As Yas Marina Circuit becomes the circuit which has hosted the most season-closing races, Verstappen could become the third driver to complete every racing lap in a single season and Mercedes power could score for the 300th race in a row. Here are the milestones and the records which could be broken at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix!
THE 2023 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX MILESTONES
The 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be the 1,101st World Championship event in Formula 1 history.
This will be the 15th time that Formula 1 has raced in United Arab Emirates. It will be the 15th Abu Dhabi Grand Prix held at Yas Marina Circuit since the event was first held in 2009.
This weekend, Yas Marina Circuit overtakes Adelaide as the circuit at which the most season-ending Formula 1 races have been held. This will be the 12th time that the season finale has been held in Abu Dhabi.
This will be the 12th time that the season finale has been held in the United Arab Emirates. The 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix sees the country equal the United States as the country to have held the most season-ending races in Formula 1.
With the Las Vegas Grand Prix having taken place last Saturday, the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be the first time that there has been eight days separating two races taking place since the 1966 Dutch Grand Prix, which followed eight days after the 1966 British Grand Prix.
At the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton will equal Graham Hill as the British driver with the second-longest Formula 1 career. Race day will mark 16 years, 8 months and 8 days since Hamilton’s first appearance at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix – the same amount of time between Hill’s first and last appearances at the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix and the 1975 Brazilian Grand Prix.
As Sebastian Vettel is not on the grid in 2023, Lewis Hamilton will become the only driver to have started every Formula 1 race held to date at Yas Marina Circuit. This will be Hamilton’s 15th appearance at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
This weekend, Charles Leclerc will overtake Rubens Barrichello for fifth in the list of most starts with Ferrari. Barrichello made 102 starts with the Scuderia during his career.
The 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be the second round of the World Championship to be held on November 26. The 2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is the only other race to have taken place on this date.
The 24th lap of the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be the 800th Grand Prix racing lap to take place at Yas Marina Circuit.
Unusually there are no drivers bidding farewell to Formula 1 at the end of the 2023 season. Logan Sargeant’s Williams drive for 2024 has not yet been confirmed but all 20 drivers are expected to continue with their current teams next year.
While no drivers are departing, this will be the final race for two team names. Alfa Romeo’s latest stint in Formula 1 comes to an end at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix having returned in 2019. The Swiss-based team will return to their Sauber name for 2024. Meanwhile, this is expected to be the final event at which the Red Bull junior team will be named AlphaTauri.
A RECORD-BREAKING END TO 2023 FOR VERSTAPPEN?
Another victory for Max Verstappen at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix would see him overtake Sebastian Vettel as the driver with the third most wins in Formula 1 history. The duo are currently tied on 53 Grand Prix wins apiece.
Verstappen is looking to win a seventh consecutive Grand Prix at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. If he does so, it would be only the sixth time in F1 history that a driver has won seven races in a row – and Verstappen would be the first driver to achieve the feat twice in a single season.
Max Verstappen could become the tenth driver to complete every race in a Formula 1 season at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. After Lando Norris’ retirement in Las Vegas, Verstappen is now the only driver to complete every race this year. Furthermore, if he completes every lap, he would become the third driver to have completed every Grand Prix lap in a season. The only other drivers to have done so are Michael Schumacher in 2002 and Lewis Hamilton in 2019.
Max Verstappen could secure his 12th pole position of the 2023 season at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. If he does so, he’ll make 2023 only the seventh season in which a driver has taken 12 poles. He’d be the sixth driver to achieve the feat, after Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.
If Max Verstappen leads every lap of the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, it would mark the 13th time that he’s led a race from start to end. That would see him equal Jim Clark for fourth on the list of most races led from start to finish.
If Vesrtappen leads 49 laps of the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, he will become the first driver to have led 1,000 laps in a single Formula 1 season.
A podium finish for Verstappen would be the 100th podium finish for a Dutch driver in Formula 1.
250th FERRARI POLE?
A pole position for Ferrari would see them become the first team to see their cars qualify on pole for 250 races in Formula 1.
Should Charles Leclerc or Carlos Sainz reach Q3 at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Ferrari would become the first team to record 600 Q3 appearances since the knockout qualifying system was introduced in 2006.
A pole position for Charles Leclerc would see him record his 24th pole with Ferrari. That would see him overtake Niki Lauda and become the driver to have taken the second-most poles with Ferrari in Formula 1.
Charles Leclerc has failed to convert all of his last 12 pole positions into wins. Should he take pole and fail to win again at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, he would equal the record for most successive poles without a win. Rene Arnoux currently holds the record, having failed to convert any of the first 13 poles of his career into victories.
If Charles Leclerc takes pole position and fails to win, it would be the 20th time that he has done so in his Formula 1 career. That would see him overtake Nelson Piquet for fifth in the list of most failed pole to win conversions.
THE FORMULA 1 RECORDS TO BREAK
Unless Mercedes win the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, 2023 will become the first season since 2011 in which the team has not won a Grand Prix. Meanwhile, if a Mercedes-powered car does not win, 2023 will become the first season since 2006 in which Mercedes has not powered any Grand Prix victories.
Should a Mercedes-powered car score in the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, this will be the 300th consecutive points-scoring race for Mercedes power. At least one Mercedes-powered car has finished in the points at every race since the 2008 Chinese Grand Prix.
A podium finish for Fernando Alonso would mark the Spaniard’s 107th top three finish in Formula 1. That would see him overtake Alain Prost for fourth place on F1’s all-time podium list.
A second or third place finish for Lando Norris would see him overtake Nick Heidfeld as the driver to have taken the most podiums without winning a Grand Prix. Norris has recorded 13 podium finishes so far in his career without winning a race.
At the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso became the first Formula 1 driver to finish 300 races in his career. If he reaches the chequered flag at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton will join Alonso in the newly-formed club.
Williams currently sit seventh in the Constructors’ Championship. Should they hold on to that position, it would mark their best championship result since finishing fifth in the 2017 season.
If Alex Albon out-qualifies Logan Sargeant at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, he would be the first driver to out-qualify his team-mate for every race in a single season since Max Verstappen out-qualified Albon at every race in 2020.
If Valtteri Bottas wins the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, it would be the second time that he has won the Yas Marina race on November 26. He also won the 2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 26. It would make it the 23rd time in F1 that a driver has won the same race on the same date twice. Read more: F1’s Groundhog Days.
A Q2 exit for Sergio Perez at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix would see him become the first driver to record 100 Q2 eliminations in his Formula 1 career.
At the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen joined Fernando Alonso as only the second driver to have won races from nine different grid positions. Either driver could become the first to win from ten different grid positions, while Lewis Hamilton could equal the existing record.
A front row start for Oscar Piastri at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix would make this the 100th Grand Prix at which an Australian driver has lined up on the front row of the grid.
Having already won the Saudi Arabian and Azerbaijan Grands Prix, one more victory for Sergio Perez in 2023 would make this the first season in which he has won three Grands Prix in a single year.
If Fernando Alonso wins any race this season, he will become the oldest driver to win a Grand Prix since Jack Brabham at the 1970 South African Grand Prix. Brabham won that race at the age of 43 years, 11 months and 5 days.
A fifth place finish for Fernando Alonso in the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix would see him equal Jenson Button for the most fifth place finishes in Formula 1. Button finished fifth on 27 occasions during his career.
A top ten finish for Nico Hulkenberg would make this the 100th race weekend at which he has scored points. That includes the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix, at which he only scored points in the Sprint.
2023 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX: RECORDS TO BREAK
Victory for Max Verstappen would see him extend the record for most consecutive wins at Yas Marina Circuit to four.
Mercedes and Red Bull are currently tied for most victories at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. A win for either team at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix would see them set a new outright record of seven wins at Yas Marina Circuit.
Mercedes currently hold the record for most podiums at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with 13. Red Bull could overtake their record this weekend, if both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez finish in the top three with no Mercedes drivers joining them on the podium.
If Lewis Hamilton sets the fastest lap of the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, he’ll equal Sebastian Vettel’s record of four fastest laps at Yas Marina Circuit.
Should Lewis Hamilton pick up points at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, he’ll overtake Sebastian Vettel as the driver to have scored on the most occasions at Yas Marina Circuit. The duo are currently tied on 11 points-scoring appearances each at the track.
If Mercedes score 32 points this weekend, they’ll become the first team to have scored 400 points at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Should Lewis Hamilton reach Lap 20 of the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, he’ll overtake Sebastian Vettel as the driver to have completed the most racing laps at Yas Marina Circuit. Hamilton has raced 702 laps here, compared to Vettel’s 721.
Britain could extend the record of most wins for a nation at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to six. Their record could be equalled by Germany.
Lando Norris will be looking to maintain his 100% points-scoring rate at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Norris has scored on all four appearances to date at the track. If he scores again this weekend, he’ll become only the second driver – after Felipe Massa – to pick up points on all of his first five visits to Yas Marina Circuit.
If Max Verstappen crosses the finish line, he’ll overtake Felipe Massa as the driver to have made the most Abu Dhabi Grand Prix appearances without recording a retirement. This will be Verstappen’s ninth start at Yas Marina Circuit.
A retirement for Lewis Hamilton would see him set a new outright record for most retirements at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He’s currently tied for the record with Kimi Raikkonen, having retired three times. Sergio Perez, Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg could equal the existing unwanted record.
Nico Hulkenberg is the only driver to have retired on the first lap at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix twice. Another first lap retirement this weekend would see him be the first to record three first lap DNFs at the track.
Pastor Maldonado, Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez and Nicholas Latifi are the only drivers to record consecutive retirements at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton could join the list at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
2023 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX: QUALIFYING RECORDS
Max Verstappen has taken pole at all of the last three Abu Dhabi Grands Prix. Another pole this weekend would see him extend the record for most consecutive poles at Yas Marina Circuit to four.
As well as being tied for most wins, Mercedes and Red Bull are also currently tied for most pole positions at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. A pole for either team at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix would be a new outright record of seven poles at Yas Marina Circuit.
Pole position for Nico Hulkenberg would see Germany equal Britain as the nation with the most poles at Yas Marina Circuit. Britain could extend the record to six poles at the track.
Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris will all be hoping to maintain their 100% Q3 appearance record at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
A Q2 exit for Fernando Alonso would see him equal Sergio Perez’s record tally of Q2 eliminations at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Perez could extend the record to seven Q2 exits at the track.
If they’re out in Q1, George Russell, Pierre Gasly and Kevin Magnussen will equal Romain Grosjean’s record of four Q1 eliminations at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
HAMILTON SEARCHES FOR FIRST VICTORY SINCE 2021
Victory for Lewis Hamilton would see car number 44 equal car number 2 as the car number to have taken the third most wins in Formula 1.
A victory for Lewis Hamilton at any race in 2023 would see him move into the top 20 of the oldest drivers to win a Grand Prix in Formula 1. He would overtake Damon Hill as the third-oldest British driver to have won a Grand Prix.
If Lewis Hamilton wins any race this year, he’ll overtake Kimi Raikkonen as the driver to have had the longest gap between his first and last Grand Prix victories. He’d also be the first driver to have won after the 300th race of his career. Fernando Alonso would break the record if he were to take victory.
A victory for Lewis Hamilton would make him the first driver to have won in 16 different Formula 1 seasons. 2022 is the only season during his career in which Hamilton has not taken a victory.
WILL MERCEDES BE IN THE FIGHT?
A victory for Mercedes would make 2023 the 12th consecutive season in which the team has won a race. They would be only the third team to win in 12 consecutive seasons, after Ferrari (1994-2013) and McLaren (1981-1993).
Victory for a Mercedes-powered car would see them become only the third engine manufacturer to have won in 17 consecutive Formula 1 seasons. The only other manufacturers to have done so are Ferrari (20 seasons, between 1994-2013) and Ford Cosworth (17 seasons, between 1967-1983).
If three Mercedes-powered cars finish on the podium, Mercedes will equal Renault’s record tally of seventeen podium lockouts for an engine manufacturer.
