A week after the culmination of the 2023 F1 season, we take a look back and hand out our awards from a year dominated by one driver…
Driver of the Year – Max Verstappen
Embed from Getty ImagesIt couldn’t be anyone else, could it? Max Verstappen put together the greatest season in F1 history, smashing record after record as the weeks went on.
The Red Bull driver won only two of the opening four races and looked to be in a title battle with teammate Sergio Perez, but the Dutchman won every single remaining race bar one to clinch the title by an incredible 290 points.
Whilst he was in by far the best car, his dominance over his teammate underlines what a special season it was, and how his superiority was down to more than just his machinery.
He secured his third world championship in a row in Qatar, and few would bet against him winning a fourth next year.
Full list of records broken by Verstappen in 2023:
Most wins: 19
Most podiums: 21
Most points: 575
Biggest winning margin: 290 points
Most laps led: 1,003
Highest % laps led: 75.7
Most wins from pole: 12
Most consecutive wins: 10
Most hat-tricks (pole, win, fastest lap): 6
Team of the Year – Red Bull
Embed from Getty ImagesRed Bull dominated the 2023 season. They became only the second team in history to win every race except one, following McLaren in 1988 who won the 15/16 Grand Prix.
The Austrian team never really looked like losing any of the 21 races they won, with Singapore the only black mark on an otherwise exemplary year.
They will be favourites again next term, especially with three-time champion Verstappen at the helm, but Christian Horner’s team will have to go a long way to match their near-perfect 2023.
Rookie of the Year – Oscar Piastri
Embed from Getty ImagesOscar Piastri enjoyed a fantastic debut year in the sport, with the Australian putting together arguably the best rookie season since Lewis Hamilton in 2007.
Piastri struggled early on in 2023, largely due to his McLaren’s lack of pace and reliability, but the British team returned to form at the British Grand Prix, with the rookie qualifying third, just behind teammate Lando Norris, and finishing the race in fourth.
He secured his maiden podium with a third-place finish in Japan and enjoyed victory in the sprint race in Qatar, fending off a challenge from world champion Verstappen, before securing second place in the race itself. The former Alpine reserve driver will be looking to build on his ninth-place finish in the championship next term.
Surprise of the year – Aston Martin
Embed from Getty ImagesAston Martin endured a disappointing 2022 season, scoring only 55 points and finishing seventh in the championship. Expectations for 2023 were not high, although the signing of Fernando Alonso, who replaced the retiring Sebastian Vettel, did ignite hope they could at least improve on last term.
The British team defied all expectations when Alonso secured six podiums in the first eight races, with Aston’s car proving to be the second quickest on the grid, at least for the first half of the year.
While teammate Lance Stroll could only manage a highest finish of fourth, Alonso secured eight podiums across the year, which was enough to secure him fourth place in the championship.
The team struggled somewhat in the second half of the year but still managed to rack up 280 points and a fifth-place finish in the constructors’ standings, far beyond what people had predicted before the season began.
Disappointment of The Year – George Russell
Embed from Getty ImagesGeorge Russell endured a terrible 2023. Whilst his Mercedes car was a long way off the pace set by Red Bull, the team were still able to secure second place in the standings. This was largely down to Lewis Hamilton, who scored six podiums, earning him third place in the championship.
Comparatively, Russell could only manage eight, with just two third-place finishes to his name in terms of podiums, with one of those coming in the final race in Abu Dhabi.
The Brit scored 59 points less than his teammate, and his season was summed up by a crash all of his own making in Singapore whilst challenging for a spot on the podium.
race of the year – Las Vegas
Embed from Getty ImagesDespite a season in which one driver dominated, there were several candidates for race of the year.
Australia, which saw three red flags and plenty of drama, Singapore, in which Carlos Sainz became the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race this year, and both Monaco and the Netherlands, which both saw Fernando Alonso narrowly miss out on beating Max Verstappen to victory, were all strong candidates.
The race of the year however goes to Las Vegas. Whilst the event had its fair share of problems, including a cancelled practice session, expensive tickets and limited fan access, the race itself was thrilling from start to finish.
Verstappen came out on top, as he had in almost every race this season, but he was challenged by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with the pair having several thrilling duels, before he overtook Red Bull’s Sergio Perez on the final lap to secure second. Vegas delivered when it mattered most.
Qualifying of the year – Monaco
Embed from Getty ImagesLewis Hamilton’s incredible lap in Hungary, which snatched pole position from Verstappen, deserves a mention, but qualifying of the year has to go to Monaco.
Verstappen produced one of his greatest-ever laps, brushing the wall on his way to the finish line as he pipped Alonso to pole position by just 0.084 seconds. An incredible performance from an incredible driver.
Performance of the year – Max Verstappen in the Netherlands
Embed from Getty ImagesAnother award goes the way of the world champion, Verstappen’s sensational display in his home Grand Prix secures him the performance of the year.
Verstappen battled rain and a red flag to secure victory, holding off Fernando Alonso in a thrilling last stint having battled through the pack after dropping down to fourth earlier in the race.
It was a display of superiority which summed up his season; even when under immense pressure, the Dutchman kept his cool and never looked like losing his grip on yet another race win.