It's the most repeated question after the end of the season: who could be the surprise team of 2024? Will anyone manage to challenge the Milton Keynes team or even surpass it?

The Dutchman left no margin for error in the final race of the 2023 season to end a record-breaking season on a high. Mercedes secured second place in the Constructors' Championship after a close battle with Ferrari down to the last moment.

The battle between Ferrari and Mercedes for second place in the Constructors' Championship will come to a finale at Yas Marina on Sunday, as will the battle between Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso for fourth place in the Drivers' Championship.

The Dutch national anthem also rang out in Las Vegas as Max Verstappen took his 18th win of the season, with Leclerc finishing second after a last-lap battle with Checo Pérez.

The Scuderia is back in action with a flawless qualifying from both drivers. Leclerc takes pole ahead of Sainz, who moves up from second to eleventh following the FIA penalty for the FP1 incident.

The sight of another champion like Lewis Hamilton in the rear-view mirror in the closing laps was not enough to stop the Dutchman from taking another victory, the 50th of his F1 career.

The Dutchman has been dominant throughout the season and today’s second place in the sprint race made him the Formula One World Champion for the third year in a row.

Max secures pole position and can be crowned champion as early as the sprint race. Alonso will start fourth and Sainz twelfth on the grid at a circuit that tests drivers’ endurance in extreme weather conditions.