Driver of the year
Impossible to ignore, ruthless, virtually flawless and intimidatingly fast, Max Verstappen was in a class of its own. The records he achieved on his way to a third title speak for themselves. Nineteen wins from 22 races, 21 podium finishes, a streak of ten consecutive victories and becoming the first driver to lead more than 1,000 laps in a season. Yet they do not tell the whole story. By collecting them, Verstappen showed what a complete driver he is. The car was exceptional, but Verstappen exploited it with consummate mastery and consistency. A look at the performance of his teammate Sergio Pérez in the same machine shows how the 26-year-old operated on a different level. There were great rides, from fifteenth to second in Saudi Arabia, from ninth to victory in Miami – a victory that certainly broke Pérez, who had started from pole, from sixth in Spa and overcoming the busy and challenging conditions in a masterclass at Zandvoort. Verstappen’s dominance may have robbed the season of dramatic tension up front, but his performances cannot be faulted.
Team of the year
In midfield there was a pleasant revival for initially Aston Martin and then McLaren, with both teams delivering standout seasons. Aston for their explosive start and last but not least for bringing a welcome joie de vivre to Fernando Alonso. McLaren’s journey from flailing in Bahrain to potential race winners in the second half of the season has been equally harrowing. Yet of course that is the case Red Bull who deserve praise. The RB19 was a beautiful car and the team supported it with unparalleled operational and strategic performance. There’s a comfort in knowing you have a definitive pace advantage, but you shouldn’t allow that to turn into complacency. On many weekends they discovered that the car was not at its best on certain tracks. Monaco was one where Verstappen was convinced in practice he would crash. However, time and time again they worked their way through it and on race day it was indomitable again. Verstappen of course won in Monaco and Red Bull is now the benchmark for every other team.
Breed of the year
Singapore, the race in which Red Bull’s undefeated season was finally ended by Carlos Sainz’s victory, was a highlight. With Verstappen out of the race, Marina Bay unleashed an all-out fight that showed just how close the racing could be if Red Bull wasn’t there. It ended excitingly with Sainz, Lando Norris, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton all battling for victory. However, it was the rollercoaster ride of F1’s return Vegas which won the jackpot. After starting the weekend with the debacle of ditching practice and then running behind closed doors after a loose drain cover hit Sainz’s car, the weekend couldn’t have started worse. Yet things turned around. The track, which was feared to be a dud, was great for racing with cars two and three abreast and the drivers could really compete with diving passes. It performed beyond expectations and, as F1 had hoped, looked fantastic under the lights of the Strip. The sport now certainly has its American showcase race of razzmatazz, showbiz and hoopla, which begs the question: where does that leave the Miami GP?
Return of the year
After the opening race in Bahrain, McLaren staring at a terribly long season, with a terribly slow car. The team had already admitted that they had failed to meet pre-season aerodynamic targets, but Lando Norris finishing only 17th in the race was still a blow to his body. Yet the new team boss, Andrea Stella, kept a remarkably cool head. The team was sixth in the constructors’ standings before the Austrian GP, 137 points behind Aston Martin, when the long-awaited upgrades arrived and transformed the car. Norris and Oscar Piastri were suddenly in the mix and a host of podium finishes followed, passing Aston for fourth in the championship and occasionally threatening Red Bull. It was gripping to watch and there will be more to come. The new wind tunnel and simulator are now online and their CEO, Zak Brown, predicted more for next season. “I would be disappointed if we are not at the sharp end of the field and competing for race wins,” he said at the end of the season.
Best overtaking
The revitalized Fernando Alonso was a joy to watch, not least because of his bravura passing moves. From the start he was sparklingly decisive. In Bahrain he went wheel-to-wheel with Lewis Hamilton, swapping places with the Briton before finally getting stuck at Turn 10. It was the first of a series of passes that proved he has lost none of his enthusiasm. However it may be Charles Leclerc wrestling with his recalcitrant Ferrari at every opportunity that presented itself. He went past the outside of George Russell in the first corner in Japan in a move that required courage and pinpoint precision. To cap off the action that mattered, he threw himself into Pérez’s inside on the final lap of Las Vegas. Racing down the Strip at top speed, Leclerc was given one last chance before the flag and with tremendous effort he braked late and dived for the inside line at Turn 14 and just managed to keep the car under control through Turns 15 and 16 for the place . His determination and talent lit up many moments long after Verstappen drove to the flag.
Biggest step up
With the lack of testing in modern F1, the challenge for rookies is tougher than ever, as Nyck de Vries discovered when he was dropped by AlphaTauri after just ten races. Unlike, Oscar Piastri couldn’t have made a more promising debut. The 22-year-old Australian adapted very quickly in difficult circumstances, given the pitiful car McLaren delivered for the opening of the season. Piastri kept his head down and worked through it until he got the improved model and showed how good he was. He won the sprint race in Qatar, but more importantly was regularly close to his much more experienced teammate Norris, which, on circuits he was unfamiliar with, was a great achievement. His race engineer, Tom Stallard, described him as “calm and intense”, a combination he believes will take Piastri far. He achieved his first podium finishes in Japan and Qatar, both perfect rides far beyond his years. If McLaren delivers on this year’s promise, Piastri will be a formidable force as part of one of the best drivers on the grid in 2024.
Biggest disappointment
Although Verstappen has been in charge all season, it is impossible to ignore the elephant in the room, which is that he simply wasn’t challenged. Teammate Pérez, whose two early wins in Jeddah and Baku proved to be false dawns, was hugely disappointing. Due to mistakes and poor qualifying, his season was in tatters and his seat was at stake. His failure was compounded by both Mercedes and Ferrari failing to take the fight to Red Bull. The optimism that they would do so ended shortly after the first race. Mercedes admitted their design philosophy was a mistake after qualifying on the first round in Bahrain, while Ferrari quickly became clear that their car was fast over a single lap but jarring on the tires and lacking speed under race conditions. Even Red Bull was surprised that their rivals had not done better. The gap between them was a chasm even when Red Bull stopped developing their car. Without a silver bullet, both teams struggled across the finish line, but it was unedifying at best and the sport desperately needs them to step up.