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The 2023 F1 Abu Dhabi GP ended in the same way as the first race of the season did, with Max Verstappen winning comfortably as the chasing pack tried to settle things amongst itself. The 2023 F1 season has largely been a one-man show with the Dutch driver winning as many as 19 races this season.
Coming to the F1 Abu Dhabi GP, it was uneventful at times with the only intriguing battle being the one for P2 between Ferrari and Mercedes. In the end, it was the German team that came out on top despite Charles Leclerc's efforts.
Having said that, who would be satisfied with the last race of the season and who would be a bit disappointed? Let's take a look.
2023 F1 Abu Dhabi GP
Winner
Max Verstappen and Red Bull
It's not often in the decades of being a Red Bull advisor has Helmut Marko gotten emotional but that's the kind of job the team has done this season. By winning the 2023 F1 Abu Dhabi GP, Max Verstappen ended the season with 19 wins to his name while the team secured 21 out of 22 wins.
What's ominous for the competitors is that they have spent a minimal amount on the development of the current car and there's so much more waiting to come next season. Red Bull is the winner of the season without a doubt and the team continues to march forward.
Loser
Carlos Sainz and Ferrari
Carlos Sainz had a stinker of a 2023 F1 Abu Dhabi GP and arguably with Charles Leclerc finishing P2, it cost Ferrari the runner-up position. The Spaniard will be disappointed because the car clearly had performance as Charles showed abundantly.
To make things worse, he ended up falling behind in the points standings as well.
Winner
George Russell and Ferrari
George Russell has had arguably his worst season in F1 since his debut but the driver was the first to turn up when the team needed him. With Hamilton mysteriously off colour and not in the groove in any way, Russell took it upon himself in the F1 Abu Dhabi GP to secure P2 for the team, and in the end he got that done.
Mercedes in turn will be happy as well because a P2 finish is still a validation that the team is the closest challenger to Red Bull this season.
Loser
Alpine
Ending the season outside of points with one of the drivers shouting on the team radio about the strategy is not ideal. Alpine started the season with big hopes but the way the team is right now, one can't help but worry about the future.
Winner
Yuki Tsunoda
Yuki Tsunoda served a timely reminder for Red Bull and the rest of the grid. This was an impressive all-round performance from the Japanese driver who continues to remind everyone of what he can do in the right car.
More importantly, this did put a dent on the hype around Daniel Ricciardo who was positioning himself as a replacement for Sergio Perez at Red Bull.
Loser
Daniel Ricciardo
The 2023 F1 Abu Dhabi GP could have been a statement-making race for Daniel Ricciardo. He could have been the one matching his teammate Yuki Tsunoda in the race and hence helping AlphaTauri have the required number of points to usurp Williams.
Unfortunately, he did none of that. He has struggled to recapture the form he had in Mexico and the last race caused a massive dent in his hopes of replacing Perez at Red Bull.
