2023 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix highlights

Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team

P3 and P9 for George and Lewis at Yas Marina Circuit means the Team secures P2 in the Constructor’s Championship.

George Russell finished third, and Lewis Hamilton ninth in an incredibly tense final race of the season. The Team opted for a two-stop strategy for both drivers and focused on tyre management in the early stage of the race. George lost one position at the start, while Lewis gained three. On their new tyres, both were showing strong pace. The battle for P2 in the Constructors’ Championship was incredibly close, but the Team managed to secure P2 ahead of Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton

I’m happy for the Team that we’ve managed to secure P2 in the Constructor’s Championship, and it was a great effort by the Team at the track and both in Brackley and Brixworth. But we’re not where we want to be yet. We want to compete for the championship and race wins, and this weekend showed that we need to dig deep and work hard during the winter to get back to where we want to be and come back more decisive next year. I hope everyone at the factory is happy with the result today, and I’m grateful for all the hard work the Team has put into this season. It’s been a long and tough year for us.

George Russell

Today’s result means a considerable amount, and I’m pleased we’ve secured P2 for the Team. So many people back at the factory in Brackley and Brixworth have worked so hard to achieve this. It’s been a challenging season for us. I’ve let the side down several times this year, so I’m pleased to bring it across the line today. It was intense at the end and so close to Perez. His pace was just incredible. I thought Charles would back me up, but I respect him for keeping it clean. I’m happy to end the season this way with a podium.

Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO

It was a fight for P2 in the Constructor’s Championship up until the very end and so close, and today feels like we’ve won. George’s driving was exceptional, and Charles showed actual sportsman-like behaviour, not trying to slow down—two great teams and brands that fought until the end. The fight for P2 in the Constructor, in a way, was so positive for us and a massive reward for the whole Team to be vice-champion, but it’s also a big motivation to do better next year, and that’s what we will focus on now. We have so many good things in the pipeline, so many new things and with all the learning we had, I am in an excellent place to see what’s coming together. We’ve got to take the momentum from the third place here, P2 in the championship and then take that into the factories. We’re vice-champions, and that’s a good one to take home – we got to reach for the stars, and that’s going to happen, I promise.

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

We were done to everyone in Brackley and Brixworth for securing P2 in the championship. It’s not our ultimate goal, but we started this year in a challenging position with a lot of work to do. The Team and the drivers have dug in and stuck together, and it’s some consolation that we have at least come out of it better than the rest. The race was tough; we had 58 laps of not knowing which way it would go, and in the end, it was down to the finest of margins. The strategy group did a brilliant job of staying calm, making aggressive decisions on the undercuts and ensuring we’d done enough by the chequered flag. We had a one-on-one pitstop race with McLaren at the first stop, and coming out ahead in that was a big part of ending up close enough to Leclerc to score the points needed, so that was a crucial moment. Finishing the season ahead of Ferrari is nice, but we’re under no illusion that the gap ahead is large, and the whole Team is focused on closing it down. We will work hard ahead of next season and do our best to make that happen.

Mercedes-AMG F1 Team best pictures:

2023 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Thursday – LAT Images

2023 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Thursday – LAT Images

2023 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Thursday – LAT Images

2023 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Thursday – Steve Etherington

2023 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Friday – LAT Images

2023 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Sunday – Sebastian Kawka

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