day, at 17:00 local time (UTC+4). It was topped by Charles Leclerc ahead of Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. The session was stopped twice: Carlos Sainz Jr. lost control of his car into turn three suffering a heavy crash, and Nico Hülkenberg spun into the wall.[14] The third free practice session was held on 25 November 2023, at 14:30 local time (UTC+4). It was topped by George Russell ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.[15]

Qualifying

Qualifying was held on 25 November 2023, at 18:00 local time (UTC+4).

Qualifying classification

DriverConstructor
Q1Q2Q3
11data-sort-value="ver" Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing-Honda RBPT1:24.1601:23.7401:23.4451
216data-sort-value="lec" Charles LeclercFerrari1:24.4591:23.9691:23.5842
381data-sort-value="pia" Oscar PiastriMcLaren-Mercedes1:24.4871:24.2781:23.7823
463data-sort-value="rus" George RussellMercedes1:24.3371:24.0131:23.7884
54data-sort-value="nor" Lando NorrisMcLaren-Mercedes1:24.3681:23.9201:23.8165
622data-sort-value="tsu" Yuki TsunodaAlphaTauri-Honda RBPT1:24.2861:24.2071:23.9696
714data-sort-value="alo" Fernando Alonso1:24.5011:24.1311:24.0847
827data-sort-value="hul" Haas-Ferrari1:24.4251:24.2131:24.1088
911data-sort-value="per" Sergio PérezRed Bull Racing-Honda RBPT1:24.2091:24.1161:24.1719
1010data-sort-value="gas" Pierre GaslyAlpine-Renault1:24.6001:24.0781:24.54810
1144data-sort-value="ham" Lewis HamiltonMercedes1:24.437 1:24.359data-sort-value="18" align="center" style="background: silver" N/A11
1231data-sort-value="oco" Esteban OconAlpine-Renault1:24.5651:24.391data-sort-value="14" align="center" style="background: silver" N/A12
1318data-sort-value="str" Lance StrollAston Martin Aramco-Mercedes1:24.4051:24.422data-sort-value="14" align="center" style="background: silver" N/A13
1423data-sort-value="alb" Alexander AlbonWilliams-Mercedes1:24.2981:24.439data-sort-value="18" align="center" style="background: silver" N/A14
153data-sort-value="ric" Daniel RicciardoAlphaTauri-Honda RBPT1:24.4611:24.442data-sort-value="14" align="center" style="background: silver" N/A15
1655data-sort-value="sai" Carlos Sainz Jr.Ferrari1:24.738data-sort-value="18" align="center" style="background: silver" N/Adata-sort-value="18" align="center" style="background: silver" N/A16
1720data-sort-value="mag" Haas-Ferrari1:24.764data-sort-value="18" align="center" style="background: silver" N/Adata-sort-value="18" align="center" style="background: silver" N/A17
1877data-sort-value="bot" Valtteri BottasAlfa Romeo-Ferrari1:24.788data-sort-value="18" align="center" style="background: silver" N/Adata-sort-value="18" align="center" style="background: silver" N/A18
1924data-sort-value="zho" Zhou GuanyuAlfa Romeo-Ferrari1:25.159data-sort-value="18" align="center" style="background: silver" N/Adata-sort-value="18" align="center" style="background: silver" N/A19
107% time

1:30.051

2data-sort-value="sar" Logan SargeantWilliams-MercedesNo timedata-sort-value="14" align="center" style="background: silver" N/Adata-sort-value="14" align="center" style="background: silver" N/A20
Source:[16] [17]
Notes

Race

The race was held on 26 November 2023, at 17:00 local time (UTC+4), and was run for 58 laps.

Race report

At the start of the race, Charles Leclerc challenged Max Verstappen for the lead going into the first corner, Verstappen held on to first place. Verstappen slowly built a gap between himself and Leclerc, leaving Leclerc to hold off the McLaren pair close behind.[18] Later in the race, every car that started on the medium tyre pitted except for Yuki Tsunoda, who briefly led the race until he pitted on lap 23. George Russell continued to hold on to third place behind Leclerc. In the final ten laps of the race, Sergio Pérez battled with Lando Norris for fourth place. The drivers banged wheels, and Pérez subsequently received a five-second time penalty for causing a collision.

Leclerc was comfortably in second place, but Russell's third place and Lewis Hamilton's ninth place were enough to keep Mercedes ahead of Ferrari by three points in the Constructors' Championship. Although Carlos Sainz Jr. was running in tenth place near the end of the race, he had only used a single tyre compound and needed to pit again, dropping him out of the points. With the race finish nearing, Pérez passed Russell but Russell continued to maintain a gap of under five seconds to hold on to third place after Pérez's penalty was applied. Leclerc deliberately slowed down to give Pérez a slipstream and eventually conceded second place, hoping it would push Russell out of third place. Still, Russell managed to stay close enough behind Leclerc, and finish in third after Pérez's penalty was applied.[19]

The final podium consisted of Verstappen, Leclerc, and Russell; Russell's third place plus his teammate Hamilton finishing ninth and Carlos Sainz finishing 18th secured second place in the Constructors' Championship for Mercedes.[20] Alonso's seventh-place finish was enough to secure fourth in the Drivers' Championship, his first top five finish in the championship since he was runner up in 2012 and 2013. Leclerc's second place promoted him from seventh to fifth for the season, level with Alonso on points, losing only by tiebreaker rules. Lando Norris's fifth place finish meant he equaled his best Drivers' Championship position of sixth from 2021, whilst Sainz's eighteenth place finish meant he fell from fourth to seventh in the drivers championship, his lowest finish since he finished tenth in 2018. Verstappen also became the first driver to surpass 1,000 laps led in a single season and the only driver to complete every racing lap in the 2023 season.[21]

Race classification

DriverConstructorTime/RetiredPoints
11data-sort-value="ver" Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing-Honda RBPT581:27:02.624126
216data-sort-value="lec" Charles LeclercFerrari58+17.993218
363data-sort-value="rus" George RussellMercedes58+20.328415
411data-sort-value="per" Sergio PérezRed Bull Racing-Honda RBPT58+21.453912
54data-sort-value="nor" Lando NorrisMcLaren-Mercedes58+24.284510
681data-sort-value="pia" Oscar PiastriMcLaren-Mercedes58+31.48738
714data-sort-value="alo" Fernando Alonso58+39.51276
822data-sort-value="tsu" Yuki TsunodaAlphaTauri-Honda RBPT58+43.08864
944data-sort-value="ham" Lewis HamiltonMercedes58+44.424112
1018data-sort-value="str" Lance Stroll58+55.632131
113data-sort-value="ric" Daniel RicciardoAlphaTauri-Honda RBPT58+56.22915
1231data-sort-value="oco" Esteban OconAlpine-Renault58+1:06.37312
1310data-sort-value="gas" Pierre GaslyAlpine-Renault58+1:10.37010
1423data-sort-value="alb" Alexander AlbonWilliams-Mercedes58+1:13.18414
1527data-sort-value="hul" Nico HülkenbergHaas-Ferrari58+1:23.6968
162data-sort-value="sar" Logan SargeantWilliams-Mercedes58+1:27.79120
1724data-sort-value="zho" Zhou GuanyuAlfa Romeo-Ferrari58+1:29.42219
1855data-sort-value="sai" Carlos Sainz Jr.Ferrari57Engine16
1977data-sort-value="bot" Valtteri BottasAlfa Romeo-Ferrari57+1 lap18
2020data-sort-value="mag" Haas-Ferrari57+1 lap17
Fastest lap

Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT) – 1:26.993 (lap 45)

Source:[22] [23] [24]
Notes

Final championship standings

Drivers' Championship standings
DriverPoints
1 Max Verstappen*575
2 Sergio Pérez285
3 Lewis Hamilton234
14 Fernando Alonso206
25 Charles Leclerc206
Source:[26]
Constructors' Championship standings
ConstructorPoints
1 Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT*860
2 Mercedes409
3 Ferrari406
4 McLaren-Mercedes302
5280
Source:

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2023 – F1 Race. Formula1.com. 19 November 2023. 19 November 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231119080346/https://www.formula1.com/en/racing/2023/United_Arab_Emirates.html. live.
  2. Web site: 18 November 2023 . Las Vegas 2023 – Championship . 18 November 2023 . StatsF1.com . 19 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231119080435/https://www.statsf1.com/en/2023/las-vegas/championnat.aspx . live .
  3. Web site: 24 November 2023 . 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Entry List . 24 November 2023 . . 25 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231125121507/https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/decision-document/2023%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Grand%20Prix%20-%20Entry%20List.pdf . live .
  4. Web site: Breaking: Ricciardo to replace De Vries at AlphaTauri from the Hungarian Grand Prix . Formula1.com . 11 July 2023 . 24 October 2023 . 13 July 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230713010037/https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.breaking-ricciardo-to-replace-de-vries-at-alphatauri-from-the-hungarian.2yhnzxE6XpSUZwzHfr9rXp.html . live .
  5. Web site: The 10 young drivers set to take part in FP1 in Abu Dhabi. Formula1.com. 23 November 2023. 23 November 2023. 23 November 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231123181013/https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.the-10-young-drivers-set-to-take-part-in-fp1-in-abu-dhabi.41yTvsv9zgjhYiZDB8BaN7.html. live.
  6. Web site: Drivers and Team's quotes after the race. AlphaTauri.com. 26 November 2023. 26 November 2023. 26 November 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231126191331/https://scuderia.alphatauri.com/en/2023-abu-dhabi-gp-race/. live.
  7. Web site: AlphaTauri to be rebranded in F1 2024, says Marko . 28 June 2023 . 5 July 2023 . Motorsport.com . en . 5 July 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230705155911/https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/alphatauri-to-be-rebranded-in-f1-2024-says-marko/10488676/ . live .
  8. Web site: 26 August 2022 . Alfa Romeo to end Sauber partnership at end of 2023 season . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230204064310/https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.alfa-romeo-to-end-sauber-partnership-at-end-of-2023-season.4bKd4sn2aDCTbpbCAQWeGQ.html . 4 February 2023 . 13 August 2023 . Formula1.com . en.
  9. Web site: 26 October 2022 . Sauber to become Audi works F1 team from 2026 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230105022002/https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.breaking-sauber-to-become-audi-works-f1-team-from-2026.6EMJQ2LlvshgpCXdCR9xJl.html . 5 January 2023 . 13 August 2023 . Formula1.com . en.
  10. News: 2024-01-10 . Haas: Guenther Steiner leaves as team principal after 10 years . 2024-01-10 . BBC Sport . en-GB . 15 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240115053500/https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/67934824 . live .
  11. News: Steiner leaves as Haas Team Principal with immediate effect . 10 January 2024 . www.formula1.com . 10 January 2024 . en . 10 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240110171726/https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.breaking-guenther-steiner-leaves-haas-team-principal-ayao-komatsu.EoHIsZH1SbRkJMSKJ8h3I.html . live .
  12. Web site: A soft landing for the 2023 World Championship. Pirelli.com. 1 November 2023. 11 November 2023. 18 November 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231118180306/https://press.pirelli.com/a-soft-landing-for-the-2023-world-championship/. live.
  13. Web site: Kalinauckas. Alex. F1 Abu Dhabi GP: Russell tops first practice with 10 rookies in action. Autosport. 24 November 2023. 6 May 2024.
  14. Web site: FP2: Leclerc leads as Sainz and Hulkenberg crash out in incident hampered second practice in Abu Dhabi. Formula1.com. 24 November 2023. 6 May 2024.
  15. Web site: Boxall-Legge. Jake. F1 Abu Dhabi GP: Russell heads final practice from Norris. Autosport. 26 November 2023. 6 May 2024.
  16. Web site: Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2023 – Qualifying. Formula 1. 25 November 2023. 25 November 2023. 25 November 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231125142447/https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2023/races/1226/abu-dhabi/qualifying.html. live.
  17. Web site: Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2023 – Starting Grid. Formula 1. 25 November 2023. 25 November 2023. 25 November 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231125143000/https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2023/races/1226/abu-dhabi/starting-grid.html. live.
  18. News: Verstappen beats Leclerc to victory in Abu Dhabi . 27 November 2023 . Formula 1 . 26 November 2023 . en . 4 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231204193431/https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.verstappen-beats-leclerc-to-victory-in-abu-dhabi-to-end-record-breaking-year.6pYEohQvxeey5ATWkXh8sQ.html . live .
  19. Web site: Cleeren. Filip. Leclerc explains late bid to help Perez in F1 Abu Dhabi GP. Autosport. 26 November 2023. 6 May 2024.
  20. Web site: Kalinauckas . Alex . F1 Abu Dhabi GP: Verstappen wins 2023 finale as Mercedes secures second . Autosport . 26 November 2023 . 26 November 2023 . 26 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231126155744/https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-abu-dhabi-gp-verstappen-wins-2023-finale-as-mercedes-secures-second/10552137/ . live .
  21. News: Best facts and stats from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix . 27 November 2023 . Formula 1 . 26 November 2023 . en . 4 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231204181544/https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.facts-and-stats-verstappen-becomes-first-driver-in-history-to-lead-1-000.3j6XBlPeKrfvSPFpB04Aq1.html . live .
  22. Web site: Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2023 – Race Result. Formula 1. 26 November 2023. 26 November 2023. 1 December 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231201191605/https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2023/races/1226/abu-dhabi/race-result.html. live.
  23. Web site: Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2023 – Fastest Laps. Formula 1. 26 November 2023. 26 November 2023. 26 November 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231126160544/https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2023/races/1226/abu-dhabi/fastest-laps.html. live.
  24. Web site: Abu Dhabi 2023. StatsF1.com. 1 December 2023. 27 November 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231127073926/https://www.statsf1.com/en/2023/abou-dhabi/classement.aspx. live.
  25. Web site: 26 November 2023 . Infringement – Car 11 – Causing a collision . 26 November 2023 . . 26 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231126153130/https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/decision-document/2023%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Grand%20Prix%20-%20Infringement%20-%20Car%2011%20-%20Causing%20a%20collision.pdf . live .
  26. Web site: 26 November 2023 . Abu Dhabi 2023 – Championship . 26 November 2023 . StatsF1.com . 26 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231126152852/https://www.statsf1.com/en/2023/abou-dhabi/championnat.aspx . live .