Dutch record hunter: Verstappen emotional thanks to the departing Tost

class=”sc-cffd1e67-0 fmXrkB”>

Max Verstappen (26) once again took his company car out of the Red Bull garage, stood in front of his 19 opponents – and won the last race of 2023 in the setting sun of Abu Dhabi.

“Yes, it was fun,” said the Dutchman after his 19th victory of the season. And don’t forget the four sprint victories. Verstappen was the first driver in history to lead more than 1,000 laps.

It should also be mentioned that with his 54th GP victory he now sits alone in third place on the all-time rankings. Maybe he will even overtake Hamilton (103) and Schumi (91)?

Sainz was absent all weekend

Behind Verstappen, the battle for second place raged between the teams for the entire 58 laps. Because Sainz had been a failure all weekend and Ferrari could only count on Leclerc, Mercedes managed to save the lead with three points (409:406) across the finish line.

Even a tactical maneuver by Leclerc (2nd) to wave past Pérez in second place did little to shake off Russell. Pérez could not make up for his five-second penalty (crash against Norris) – Russell remained third and scored the necessary points with Hamilton (9th) for the close decision.

Saying goodbye after 18 years

Before the race, Alpha Tauri said goodbye to boss Franz Tost (67) with a parade after 18 years and 17 pilots.

During the warm-up lap, the man of the race, Tsunoda (8th), spoke on the radio: “Franz, thank you for three wonderful years. I learned a lot from you!”

And to top it all off, Verstappen said over the radio after his “doughnuts” (spinning wheels): “Let’s not forget what Franz Tost has achieved for many young drivers like me! Thank you.”

Source : Blick