The battle for first place in the Drivers and Constructors Championship was a bit of a snooze this season thanks to the dominance of Verstappen and Red Bull Racing’s RB19, but that doesn’t mean that the Formula 1 campaign wasn’t at all successful and entertaining.
This season was filled with midfield skirmishes and reality-show-worthy storylines that would catch the attention of even the most casual of fans. Herculean efforts from drivers like Fernando Alonso and Lando Norris took their teams into contention, and overtakes on the Las Vegas Strip all garnered special mentions in this list.
So join SBOTOP and take a trip down memory lane to relive what was a spectacular season of Formula 1.
Driver of the year: Max Verstappen
No surprises here. Max Verstappen is the best Formula 1 driver in the world, and it’s not even close.
The Dutchman ends his historic season with a handful of records. He managed to record the most single-season wins (19), most consecutive race wins (10), most podium finishes (21), highest point total (575), and largest championship winning margin (290). It’s hard to fathom that a 26-year-old managed to accomplish a full career’s worth of achievements all in one season.
After winning his third world championship this season, Mad Max cemented his place among the racing greats alongside Lewis Hamilton, Juan Manuel Fangio, Sebastian Vettel, and Michael Schumacher as the only drivers in the sport’s history to win three consecutive driver’s championships.
Verstappen claimed his third World Drivers’ Championship title in Qatar, but he kept his foot on the gas up until the last checkered flag of the season was waived. Max finished the 2023 driver standings in a league of his own with a staggering 575 points, 290 points ahead of second-place Sergio Perez, who is also a Red Bull Racing driver.
Team of the year: Red Bull Racing
Yup, you guessed it. Constructor of the Year goes to Red Bull Racing for building a rocket ship leaps and bounds ahead of any other car on the paddock. Max and Checo finishing first and second in the driver standings just shows how dominant the RB19 is.
“But this one has definitely been my best year for consecutive wins and stuff like that, the car itself has probably been in the best shape as well.” Red Bull driver Verstappen boasted to the media.
The fastest driver behind the wheel of the fastest car is one heck of a combo, and with a proven principal in Christian Horner and a world-class crew in the Red Bull Racing garage, winning should be as close to a sure thing as possible. They were the Formula 2023 favourites all season long for a reason.
Horner and his team clinched the 2023 Formula 1 constructors’ championship after winning the Japanese Grand Prix. Winning the whole shebang as early as Suzuka just proves that no other team can truly rival Red Bull on the track.
Race of the year: Las Vegas Grand Prix
One of the very few times a driver and his car truly gave Red Bull a proper challenge was when Charles Leclerc and his scarlet Ferrari posed a legitimate threat to Max and Checo in the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
It was an unfamiliar sight for F1 fans all over the world when a proper dogfight for the lead transpired in the last few laps of the race. Fans, including myself, have become accustomed to the sight of Max leading the race by 20+ seconds, while the midfield will be where most of the action is. But the Las Vegas Grand Prix spoiled us with a Max Verstappen driving and overtaking masterclass, which only happens once in a blue moon.
Not only did the Las Vegas Grand Prix give us a thrilling race, it was also full of drama and headlined the Formula 1 2023 news in the most bizarre way. Thanks to the Sainz practice debacle, the Leclerc pole, the Norris crash, and the sweaty last laps, the Las Vegas Grand Prix is undoubtedly the race of the year on this list.
Best surprises of the season: Lando Norris & Fernando Alonso
These two drivers are the epitome of getting more than what the car can give. Both Norris and Alonso have been driving way above their cars’ capabilities, overcame adversities, and ended the season with a bang.
Lando Norris and the whole McLaren team were struggling at the beginning of the season. McLaren had already admitted they had failed to meet pre-season aerodynamic targets, which in turn cost them a slow start and failed to provide their star driver, Lando Norris, with a proper car to compete with.
But they did eventually improve on the MCL60 and found themselves in contention as both Norris and Piastri fully sent their new and improved rocket ship, landing them multiple podiums all throughout the middle and latter part of the season.
Norris made it clear that he is one of the most talented drivers on the grid, having seven podium finishes this season alone. Although he has yet to garner his first ever race win, with his current trajectory, it’s only a matter of time until he finds himself atop the highest level of the podium.
Meanwhile, at Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso did Fernando Alonso things and single-handedly carried his team to fifth place in the constructor standings. The 42-year-old finished the season fourth with 234 points in the driver standings, only 28 points behind Lewis Hamilton.
The Spanish legend was evidently not on the same tier as his teammate Lance Stroll, who was able to score only 74 points to his name. But even though Alonso had to carry the load all by himself, he was still able to put Aston Martin in a respectable place in the standings at fifth, only 22 points behind fourth-place McLaren.
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