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The 2023 F1 season ended a few weeks back, but the year comes to an end today. The season was arguably not the most exciting as from early in the year, it became clear that Max Verstappen was going to cruise to title wins. Having said that, there were still quite a few moments where things were quite interesting.
We had an interesting race in Singapore and an even better one in Las Vegas later in the year and the battle for P2 was resolved in the last race as well. Even though there were quite a few facets of the year that were a bit of a damp squib, there were others that had a few interesting takeaways.
So, once it's all said and done and we look back at the 2023 F1 season, what did we learn? Let's take a look.
#1 Max Verstappen and Red Bull will be hard to beat
After winning 21 races this season, it's hard to say that Red Bull could be challenged in 2024. Especially since the team maintained the car advantage over everyone else until the last race of the season. However, what stood out even more was not what Max did when he had a dominant car, it was what he did when the car didn't have the advantage over the rest of the field.
The fact that Max Verstappen won the race in Austin even though the car was probably not the fastest is a worrying sign for everyone involved and it just shows that the driver and the team are going to make a serious effort to overcome a title battle.
#2 The gap in the grid has started to shrink
While Red Bull continues to dominate at the front, the gap behind it has shrunk considerably. This is evident when we look at the field spread and see all 20 drivers being within a second after Q1. In some manner, one can assume that the new regulations have certainly worked. It just remains to be seen when the impact reaches the front of the F1 grid.
#3 Oscar Piastri is an impressive talent
Arguably one of the bigger discoveries of the 2023 F1 season is how good Oscar Piastri is. While he ended the season impressing everyone, there are still question marks around him and his peak. These questions are what makes the sport exciting though, as it finds itself another breakout talent.
#4 Mercedes and Ferrari have some work to do
Mercedes and Ferrari ended the 2023 F1 season as the closest competitors of Red Bull, but one thing that's clear from the gap the two teams had to the front is that they have a lot of work to do. The teams are still too far behind and have too many holes in the game to challenge Red Bull and Max Verstappen yet.
#5 McLaren and Aston Martin have dropped their hats in the ring
McLaren and Aston Martin were a breath of fresh air as Alonso and Norris became prominent frontrunners this season. This is the impact of the new regulations in F1 and it certainly makes things interesting. The two teams have now thrown their hats into the ring. Let's see how well they do.
#6 Andretti becoming the 11th F1 team looks tough
Considering everything that is on evidence right now, Andretti becoming an 11th team on the F1 grid looks highly unlikely. The FIA continues to lose face and the public sentiment with every passing day and when that is your biggest ally, it just won't fare well.
#7 Sergio Perez's seat is as good as gone after next season
Sergio Perez somehow managed to keep his seat at Red Bull this year, but 2024 is only going to make things worse for him. One of the major reasons why Perez struggles is an overall lack of single-lap pace. This was an issue earlier in his career as well. With Red Bull's car characteristics, the situation gets even worse.
With the grid expected to shrink even further next season and Red Bull's advantage expected to diminish, Perez is going to struggle once again and this time around, he could lose his seat in the process.
#8 Williams could be on an upward trajectory
Williams has been a more all-around standout this season because the team started incorporating things that might look basic from the outside but prove to be the key difference maker. James Vowles has been a welcome addition to the team and there might be an upward trajectory that Williams could be charting right now.
#9 Alpine seems to be on a downward trajectory
After the 2023 F1 season, it does appear that one team whose stock took a beating was Alpine. The French team suffers massively not only from politics but also from being run through a boardroom. In the short term, the team's prospects don't look good.
#10 Audi's F1 journey has begun uninspiringly
Audi has already taken over a bunch of shares at Sauber and by the end of 2025, it should be the majority holder as well. They have their man, Andreas Seidl, in position as well, trying to build the team from scratch.
On track, it all looks quite uninspiring with the kind of car that it has and the kind of drivers it continues to employ. It remains to be seen how big or impressive the Audi project will eventually be because right now, it does not inspire much confidence in anyone.
