Max Verstappen Extends F1 Winning Record After Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Bring on 2023!

Max Verstappen went into the last race of the year with a big advantage. He took Pole Position during qualifying on Saturday, and we've all seen how strong he is when starting from P1. Except for the Austrian Grand Prix, he has won every other race when starting from Pole this season.

So chances were that the same scenario would repeat itself for the final round at Yas Marina Circuit. This last race wouldn't be nearly as exciting or dramatic as the final in 2021, but it still provided about 90 minutes of excitement for hardcore F1 fans.

Even though it felt like he wasn't pushing as hard, as usual, the Dutchman still won the race after about an hour and 27 minutes since it all started. He was relatively unphased by what went on behind him, as he managed to extend his F1 record of most wins recorded in a season.

He had previously been featured on that list, tied with Lewis Hamilton with 10 victories each. But now he is the absolute leader with 15 such accomplishments in one year, which is more than what Michael Schumacher or Sebastian Vettel have ever managed to achieve during their careers.

We haven't seen an F1 driver reach this level of dominance in the championship since Sebastian Vettel won the title in 2013, 155 points ahead of Fernando Alonso. For 2022, the gap between P1 and P2 is set at 146 points. And it's Ferrari's ace driver Charles Leclerc that managed to finish second overall this season, after successfully fending off Perez's attacks in Abu Dhabi.

With three victories and nine Poles, this is Leclerc's most successful year in Formula One. And it also marks Ferrari's return to the top, as Sebastian Vettel was the last driver to finish this high up in the rankings back in 2018. Still, it's somewhat shocking to think that the Italian Squad hasn't won the World Championship since 2007.

Sergio Perez came inches from finishing second in the series this year, but P3 is still his best career result so far. Still, after 12 years in F1, it's difficult to believe that there's still a chance for him to become World Champion at this point. One of the most interesting duels in yesterday's race was the one between Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz.

Hamilton overtook the Spaniard early on, but the roles were soon reversed. And they would keep on chasing each other throughout the whole event, at least until the former World Champion had to retire due to a technical malfunction. At that point, it became clear that Ferrari would finish P2 in the Constructors Championship, with Mercedes having to settle for third.

Even though Sainz finished the race ahead of Russell, the Britton would still retain his fourth-place finish at the end of the year. 2022 has been a huge leap forward for him, seeing that he finished P15 in 2021 with Williams. By all means, there's a good chance that he will be the next big F1 star, fighting to bring the Silver Arrows another title.

Lando Norris and Esteban Ocon crossed the finish line at the Abu Dhabi GP in P6 and P7, and they've been at it all year. They are seventh and eighth in the championship rankings, but it's difficult to say if they will be able to outshine Lewis Hamilton in 2023. Even though this year is officially over, teams will be testing at Yas Marina this week. And we'll get to see some new faces in the paddock, before the long winter break.