Emotional Verstappen fires first 2024 warning shot after Abu Dhabi win

Max Verstappen has fired the first shot of the 2024 season after rounding out a crushing 2023 campaign with a 19th win of the season in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

From pole position, the Dutchman was untroubled after seeing off Charles Leclerc's advances, and eased away to a fourth straight Abu Dhabi win.

The win moved him past Sebastian Vettel and into third place on the all-time wins list, ending with 575 points from the season.

Despite the success, Verstappen has warned the field that Red Bull is working hard for 2024 to maintain its advantage as it looks to defend its titles for a third time.

"It has been an incredible season, it was a bit emotional on the last lap, knowing it was the last time I was sitting in the car which has given me a lot," Verstappen explained.

"I'm very proud to win, and I have to say a big thank you to everyone at Red Bull, it has been an incredible year.

"It will be hard to do something similar again, but we definitely enjoyed this year.

"We always want to do better, but sometimes the better is not always race wins and the championship, but we are working hard for next year to have a competitive car.

"For sure all the others teams want to try and beat us next year, and we are ready for the battle."