FACTS AND STATS: Verstappen becomes first driver in history to lead 1,000 laps in a season

Anyone thinking Max Verstappen was going to lift off the gas at the season finale in Abu Dhabi was left sorely disappointed. Instead the world champion dominated proceedings to end a record-breaking year with – suitably enough – yet more records…

• Verstappen won in Abu Dhabi for the fourth year in a row – he had never previously won four consecutive races at the same track.

• Verstappen’s 54th career win means he surpasses Sebastian Vettel for third on the all-time win list, behind only Michael Schumacher’s 91 and Lewis Hamilton’s 103.

REPORT: Verstappen beats Leclerc to victory in Abu Dhabi to end record-breaking year on top

• Verstappen ends the year with records for the most single-season wins (19), most consecutive race wins (10), most podium finishes (21), highest points total (575) and largest championship-winning margin (290).

• Verstappen's 11th hat-trick weekend (win, pole position and fastest lap) ties him with Jim Clark, with only Hamilton (19) and Schumacher (22) on more.

• Verstappen today became the first driver in history to surpass 1,000 laps led in a single season.

• Verstappen’s 1,003 laps led this season exactly equals the total led by McLaren in their 1988 season with Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.

• Verstappen was the only driver to complete every racing lap in the 2023 season.

• Red Bull will begin the 2024 season only one win behind Williams (113-114) for fourth on the all-time win list.

READ MORE: ‘Emotional’ Verstappen praises Red Bull for ‘incredible season’ after scoring 19th win of the year in Abu Dhabi

• Charles Leclerc finished second behind Verstappen in Abu Dhabi for the second consecutive year.

• Leclerc is now winless in three of his last four seasons with Ferrari.

• George Russell took his second podium finish of the season (both third places).

• Russell’s result helped Mercedes clinch second in the constructors' championship by three points over Ferrari.

• Sergio Perez was classified in P4 for Red Bull after he lost positions following the chequered flag because of a five-second time penalty (he also lost positions on the final lap of the previous two races).

• After taking P5 for McLaren, Lando Norris finishes sixth in the drivers’ championship, one point away from finishing fourth.

• With Oscar Piastri adding to their points tally with P6, McLaren finish fourth in the constructors' championship, one place up on 2022.

• Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso took P7 and finishes fourth in the drivers’ championship, his first top-five finish since being runner-up in 2012-13.

• AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda finished in P8 and led a Grand Prix for the first time, becoming only the second Japanese driver to do so after Takuma Sato at the Nurburgring in 2004.

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• Hamilton finished in P9, meaning he has only scored two points at Yas Marina in the last two years.

• Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll finished P10 in the race and P10 in the drivers' championship.

• This was the first season-ending race ever to end without a single retirement.

• There are 97 days until the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix.