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Charles Leclerc tries all the tricks in Abu Dhabi
Photograph:
GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP
Brakes for second place: Mercedes (392 points) and Ferrari (388) were separated by just four points in the constructors' standings before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. In the last Formula 1 race of the season, prestige and a few million euros in world championship bonuses were at stake. In the virtual lightning rankings it went back and forth, sometimes the Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz passed, then the Silver Arrows George Russell and Lewis Hamilton countered.
In the closing stages, the duel came to a head with a curious scene: Leclerc was in second place, with Red Bull driver Sergio Pérez approaching behind him. Leclerc slammed on the brakes and let Pérez pass. Why? Had the Mexican, who had picked up a five-second penalty, increased his lead over fourth-placed Russell and secured third place, Mercedes would have scored three points less. Leclerc's plan did not work out, in the end Mercedes won 409-406 against Ferrari.
The result of the race: World champion Max Verstappen won the 19th race of the season, with Leclerc and Russell on the podium alongside the Dutchman.
Farewell to Franz Tost: Since 2006, Scuderia Alpha Tauri has been racing in Formula 1, often referred to as Red Bull's sister team, until 2020 the team was called Toro Rosso. Verstappen once made his debut for Toro Rosso, Sebastian Vettel too, and Pierre Gasly completed most of the races. The great constant has always been team boss Franz Tost. However, the Austrian is now retiring, which is why Tost was duly bid farewell by many drivers and team principals in the pit lane before the race. "I just told them to stop this nonsense because we have a race now," Tost said on Sky, referring to his drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda. For Alpha Tauri, the duel with Williams was for seventh place in the constructors' standings. Tsunoda, who honoured Tost with his helmet design, gave it his all, and at one point the Japanese even led the race. However, Tsunoda's eighth place was not enough, Tost was three world championship points short of a successful farewell party.
The Magic 1000: For Verstappen it was a season of records, rarely has a driver dominated Formula 1 so much. 19 wins in 23 races; a new points record (575) that would have secured the constructors' title for Red Bull even without a second driver; Abu Dhabi was the 39th race in a row from which Verstappen emerges as the world championship leader, which is also a record. However, this number is particularly impressive: Verstappen is the first driver in Formula 1 history to have completed over 1000 laps in the lead in one season (out of a total of 1325 laps this year). It must be said that the number of races and therefore also the laps have increased significantly. Led 1000 times, 1000 times something happened to Verstappen.
Fed up: Even though the end result was second place in the constructors' standings, it was a frustrating year for Mercedes. From 2014 to 2020, it was the Silver Arrows around seven-time world champion Hamilton who dominated Formula 1. Since then, Hamilton has been driving almost exclusively behind, with the Briton celebrating his last race success in Saudi Arabia in 2021. This year, however, the frustration was particularly great, with drivers repeatedly complaining about the undrivable car, setbacks and the lack of further development. All this was unleashed on team boss Toto Wolff after qualifying on Saturday: "I'm fed up with looking for explanations why it didn't go well," Wolff said on Sky. In 2024, things are expected to pick up again at Mercedes.
Two-month break: The season is over, all titles have been awarded, and the many employees of the teams are breathing a sigh of relief after a strenuous year. Now the development of the race cars for 2024 will be completed. But the break is not too long, as the test drives in Bahrain are scheduled for 21 February, where the first race will take place a week later. And a record-breaking season followed. 24 races will be run, with the event not ending until 8 December, again in Abu Dhabi. The big favorite is then again: Max Verstappen.