NOVEMBER 29, 2023
Sunday, November 26, 2023 at 01:03PM 
Max Verstappen (No. 1 Oracle Red Bull Racing) dominated Sunday evening’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from the pole, making it 19 wins across 22 races in what has been a remarkable year for the Dutchman and his Red Bull team. Verstappen defended from Charles Leclerc (No. 16 Scuderia Ferrari) on the run to the first corner and across the first lap before cementing his lead and gradually pulling clear, taking the checkered flag comfortably ahead of the chasing pack as the sun set on the 2023 campaign. Sergio Perez (No. 11 Oracle Red Bull Racing) crossed the line in second position, but a five-second time penalty for a clash with Lando Norris (No. 4 McLaren Formula 1 Team) demoted him to fourth when the results were confirmed, leaving Leclerc second and George Russell (No. 63 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team) third. Watch the Race Highlights here. (Thank you to Formula1.com)
Francesco Bagnaia (No. 1 Ducati Lenovo Team) is the 2023 MotoGP™ World Champion! Becoming the first rider to successfully defend the #1 plate since Mick Doohan, Bagnaia has also become the first rider to take back-to-back premier class crowns since Marc Marquez in 2019. And he rounded it off in style, taking his seventh win and 15th podium of the season in Valencia as drama hit for sole remaining rival Jorge Martin (No. 89 Prima Pramac Racing). Fittingly, the early stages of the Grand Prix race saw the two contenders locked together at the front, before drama then hit for Martin as he ran on into Turn 1, having been right on Pecco's tail. He got back on track down in P8 and then tried a fight back, but it wasn't to be as he then crashed out after colliding with Marc Marquez (No. 93 Repsol Honda Team). At the front, Bagnaia had his own battle still to fight, despite becoming Champion by default after Martin's crash. After a tense final lap he just held off Fabio Di Giannantonio (No. 49 Gresini Racing MotoGP™) on the drag to the line, signing off the season with a win and becoming the Champion of our 75th season of racing. Watch the MotoGP Extended Race Highlights from Motorsports on NBC here. (Thank you to MotoGP.com)
Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG