MOTORSPORT
Damien Smith
RACING LINES
Verstappen took lead and scarpered – the story of the F1 season
Sealing its status as best of the rest could only be bittersweet for Mercedes-AMG as Formula 1 wrapped up its 2023 season in Abu Dhabi.
Beating Ferrari to second in the constructors’ table by just three points certainly mattered – to the tune of $10 million in prize money, for a start. But for a team that won eight consecutive titles between 2014 and 2021, this marked a second consecutive desperately underwhelming season.
Red Bull won 21 of the 22 grands prix to rack up a record tally of 860 points, 575 of which were scored by Max Verstappen alone. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell together managed 409, so Sergio Pérez’s contribution wasn’t even needed. That’s anew level of devastating domination.