Which Formula 1 driver made the most of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend?
It’s time to give your verdict on which driver did the best with the equipment at their disposal over the last three days.
Review how each driver got on below and vote for who impressed you the most at Yas Marina.
Driver performance summary
| Driver | Q stage | Q pos. | Q gap to team mate | GP grid pos. | GP pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Verstappen | Q3 | 1 | -0.726s | 1 | 1 |
| Sergio Perez | Q3 | 9 | +0.726s | 9 | 4 |
| Charles Leclerc | Q3 | 2 | -0.279s | 2 | 2 |
| Carlos Sainz Jnr | Q1 | 16 | +0.279s | 16 | 18 |
| Lewis Hamilton | Q2 | 11 | +0.346s | 11 | 9 |
| George Russell | Q3 | 4 | -0.346s | 4 | 3 |
| Esteban Ocon | Q2 | 12 | +0.313s | 12 | 12 |
| Pierre Gasly | Q3 | 10 | -0.313s | 10 | 13 |
| Lando Norris | Q3 | 5 | +0.034s | 5 | 5 |
| Oscar Piastri | Q3 | 3 | -0.034s | 3 | 6 |
| Valtteri Bottas | Q1 | 18 | -0.371s | 18 | 19 |
| Zhou Guanyu | Q1 | 19 | +0.371s | 19 | 17 |
| Lance Stroll | Q2 | 13 | +0.291s | 13 | 10 |
| Fernando Alonso | Q3 | 7 | -0.291s | 7 | 7 |
| Kevin Magnussen | Q1 | 17 | +0.339s | 17 | 20 |
| Nico Hulkenberg | Q3 | 8 | -0.339s | 8 | 15 |
| Daniel Ricciardo | Q2 | 15 | +0.235s | 15 | 11 |
| Yuki Tsunoda | Q3 | 6 | -0.235s | 6 | 8 |
| Alexander Albon | Q2 | 14 | 14 | 14 | |
| Logan Sargeant | Q1 | 20 | 20 | 16 |
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Vote for your driver of the weekend
Which driver do you think did the best job throughout the race weekend?
Who got the most out of their car in qualifying and the race? Who put their team mate in the shade?
Cast your vote below and explain why you chose the driver you picked in the comments.
Who was the best driver of the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend?
- No opinion (0%)
- Logan Sargeant (0%)
- Alexander Albon (1%)
- Yuki Tsunoda (32%)
- Daniel Ricciardo (0%)
- Kevin Magnussen (0%)
- Nico Hulkenberg (0%)
- Fernando Alonso (6%)
- Lance Stroll (0%)
- Guanyu Zhou (0%)
- Valtteri Bottas (0%)
- Oscar Piastri (0%)
- Lando Norris (0%)
- Pierre Gasly (0%)
- Esteban Ocon (0%)
- George Russell (9%)
- Lewis Hamilton (1%)
- Carlos Sainz Jnr (0%)
- Charles Leclerc (26%)
- Sergio Perez (1%)
- Max Verstappen (24%)
Total Voters: 82
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2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
- Mercedes’ team photo shows we still have a long way to go on diversity – Hamilton
- Why luck was a factor in Perez’s penalty for “joke” comment
- Bottas and Zhou see encouraging signs from overhauled 2024 car
- Only Verstappen got the best from his car every weekend, rival team bosses admit
- How Sainz suffered the worst season finale for a driver since Schumacher in 1997
Debates and polls
- Poll: Are Briatore or Symonds welcome in F1 so long after Crashgate?
- Doohan out, Colapinto in: Have Alpine made the right call?
- Which penalty calls did the stewards get right – or wrong – over the first five rounds?
- Should Mercedes re-sign Russell for 2026 – even if it leaves no room for Verstappen?
- Vote for your 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix Driver of the Weekend
Roth Man (@rdotquestionmark)
26th November 2023, 14:56
Don’t often vote for Max (unfairly) because dominance is his default. But he gets my vote for perfectly executed doughnuts and the the greatest season I’ve ever seen a driver deliver. And he dominated the weekend.
melanos
26th November 2023, 15:46
Very boring race from him after the first-lap tug with Charles, but hard to think of any other for DOTW. Charles was not bad. and Yuki was not really that great, but better than most people’s expectations, and that goes a long way.
Moshambles (@moshambles)
26th November 2023, 16:37
Have to agree. Exceptional campaign from Verstappen. Made it look easy
Keith Campbell (@keithedin)
26th November 2023, 15:04
I think Tsunoda did a great job with a probably suboptimal strategy. I was watching his lap times through the final stint, and he was very consistent and managed to keep those tyres in good shape to the end. I thought he would get eaten up by all the two stoppers and finish out of the points, but in the end he did enough to maintain the pace and re-pass Hamilton on the last lap. Stellar weekend for him.
melanos
26th November 2023, 15:48
Have mercy on the senescent turtle
Keith Campbell (@keithedin)
26th November 2023, 17:42
I mean, I’d have the two oldest drivers on the grid in my top 3 drivers of the season, so I don’t think anyone needs to have mercy on them just yet.
Jere (@jerejj)
26th November 2023, 15:13
DOTW & DOTD: TSU
dutchtreat (@dutchtreat)
26th November 2023, 15:27
Tsunoda is getting better race by race. Wouldn’t mind see him replace Perez.
melanos
26th November 2023, 15:42
Best: Sir for the biggest and boldest lie in F1 since Melbourne 2009 (Well, the FIA said “deliberately misleading”, not “lying” but it cost Sir Pants-on-Fire a DSQ all the same.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
26th November 2023, 15:53
Everyone did pretty much as I expected today except for two people.
Lewis just seemed either totally disinterested or back to his old sulking ways from years ago.
Yuki however raised his game brilliantly.
Go Yuki :)
notagrumpyfan
26th November 2023, 17:21
That’s probably the biggest shortfall of this poll (and to some extent the ratings).
We tend to rate drivers against our expectations of them, rather than unbiased against the other 19 drivers and excluding the strength of the car.
Moshambles (@moshambles)
26th November 2023, 16:35
Good sowing from Yuki. He still needs a more consistent season to justify his position in F1.
melanos
26th November 2023, 16:41
Sowing?? well I hope the seeds grow healthily
RR
26th November 2023, 17:08
Russell is far from my ideal driver, but today he was crucial in ensuring Merc take second in the championship.