Category: F1 2023 Season

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F1 2023 Season

THE BEST OF THE REST!

RedBull Racing and Mercedes are clear front runners when it comes to F1 with both teams being the only winners of the Constructors Championship since 2010! Ferrari have mounted a number of attempts to reclaim their top spot, but it has not been possible when faced with the technology and drivers of the RedBull and Mercedes cars. With the dominance of RedBull in the 2023 season it could be said that it was 2nd place Mercedes who were “the best of the rest” but let’s first consider those further down the table!

Source: F1Chronical.com

In 2023 Aston Martin made a comeback through the first half of the season with driver Fernando Alonso putting them on the podium multiple times. It was clear the upgrades brought to the car through the second half of the season were not up to the same standard allowing McLaren to claw themselves back into the fight with Ferrari for third place. 

There was a clear divide in 2023 between the top 5 in the Constructors Championship and the bottom 5 with 5th place Aston Martin scoring 280 and 6th place Alpine scoring 120. Alpine could be considered “the best of the rest” as they were consistently in the lower end of the points and began a good fight with Aston Martin towards the end of the season, it just came a bit too late!

Source: Goodwood.com

However, a strong contender for this title is Williams. Williams had a much better season in 2023 than they have had for a while with Alex Albon scoring 27 points landing himself 13th in the Drivers’ Championship and securing 7th place in the Constructors Championship. It is clear that Albon has huge potential as an F1 driver and would score even more consistently in a car that could keep up with him.

With Alfa Romeo rebranding themselves for the 2024 season as Stake F1 with new sponsorships it will be interesting to see if there is an elevation to the standard of the car. Despite having experienced point scorer Valtteri Bottas as a part of their team in 2023, the best they could achieve was 9th in the Constructors Championship. 

Source: MotorsportWeek.com

Overall, Alexander Albon’s hard work in the Williams takes the win for the 2023 season as he proved himself as a brilliant driver worthy of a place in a top team. It appears under the management of James Vowels and the driving of Albon, Williams have managed to break their downward streak and have started heading back up the tables of both the Drivers’ World Championship and the Constructors World Championship. We can only hope for move improvement from this historic team.

Who do you think will shine in 2024? Leave a comment below!

Written by Cesca.

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F1 2023 Season

TFS Quiz of the Year!

Test your knowledge with our 2023 Formula 1 quiz! Can you remember everything that took place this year?

  1. At which race did filming for the APX F1 movie start?

A. Silverstone

B. Monaco

C. Monza

Source: Formu1aUno.com

2. Which race did Pierre Gasly score a podium?

A. Hungry 

B. Zandvoort 

C. Austria 

3. Which race was cancelled days before the event due to huge storms?

A. Australia

B. Canada 

C. Imola 

4. At which race did Liam Lawson make his F1 debut?

A. Silverstone 

B. Zandvoort

C. Baku

5. How many red flags were there at the 2023 Australian Grand Prix?

A. 4

B. 3

C. 2

Source: GrandPrix247.com

6. When did Oscar Piastri win a sprint race?

A. Austin

B. Singapore

C. Qatar

7. How many races did Red Bull win this season?

A. 21

B. 22

C. 20

8. At which race did Logan Sargent earn his first F1 point?

A. Vegas

B. Miami

C. Austin

Source: Carscoops.com

9. How fast was McLaren’s world record pit stop?

A. 1.9 seconds

B. 1.8 seconds

C. 1.7 seconds

10. How many drivers took part in the F1 2023 season?

A. 22

B. 21

C. 20

Let’s find out how you did? Are you an F1 fan with a great memory, leave your score down below!

Answers!

A, B, C, B, B, C, A, C, B, A

Written By Cesca.

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F1 2023 Season

F1 2023: The Year of Max Verstappen

2JW99R4 ZANDVOORT, NETHERLANDS - SEPTEMBER 4: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing after the Race ahead of the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix at Cicuit Zandvoort on September 4, 2022 in Zandvoort, Netherlands (Photo by Marcel ter Bals/Orange Pictures)
Source: PlanetF1.com

The 2023 Formula 1 season will go down as a season of records as Max Verstappen and the Red Bull Racing team had an almost perfect campaign from start to finish! The team were unstoppable throughout the season as teams around them made upgrades to try and catch up but it was an impossible challenge for this season. 

Verstappen’s 19 wins moved him up in the all-time wins to be the third most successful driver in F1 history, surpassing Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, and Sebastian Vettel by the end of the season to bring him to 54 victories overall. Although this wasn’t a record breaker itself, Verstappen’s dominance has moved him significantly up the list. But if that wasn’t a record breaker, what was?

Most Wins in a Season: Verstappen broke his own record that was set in 2022 with 15 wins in a season to go 4 better this time around and take 19.

Highest Win Percentage: An impressive 86%-win rate in 2023 broke Alberto Ascari’s 1952 benchmark of 75%. In 1952 Ascari won 6/8 races whereas in 2023 it was 19/22 making Verstappen even more impressive.

Most Consecutive Wins: Vettel won the final 9 races in 2013 and left people believing it could never be done again but Verstappen went on to win 10 in a row!

Most Points Scored in a Season: 575 championship points.

Biggest Difference Between 1st and 2nd: There was a 290 point gap to teammate Sergio Perez in p2.

First Driver to Lead Over 1000 Laps: Finishing the season on 1003 laps led, surpassing Vettel’s record of 739 laps led in 2011.

Most Consecutive Wins from Pole: 16 (starting from the 2022 Dutch Grand Prix)

Most Wins from Pole in a Season: 12

Most Consecutive Races as Championship Leader: 39 (starting at the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix)

Most Consecutive Points Scored

Most Pit Stops by the Winning Driver in one Race: Dutch Grand Prix

Most Sprint Wins in a Season: 4 (lets remind ourselves of that Piastri win while we are here!)

Lastly, by winning in Miami, Austin, and Las Vegas this year, Verstappen became the first driver to win in the same country 3 times in the same year, how about that!

Will the record-breaking streak continue in 2024 or will anyone be able to keep up with Max Verstappen and the Red Bull Racing team?

Source: FIA.com

Written by Cesca.

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F1 2023 Season

The Best Battles of the 2023 F1 Season!

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

Esteban Ocon (FRA) Alpine F1 Team A523. 01.07.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 10, Austrian Grand Prix, Spielberg, Austria, Sprint Day. – http://www.xpbimages.com, EMail: requests@xpbimages.com © Copyright: Batchelor / XPB Images

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

(L to R): Sergio Perez (MEX) Red Bull Racing RB19 and Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP) Ferrari SF-23 battle for position. 02.07.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 10, Austrian Grand Prix, Spielberg, Austria, Race Day. – http://www.xpbimages.com, EMail: requests@xpbimages.com © Copyright: Coates / XPB Images

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

Fernando Alonso (ESP) Aston Martin F1 Team AMR23 leads Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 W14. 05.03.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 1, Bahrain Grand Prix, Sakhir, Bahrain, Race Day. – http://www.xpbimages.com, EMail: requests@xpbimages.com © Copyright: Moy / XPB Images

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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F1 2023 Season

Abu Dhabi 2023: The Last Race

And with that the 2023 Formula 1 season has come to an end.

Max Verstappen took his record-breaking 19th win of the season and George Russell did just enough by getting 3rd for Mercedes to finish 2nd in the constructors championship. Charles Leclerc separated the two in 2nd.

Source: racingnews365

At lights out Vertsapppen was able to hold off Leclerc while Lando Norris was able to drive past Russell.

Verstappen built up a steady lead which was familiar to many fans and there was a slow stop of Norris which put him at a slight disadvantage.

After contact between Lewis Hamiton and Pierre Gasly on lap 14 there was damage the the Mercedes front wing which did not get replaced when he pitted.

Yuki Tsunodo became the 2nd Japanese racer to lead a race when he was in 1st place when everyone in front of him had pitted. He pulled off a one-stop strategy and finished in 8th which is where AlphaTauri finished in the championship.

Carlos Sainz had been in the final points place but pitted in the closing stages and fell out of the points.

Sergio Perez finished 2nd on track after Leclerc let him through playing the tactical game but ended up behind Russell after a 5-second penalty.

The McLarens followed behind with Norris in 5th and Oscar Piastri in 6th to stay ahead of Aston Martin in the championship.

Fernando Alonso performed late moves to take 7th place and finished 4th in the drivers championship behind Hamilton who finished 9th in the race.

Lance Stroll finished with the final points place of the season.

With this season over all fans will be looking forward to 2024, goodbye for now.

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F1 2023 Season

The 2023 season comes to a close!

Source: SkySportsF1.com

With the last race of the season coming up this Sunday at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi, what is left to decide in the World Driver’s Championship and the World Constructors Championship!? Red Bull successful wrapped up both championships with races to spare so the winners are not in doubt going into the final race, however it’s still all to play for further down in the championship. 

With Hamilton failing to score points in the penultimate race of the season in Vegas, Sergio Perez has secured second in the WDC with Hamilton remining being him in third. Unlike the Constructors Championship wherever position matters, after 3rd place in the Drivers’ Championship, there are no prizes or money on offer, so they are competing for personal pride and Instagram bragging rights!

Source: SkySportsF1.com

Spaniards Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso are tied on 200 points in fourth and fifth places respectively, with the Ferrari driver officially ahead of his Aston Martin countryman by virtue of his race win in Singapore. McLaren’s Lando Norris is five points back from Alonso with Charles Leclerc close behind. George Russell remains comfortably in front of Oscar Piastri and Lance Stroll, the Canadian could still switch places with the Aussie if Stroll scored big and Piastri does not. The other close battle is for 11th and 12th places which are occupied by Alpine team-mates Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon who are separated by just four points after the latter’s fine drive to fourth in Las Vegas. There are 12 points separating the drivers between 14th and 21st with Liam Lawson outscoring Logan Sargent to come 20th despite only driving in 4 races this season. However, every full-time driver has already scored points this year too, something that doesn’t always happen in a season!

Source: X.com/LiamLawson

Mercedes and Ferrari head to Abu Dhabi in a fight for what is a distant second-place finish in the Constructors’ Championship for the second successive season. Four points separate the two historical giants with Mercedes’ 392 points playing Ferrari’s 388. Only champions Red Bull and sixth-placed Alpine are absolutely guaranteed to finish in the places they start the weekend. Although it’s relatively small consolation for Mercedes and Ferrari, given their grander ambitions in F1, finishing second compared to third does come with a useful additional prize-money boost, which is thought to be around $10m.

McLaren remain strong favourites for fourth but their difficult outing in Vegas has given Aston Martin, who finished fifth and ninth last weekend, an outside shot at overhauling them in the last round. McLaren’s advantage is 11 points. Williams also look well set for seventh in what would be their best placing since 2017. AlphaTauri would need to score at least seven points to overhaul them, which they haven’t done since June 2022.

Source: McLaren.com

However, AlphaTauri do have a useful five-point cushion over Alfa Romeo, whose advantage over last-placed Haas is four points. Despite a good start to the season, Haas have scored just one point in the last 12 events.

Where will everyone finish the 2023 season, tune into Sundays race to find out!

Written by Cesca.

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F1 2023 Season

Las Vegas GP 2023: Viva Las Vegas

Max Verstappen won the star-studded race after fighting back from a 5-second-penalty with Charles Leclerc in 2nd and Sergio Perez in 3rd.

The first time on this newly created track had fans apprehensive over how the race would go but the ones who watched were not disappointed.

Verstappen took the lead from pole-sitter Leclerc into the first corner but forced the Ferrari off the track which earned him a 5-second-penalty that would be served when he pitted.

Lando Norris spun and went into the barriers after he lost the rear of his car, despite sliding to a stop in the run-off area a safety car was called as the marshalls cleared the debris.

Norris was sent to the local hospital for precautionary checks after the heavy crash but it was announced that he was alright.

The battle for the lead between Leclerc and Verstappen went on for multiple laps as the Red Bull driver complained about his tyres. After Leclerc took 1st place on track Verstappen pitted, served his penalty and got new tyres.

Source: Unknown

As Verstappen made his way back to the front he had to make his way past George Russell which had fans looking at the screen through their fingers.

Verstappen was finally able to get past the Mercedes driver but after they collided, Russell was given a 5-second penalty which was added to his time after the race.

Meanwhile, at the front Leclerc and Perez were battling for the lead which the Red Bull driver took.

Further back Alpine’s drivers were clashing for 6th place, at one point Pierre Gasly was in front and then Esteban Ocon was in front. It ended with Ocon in 6th and Gasly in 7th.

Source: Grand Prix 247

Verstappen was able to retake the lead of the race where he stayed for the rest of the race.

The oldest drivers of track Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso were showing their skills as they fought for 8th place.

Perez once again participated in a drag race finish where the other driver came out on top, this time it was Leclerc who was in front.

The top 10 were Verstappen, Leclerc, Perez, Ocon, Lance Stroll, Carlos Sainz, Hamilton, Russell, Alonso and Oscar Piastri.

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F1 2023 Season

Vegas Baby!

Source: SportsIllustrated.com

This weekend, 17th – 19th November, will see the most highly anticipated race of the season take place! The weekend is a unique part of the season with the track events taking place between Thursday and Saturday, rather than the standard Friday to Sunday.

Drivers will be taking to the Vegas streets in the late hours so the full effect of the bright lights can be enjoyed by spectators around the world. The street race will be a true test for drivers and teams as colder than normal conditions are expected to impact the cars and tyres.

Source: GPFans.com

Formula 1 has taken to the streets of Vegas before with the last race being held in 1982! It was known as the Caesars Palace Grand Prix and the track was heavily criticised for being a flat track that reached high temperatures of 37 degrees. 

Ross Brawn, a former F1 managing director, admitted that the series had not considered the low temperatures faced in Vegas at the end of November when initially assigning the track a spot on the 2023 calendar. Many are concerned about how the lower temperatures will impact performance and safety on track.

Source: F1.com

The coldest F1 race in history was the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix where temperatures in the air reached 5 degrees in Montreal. The race was held in early October and those standing on the podium were wrapped in winter jackets as snow began to fall. Especially with rain forecast for parts of this weekend Vegas is on track to beat this record! 

Are you excited for the Vegas race? Leave a comment below!

Written by Cesca.

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F1 2023 Season

Sao Paulo 2023: Photo Finish

Max Verstappen won the double in the last sprint race format of the season, taking his 17th victory with Lando Norris in 2nd and a drag race to the finish sealed Fernando Alonso in 3rd.

Source: PlannetF1

Charles Leclerc had bad luck once again when there was a mechanical failure on the formation lap which caused him to crash into the barriers.

After the Ferrari was moved to a side road and the marshals were able to take the chance to get a picture with the car it was lights out and the race was briefly started.

Source: Reddit

Off the start line Alex Albon made contact with Nico Hulkenburg which caused the Williams driver to hit Kevin Magnussen. Daniel Ricciardo and Oscar Piastri also sustained damage on the start line.

The red flag was waved and when everyone entered the pits and the work started in AphaTauri and McLaren to make Ricciardo and Piastri’s car fit to race.

It was a standing start when the debris and cars had been cleared. Off the start line Verstappen lead Norris and Alonso was able to get past Lewis Hamilton.

Ricciardo and Piastri started from the pitlane a lap behind the rest of the grid as they had come into the pits while everyone else followed the safety car.

Source: Unknown

By lap 10 the top three had built a lead while a DRS train started behind them lead by Hamilton.

Both Mercedes were having problems and George Russell was told to retire and became the 6th car out of the race following Leclerc, Albon, Magnussen, Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas.

The battle for 3rd place between Sergio Perez and Alonso went down to the last lap with a drag race over the line with Perez 0.05s behind the Aston Martin driver.

Source: Sportskeeda

Lance Stroll finished 5th after a seemingly quiet race with Carlos Sainz in 6th and Pierre Gasly in 7th.

After struggling with his tyres throughout the race after his pitstop Hamilton finished 8th, Yuki Tsunoda finished 9th and Esteban Ocon took the last points place a lap behind the leader.

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F1 2023 Season

Mexico 2023: Devastation for Checo!

Max Verstappen once again raced to a dominant victory at this weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix! He took the lead at the start of the race in an action packed first lap, to finish ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc as he sealed his fifth win at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. This was also his 16th victory of the season, breaking his own world record.

Source: SportsIllustrated.com

Lap 1 was a chorus of chaos from the grid, down the 1.2km down to turn 1. Verstappen and Perez in the Redbull’s got a great start compared to the Ferrari’s on the front row. Verstappen, Leclerc, and Perez entered turn 1 together which resulted in Leclerc and Perez coming together. Leclerc continued the race with minimal damage to his front wing, but hometown hero Perez was forced to retire due to the extreme side pod damage. 

Source: MotorsportWeek.com

Leclerc remained in second ahead of Hamilton and Sainz, when halfway through the race Magnussen’s rear suspension spontaneously broke sending him flying into the barriers! The Dane was taken to the medical centre but apart from minor injuries was okay. The race was red flagged due to the damage on the barriers being unsafe to continue and repairs needing to be made. The marshals worked hard to quickly clear the car and repair the barriers.

Source: RacingNews365.com

Racing started again with a standing start and this time all was calm down to turn 1! Verstappen kept hold of the lead while Hamilton overtook Leclerc for second where he remained until the end of the race! Lando Norris had an outstanding recovery drive after dropping to 17th at the restart. He overtook George Russell late in the race to take fifth place after starting 19th and was voted Driver of the Day by fans. Russell then held off a late charge from Daniel Ricciardo, who marked an impressive weekend for him and AlphaTauri to take seventh!

The other McLaren of Oscar Piastri survived a collision with Yuki Tsunoda to finish eighth overall. He took the chequered flag ahead of Alex Albon, who continued to impress for Williams, scoring more points and once again carrying the team. Esteban Ocon overtaking Nico Hulkenberg late in race to take 10th for Alpine completes the points scorers for Mexico City. It was an unfortunate weekend once again for Aston Martin who had to retire both cars during the race for mechanical issues.

What were your thoughts on the Mexico City GP?

Written by Cesca.