HONE
The records, stories and battles of Formula 1 in 2023
Let’s be honest, it wasn’t a classic Formula 1 season. The domination by Max Verstappen and Red Bull means 2023 is unlikely to make anyone’s list of greatest F1 years. But there was plenty of incredible record-breaking, unpredictable battles behind Red Bull and off-track intrigue that is worth looking back on before we head into 2024.
In this 116-page F1 review special (starting on page 19), we talk to many of the key players and look at how the various fights were won up and down the grid. We also have our traditional tech focus on the main battlegrounds (p34), pick out our top 10 drivers (p28) and bring you the important stats (p76), as well as an expanded article on the best race drives of the season (p40). Now that we’ve got 22 grands prix (and rising), it only seemed fair to increase our list from five to 10, with drivers limited to one entry each.
Remarkably, the F1 driver line-ups will remain unchanged in 2024, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t some fine performances in the F2 and F3 support series. Megan White ranks the 10 best in our review of the feeder categories on p80.
Next week, some of those up-and-comers will also be part of our Top 50 drivers of the year list, which leads our 140-page Christmas special. The double issue will also include the best pictures of 2023, a review of many other series including MotoGP, the return of Autosport’s Christmas quiz, and the year’s top club-racing rivalries. Be sure to look out for all that and more from 21 December.
Kevin Turner Chief Editor
kevin.turner@autosport.com
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Cover images Mark Sutton/Glenn Dunbar/Andy Hone/ Steve Etherington/ Simon Galloway/ Motorsport Images
PIT & PADDOCK
4 F1 teams unite in fury against FIA 7 Ilott bags Jota Porsche WEC deal 8 Lamborghini tops IMSA Daytona test 10 Le Mans bans tyre warmers after all! 13 Dennis commits to Andretti future 15 Opinion: Alex Kalinauckas 17 Feedback: your letters
F1 2023 SEASON REVIEW 19 How Verstappen made it a one-Bull race 28 Our top 10 drivers of the year 34 Tech analysis and key battlegrounds 40 Best race drives of 2023 44 The end of a Mercedes dynasty? 48 Ferrari gets another reality check 52 Aston’s surprise and McLaren’s recovery 58 The driver who saved F1 in 2023? 62 AlphaTauri’s tumultuous year of change 68 The key off-track battles of F1 politics 74 Top 10 autosport.com stories 76 The season in numbers 80 Support cast: best drivers of F2 and F3
FEATURES 86 Peugeot’s Le Mans rookie sensations
CLUB AUTOSPORT 99 Obituary: John Turner 100 Pulling returns to F4 with Rodin Carlin 102 Hill among the stars at Dubai historic 105 Opinion: Stephen Lickorish 106 The rise of Freddie Slater
FINISHING STRAIGHT 110 What’s on this week 112 From the archive: 1983 Monte Carlo Rally 114 My favourite team-mate: Gabriele Tarquini
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14 DECEMBER 2023 AUTOSPORT.COM 3
