It’s hard to believe that the F1 season is officially over, it feels like just yesterday we were still hopeful for a competitive championship battle. The season was one of incredible predictability and extreme dominance but, there were still some battles that kept us on our feet throughout the year, with all of that being said here are my top five!
5: Ocon vs Leclerc, Austria
This first battle was one that stuck out to me because it was a picture perfect example of what is the appeal of the F1 Sprint. Two drivers putting it wheel to wheel for a sprint point and providing excellent racing in a shorter more condensed version of the main event. This battle had everything needed to be a top 5 battle from the late braking to the near contact and the line selection, the only thing keeping it from being higher on this list is that it was very short in length and didn’t really change the outcome of the race.
4: Piastri vs Perez, Hungary
This battle is still hilarious to me because it shouldn’t have ever been a thing given the equipment and experience levels. Yes, the McLaren was great in the second half of the season but it was nowhere near the same level as the Red Bull at this point if at all especially with a rookie behind the wheel no matter how generationally talented that rookie is. Perez should’ve never had to have this battle in that car but thankfully for the sake of this list, he did. Piastri battling to maintain 4th in this battle showed just how bright his future in this sport is by fearlessly going wheel to wheel with a driver as accomplished as Perez and never backing down. Even without DRS Piastri was keeping it close with Checo and overall just making it a pain to attempt the move. It would have been higher up on the list if it were longer and had a more significant impact on the overall result.
3: Sainz vs Perez Austria
Now we get to the podium places and what is more fitting than a battle for the podium in Austria. This is the Perez I wish we got more of in 2023, he battled ferociously with Sainz and overall just looked like himself again. Sainz had unreal misfortune this year but here it was the opposite, both drivers gave it everything. This battle brought the best out of both drivers and made for an excellent visual or fans who by this point were embracing the fact that the season was decided, but this battle gave us hope for next year.
2: Alonso vs Hamilton, Bahrain
This battle was special. This was nostalgia overload, it was like we were back in 2007 again, Fernando Alonso and Sir Lewis Hamilton battling for a podium place under the lights will never get old and this was no different. The Aston Martin was among the worst cars on the grid the previous year so when we woke up and saw it running down a Mercedes for P3 we couldn’t help but look away. This battle had longevity and overtakes galore, it took everything we missed about close racing and compiled it into one segment of a race. Seeing Alonso without DRS close in on and overtake Lewis was jaw dropping and then Lewis came back and once again you needed to pick your jaw up from the floor, I didn’t want it to end but was glad we got something out of it.
1: Leclerc vs Perez, Vegas
WHO SAID VEGAS WAS GOING TO BE A COMPLETE FAILURE!? I did… but I take it back a thousand times over, this was the race of the year. I could’ve done a top 5 battles from this race alone and it would’ve been sufficient. Vegas proved that America deserves multiple races especially if they’re going to deliver these results, but I digress. This battle was incredible, it wasn’t just Leclerc vs Perez it was Leclerc vs Red Bull and it was the first time in a long time that it was actually competitive to the end. Once Verstappen pulled away it kind of dampened it but then we got Leclerc vs Perez and all was right again. Perez overtook and was pulling away with only a handful to go and we thought it was another RB 1-2 when all of a sudden on the LAST LAP Leclerc from out of nowhere dives in to take P2 and would go on to finish there, it was spectacular and it wins battle of the year in my eyes.
Thank you for reading and here’s to hoping this is a harder list to make next year! (In a good way)
Written by Andy
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