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The 2023 F1 season is now in the background as the chequered flag fell on the Abu Dhabi GP. The season was long, arduous, and probably a bit boring as well, leading to a certain level of exhaustion for the drivers and the fans as well.
This is precisely what's going to happen when the results of a race weekend are predictable and we have one team win all but one race and one driver win all but three races.
Having said that, when the covers were lifted off the RB19, it's hard to imagine anyone thinking that the car was going to be this dominant. Every team heads into an F1 season with a certain set of expectations and aspirations and when they are not fulfilled it's certainly a downer for anybody involved.
Out of the stacked teams and drivers that grace the grid, who is going to look back at the season and be happy with how it went, and who is heading to the winter a bit disappointed? Let's take a look.
2023 F1 Season
Winner
Max Verstappen and Red Bull
Could there be a bigger winner than Max Verstappen and Red Bull this season? The team won 21 out of 22 races. The Dutch driver won 19 out of 22 races and on their way, they beat records for fun throughout the season.
What the Austrian team has done this season is raise the bar to a point where it becomes difficult for anyone involved to even get close.
The F1 world has seen plenty of dominance over the years but this was certainly different and it will be hard to replicate.
Loser
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton signed an extension with Mercedes but by the last race of the season, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner revealed that the Brit driver had reached out to his team earlier in the season.
Even though Hamilton and Toto Wolff had vehemently denied this, it's hard to argue that the driver wouldn't mind one bit if he got a chance to drive that Red Bull car.
Once a dominant force, Mercedes had its first winless season since 2011.
Winner
Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso might have hoped for a season like this when he signed for Aston Martin but he certainly would not have expected it. Not so soon at the least.
Coming into the 2023 F1 season, Alonso had not driven a frontrunning car since 2013 when he last won a race. This was precisely why it was not only a breath of fresh air but also a welcome change for the fans.
At the end of the season, Aston Martin was once again a midfield car. However, the car and the team have potential. It has the potential to be a race winner and maybe even a world champion.
For the 2023 F1 season, however, Alonso and his team were one of the biggest winners.
Loser
Charles Leclerc and Ferrari
Charles Leclerc and Ferrari came into the 2023 F1 season on the back of a year where the team faced a lot of turmoil. The car was a title contender in the first half of the season but due to multiple issues, it just didn't work out.
Even though the top management was changing, there was a level of optimism within the team. Did that optimism bear fruit? No, it didn't. Another year where the team could not challenge for the title will go down as a major disappointment for the Italian team.
Winner
McLaren
McLaren's car launch was arguably one of the worst of the 2023 F1 season, the team had more or less told the fans and the media members that the car might just be a bit below par until the first major upgrade.
This did make the first few races from McLaren predictable as the team and the drivers struggled to get the results. What nobody expected was the resurgence post-upgrade.
After multiple podiums, sprint poles, and a sprint win, this is the kind of resurgence that makes McLaren one of the best teams on the grid at this stage.
Loser
Alpine
What if we told you that a team got rid of the team principal because he did not think that the team could win expeditiously, only to have zero succession plan for him or the departed technical director? That's Alpine for you!
Alpine started the season with the aim of consolidating its P4 F1 championship finish from last season and scoring a few podiums. It did score a couple of podiums this season but the team is in disarray.
There's no technical director, there's no team principal and the bad press around the team is intense. The future looks bleak for the team that wanted to be the French Ferrari of F1.
