F1: Pilots Who Made an Impact During the 2023 Season

Let’s take a look at some of the most remarkable drivers from this year’s Formula One season as 2023 draws to a close.

Max Verstappen

To say that winning all but two races throughout a season is impressive would be an understatement. Red Bull provided Max Verstappen with an outstanding vehicle, but the Dutchman’s speed was evident in his results when compared to those of his colleagues. In the history of the sport, Verstappen’s 2023 season is the most dominant by a driver.

Verstappen won the driver’s title in the October sprint race in Qatar thanks to his streak of consistency and a masterful move by Adrian Newey. In Singapore, the Red Bull lacked the pace it possessed at every other circuit, making it the only race he did not finish on the podium. With 575 at season’s end, Verstappen set a new mark that will be difficult to surpass.

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton made a famous statement by finishing the season in P3, behind both Red Bulls and taking first place as the best of the rest in an uncertain car. For Mercedes standards specifically, the W14 was a subpar vehicle. It never had adequate speed in qualifying, and only in the final laps of the race did it reach the right speed. Hamilton did, however, manage to secure the pole in Hungary and six podium finishes during the season.

The 38-year-old demonstrated that he still merits a spot in the sport by finishing third in the Drivers’ Championship in what was frequently the fourth-fastest car of the season, defying demands for retirement from the media.

Considering that Mercedes has consistently made terrible and sluggish pit stops during the majority of Grands Prix, this remarkable accomplishment is considerably more astounding.

Oscar Piastri

It wasn’t for nothing that Oscar Piastri won Rookie of the Year at the FIA trophy ceremony. In his maiden Formula One season, the McLaren driver had a strong season. The Australian seemed to have made the right decision after making what many saw to be a foolish decision to leave Alpine for McLaren before the season began.Although McLaren had a difficult start to the season, they managed to reverse their course. With the proper development of their 2023 vehicle, McLaren was able to surpass Aston Martin and its engine supplier Mercedes in terms of speed and competitiveness.

Even with a great colleague in Lando Norris, Piastri was frequently able to compete with the British player and occasionally outperform him. When the Australian won the sprint race in Qatar, Piastri beat Norris to win his maiden Formula One race. Piastri finished the season with two podium finishes and one sprint victory. With 97 points, he took P9 in the drivers’ standings and had one of the best rookie campaigns since Lewis Hamilton’s 2007 campaign.

Alex Albon

It’s Williams’ greatest season in twenty years. In his first season as team principal, James Vowles has done an amazing job, but he owes a debt of gratitude to Alex Albon. By bringing a backmarker team back to competitiveness, the former “Red Bull reject” showed the motorsports world that he is deserving of a spot in Formula One.

This year, the Thai-British scored points on eight different weekends, totaling 27 points in a Williams! Albob also appeared seven times in Q3. After finishing dead last in 2022, Williams’ ability to secure P7 in the Constructors’ Championship was largely due to his efforts. Albon was dependable and made the most of his chances when he did have the necessary equipment, even though he didn’t always have the ideal package underneath him. And on the harder weekends for Williams, he almost never erred.

Fernando Alonso

Driver Fernando Alonso is demonstrating that age is really just a number. Even at 42 years old, he is still producing at a high level—better than some of his younger teammates, like as Lance Stroll. Aston Marting seemed to have provided Alonso a vehicle that may keep him in the championship matchup with Verstappen at the beginning of the 2023 campaign. In his first eight races of 2023, Alonso finished on the podium five times in a competitive vehicle. But Aston Martin’s lackluster development led to a significant slowdown in speed.

The Spaniard managed to perform admirably even though he lacked the proper equipment. He only finished outside of the points once during the entire season, and in the Drivers’ Championship, he battled with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc for P3. At the end of the season, the two-time winner was able to take P4 all his own. Given that the Aston Martin lost speed, it is impressive of Alonso’s raw talent that he was still able to hold his own, add further podiums to his total, and end 132 points ahead of his colleague.

Liam Lawson

Even though Liam Lawson only made five appearances in the 2023 season, his brief tenure was noteworthy for a rookie who was thrust into an F1 seat without warning. Lawson was the person Red Bull decided to replace Nyck de Vries at Alpha Tauri following their announcement that they would be splitting ways with him.

In his debut race at Zandvoort, Lawson placed P13 and received well-deserved recognition. He qualified a remarkable P12 in Monza, but ended up in P11 that race. He went on to qualify P10 in Singapore, where he eliminated Verstappen, P11 in Suzuka, and P18 in Qatar, placing P9, P11, and P17 in that order. For an untrained driver, this was an incredible effort. In the final Drivers’ Championship standings, he finished P20 out of 22 drivers thanks to his impressive, hurried, and brief début.