President Sheikh Mohamed joined thousands of race fans at Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday as the Formula One season hit the finishing line at the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/f1/2023/11/26/max-verstappen-triumphs-at-season-ending-abu-dhabi-grand-prix/" target="_blank">Abu Dhabi Grand Prix</a>. <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/sheikh-mohamed-bin-zayed/" target="_blank">Sheikh Mohamed</a> enjoyed the sporting spectacle alongside a high-level delegation which included Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/abu-dhabi/" target="_blank">Abu Dhabi</a>, and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai The showpiece event has been part of the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/weekend/2023/11/24/timeframe-looking-through-the-rear-view-mirror-at-abu-dhabis-first-grand-prix/" target="_blank">F1 calendar since 2009</a> and played host to one of the sport's greatest title showdowns in 2021, when <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/f1/2022/11/17/one-year-on-and-f1-still-haunted-by-ghosts-of-abu-dhabi/" target="_blank">Max Verstappen</a> clinched his first drivers' championship with a remarkable last-lap victory over Britain's Lewis Hamilton, who was aiming to become the first man to secure eight world titles. Dutch star <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/f1/2023/11/25/abu-dhabi-f1-2023-live/" target="_blank">Verstappen</a> - who sealed his third consecutive title in Qatar last month - ended up on top of the podium once again in the UAE capital after earning a record-extending 19th victory in the 22-race season. The Red Bull driver held off Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who was runner-up, third-placed Mercedes driver George Russell and teammate Sergio Perez, who carved his way up from a relatively modest position early on in the race to finish fourth. After the 2023 season reached its finale in the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/uae/" target="_blank">UAE</a>, the next F1 campaign will kick into high gear in the Middle East with a pair of Saturday night races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia on March 2 and 9.