One more than Vettel: Verstappen aims for 54th career victory
The last 306.183 race kilometers of the 2023 Formula 1 year are coming up. The fact that Max Verstappen could have successfully taken on Mercedes or Ferrari alone in the battle for the constructors' title this year says almost everything about the season.
In Abu Dhabi, where the turning point came in the controversial and dramatic World Championship final two years ago, the Dutchman can overtake Sebastian Vettel in the all-time winners' list. With the pole, he has already put himself in a perfect position.
The runner-up in a league of his own
Verstappen has won 18 of the 21 races so far this year, taking him to a total of 53 Grand Prix victories. Former driver Sebastian Vettel achieved just as many in his entire career until his retirement just under a year ago. If Verstappen also wins the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this Sunday (14:00 CET/Sky), he will be sole third in the ranking of drivers with the most victories. Only Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton (103) and seven-time champion Michael Schumacher (91), like the Briton, have been more successful.
This could be Red Bull's 21st victory in the 22nd race this year. Sergio Pérez, who also secured second place in the world championship standings behind Verstappen last Sunday, had achieved two more for the team.
The team is also already Constructors' World Champion. Only once this year has someone else won: Carlos Sainz of Ferrari in Singapore. "Let the trumpets sound," wrote La Repubblica afterwards.
The last chance for Mercedes
Hamilton has been waiting two years for a victory, while it has been over a year for his team-mate George Russell. Mercedes has been trailing Red Bull since the dramatic finale in Abu Dhabi in 2021. The concept of the car was changed significantly again this season and personnel were replaced. Hope arose here and there. But there were always setbacks that were almost inexplicable for those responsible.
At the end of the season, things were not going well again, especially for Hamilton. The 38-year-old Formula 1 superstar, for whom the fans and VIPs in the paddock stand in line when he walks the few meters from the team's accommodation to the garage, did not even make it into the top ten in qualifying. If there had been any mini-hope for his first victory since December 5, 2021 in Saudi Arabia, it is likely to be gone with eleventh place on the grid and the once again outstanding Verstappen.
Since the Silver Arrows returned for the season, they have only gone two seasons without a single Grand Prix win. That was in the formative years of 2010 and 2011, followed by 116 victories to date. Whether the 117th in the new Mercedes era will come this year remains doubtful. Team boss Toto Wolff said at one of the low points this year: "This car doesn't deserve to win." More than the fight for second place in the team standings is not possible - but Ferrari is only four points behind.
In the upcoming GP Abu Dhabi, Max Verstappen has the opportunity to surpass Sebastian Vettel's number of Formula 1 victories, currently at 53. With another win in Abu Dhabi, Verstappen will secure the third position in the all-time winners' list, leaving Vettel behind.
As the race approaches, both Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel are set to make history in the world of Motorsport, particularly in the prestigious Formula 1 category, with Verstappen aiming for his 54th career victory in Abu Dhabi.
Source: www.dpa.com
