He led his team to 21 victories this season and won 19. At the start of the season, when George Russell said that Red Bull could win every race of the season, it seemed ridiculous. But looking back, the Mercedes driver wasn’t far off the mark and if it wasn’t for the strange weekend in Singapore, Red Bull might have won every race this season.
Results for the 2023 season:
Max Verstappen and Red Bull take their dominance to new levels
In the 21st century, we have seen domination from different teams, but not this type of domination. It’s not necessarily dominance based solely on the performance of the car, there are other factors at play, including the relentless nature with which the driver and team operate.
This season has arguably been one of the best for driver and team, and anyone who isn’t a fan of Red Bull or Max Verstappen should be concerned that we could see a repeat next season.
Formula 1 cannot afford 24 races on the calendar without intrigue
The final race of the 2023 Formula 1 season turned out to be rather boring. After the first few laps, it was clear that Max Verstappen was going to win, as he has done 18 more times this season. It was all a bit monotonous and tiring.
It was a 22-race season with a busy schedule. Predicting such a long season is becoming exhausting and Formula 1 may need to be careful about how much juice it can extract from its current product.
McLaren and Aston Martin give hope to Mercedes and Ferrari
One of the main reasons Aston Martin and McLaren were able to make huge strides in performance was the early adaptation of the Red Bull concept.
This season, Mercedes and Ferrari have started to adapt the Red Bull concept, but this has been limited due to the initial approach taken by the teams.
If the move to the Red Bull concept could be significant, and Ferrari and Mercedes have yet to do so, then for fans it could be a source of optimism for the upcoming Formula 1 season.
Looking at the end of the season, everyone really needs this.
Fred Wasser’s influence became noticeable later in the season
Midway through the 2023 Formula 1 season, there was talk about Fred Vasser and his overall performance at Ferrari. Many wondered if the team leader was even effective.
A year after his reign, and above all, at the end of the season, positive signs are visible. The car has become more flexible and the strategies have improved. Ferrari is improving and that is certainly positive for the upcoming Formula 1 season.
Alpine – the team is in serious danger
The absence of a team principal and technical director means that Alpine’s future in Formula 1 must be seriously questioned. The team fired Otmar Safneur because his development curve was too slow for the board of directors.
Since then, no one has replaced him and the prospects are unclear.
Williams is on the rise under James Vowles
Looking at the 2023 Formula 1 season, one can’t help but think that hiring James Vowles was a brilliant move for Williams. The car looks better, but that’s not the most important thing.
What should be important is the operational efficiency and growth the team has already demonstrated. 2024 will be an interesting season for the Formula 1 team.
Audi’s involvement remains a mystery
Sauber has spent the 2023 Formula 1 season largely unnoticed and the absence of its 25% shareholder has raised many questions. While all signs point to Andreas Seidl being brought in to build a team from the ground up, 2023 has been a very different story.
The car was bad, the drivers were boring and, frankly, such a disappointing introduction to Formula 1 is worrying. In addition to this, rumors also circulated in the media that Audi was going to resign and as a result, 2023 ends with more questions than answers regarding Audi.
Red Bull does not yet have a replacement for Sergio Perez
The way Yuki Tsunoda set up Daniel Ricciardo in Abu Dhabi means Red Bull will enter 2024 without a ready replacement for Sergio Perez. Neither Ricciardo nor Yuki have been able to perform as well as they should to secure a place in the senior team.
All of this has made Perez’s life at Red Bull easier as Horner and Marco continue to keep tabs on who they want to replace the Mexican.
Mercedes needs to change something next season
Mercedes cannot start the 2024 Formula 1 season with Red Bull as far behind as this season. This simply can’t happen, because in this scenario it’s certainly possible that the team’s star driver could lose motivation and simply give up.
Lewis Hamilton has been racing for a long time, but for the first time in his career he has gone two years without winning anything. How long will the motivation last? Who knows, but if the car is not competitive next season, changes will definitely happen at Mercedes.
Vyacheslav Gorbachev/Athletistic
Source: Sport
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
