The 2023 Formula 1 season is nearly here and I cannot wait. It’s now time for me to make my predictions for the season and knowing how badly my other predictions have been, I wouldn’t put a bet on what I say!
10 Starter Predictions:
My first prediction is there will be six different race winners this season. There were 5 different winners last season and you have to remember that that list doesn’t include Lewis Hamilton.
My second prediction is 6 different teams will achieve a podium finish this year. That might be wishful thinking as only four teams achieved podiums last year, but I’m going with it.
My third prediction is the winner of the first race of the season in Bahrain will become World Champion by the end of the year. It’s kind of crazy that for the last 6 seasons, the person who wins the opening round of the season ends up finishing second in the championship.
My fourth prediction is Aston Martin will join the battle for the “best of the rest” with Alpine and McLaren. I might be a bit biased here, but I have to believe that Aston will be better than they’ve been the last two seasons.
My fifth prediction is every driver will score at least 1 point this season. Everyone did last season (excluding Nico Hulkenberg) so I would hope it will happen again this year.
My sixth prediction is the winner of the 2023 FIA Formula 2 Championship will have a seat in F1 for 2024. It’s gotten to the point where it seems like winning Formula 2 is a little bit cursed.
My seventh prediction is Daniel Ricciardo will be announced as a Red Bull driver in 2024. This will become clearer soon.
My eighth prediction is 7 teams will score a top 6 finish this season. 9 teams achieved this last season, but I can’t see there being as many this time around.
My ninth prediction is Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez collide at least once this season, resulting in both men retiring from the race. I think the tensions will be raised at Red Bull this season and I see Max and Checo’s relationship start dwindling fast.
My tenth and final starter prediction is Sergio Perez will retire at the end of the season. I realise I’ve focused on the Red Bull team a lot at the end of my starter predictions.
The Drivers’ Championship:
P20: Logan Sargeant
Formula 1 is becoming bigger and bigger in the United States and it should only grow now they’ve got a home favourite to cheer on in Logan Sargeant. Logan’s achievements so far include finishing second in the 2016/17 Formula 4 UAE Championship, third in the 2017 British F4 Championship, third in the 2020 FIA Formula 3 Championship and fourth in his rookie season in F2 last year. It’s worth highlighting that in the 2020 Formula 3 season, he finished just 1 point behind Theo Pourchaire and 4 points behind champion Oscar Piastri. That’s pretty impressive given the fact that those two men are rated very highly in the motorsport world. Overall, having gone over his stats and achievements, I do genuinely think that Sargeant has earned his opportunity to be on the Formula 1 grid. Unfortunately for him, he’s stepping into the slowest car on the grid and that’s really going to limit his chances to shine.
P19: Alex Albon
Alexander Albon proved last season why he is so much better than what he showed during his time with Red Bull. Alex’s achievements so far include finishing third in the 2014 Eurocup Formula 2.0 championship, second in GP3 in 2016 and third in F2 in 2018. I find all of those achievements really impressive given the fact that Nyck de Vries won the 2014 Eurocup Formula 2.0 title, Charles Leclerc win the 2016 GP3 title and George Russell won the 2018 F2 title (Lando finished second). In terms of his Formula 1 career, Alex has driven in 60 races and he’s achieved 2 podiums. Albon’s highest championship finish was 7th place back in 2020. Overall, I really like Alex Albon, I think he’s a really good racing driver, but like Logan, his car just isn’t quick enough for him to consistently finish in the points.
P18: Yuki Tsunoda
This almost feels like a now-or-never season for Yuki Tsunoda. Yuki’s achievements so far include finishing third in Japanese F4 in 2017, winning the Japanese F4 Championship a year later and finishing third in his rookie season in Formula 2 back in 2020. I don’t want to take anything away from Yuki’s brilliant F2 season, but I’ve definitely seen stronger fields of drivers in Formula 2. In terms of his Formula 1 career, Yuki has driven in 44 races and he’s scored a total of 44 points. Tsunoda’s highest championship finish was 14th place back in 2021. Overall, I think this will be Yuki Tsunoda’s last season in Formula 1. I think Yuki will have another tough season in 2023 and it definitely won’t be helped by the fact that I don’t expect his car to be particularly good. It then becomes even more unlikely that he keeps his seat at Alpha Tauri if he loses to Nyck de Vries, particularly given the fact that there is so much talent in the Red Bull Junior Programme.
P17: Zhou Guanyu
Zhou Guanyu enters his second season in Formula 1 looking to build from a positive first season. Zhou’s achievements so far include finishing second in the 2015 Italian F4 Championship, third in the 2021 FIA Formula 2 Championship and winning the F3 Asian Championship, also in 2021. Solid achievements, but also not the most exciting. In terms of his Formula 1 career, Zhou has driven in 22 races and he’s scored 6 points. Zhou’s highest championship finish was P18 last season. Overall, I like Zhou, I think he did a great job proving people wrong last year. However, I don’t think Alfa Romeo are going to be particularly competitive this season and that will once again hurt Zhou Guanyu. However, maybe the biggest question of all is if he will be driving for Sauber in 2024.
P16: Nyck de Vries
Nyck de Vries finally gets the opportunity that he has been waiting for, for a very long time. Nyck’s achievements so far include winning both the 2014 Eurocup Renault Formula 2.0 and Formula Renault 2.0 Alps championships, finishing third in the 2015 Formula Renault 3.5 series, winning the 2019 FIA Formula 2 Championship and winning the 2021 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. I think it’s fair to say that Nyck has had a pretty good career! Last year, Nyck got his chance in Formula 1 when he replaced Alex Albon who was suffering from appendicitis. He seized the opportunity perfectly by scoring 2 points which have seen him earn his way onto the grid in 2023. Overall, Nyck de Vries has been one of my favourite racing drivers for a long time. I’m so happy and glad that he finally gets his chance at a full-time F1 seat. Unfortunately, I don’t think Alpha Tauri are going to give him the car that’s going to be able to fight for regular points finishes. Beating Yuki Tsunoda would be a successful first season for de Vries.
P15: Valtteri Bottas
Valtteri Bottas will want to replicate his first half of last season for the entirety of this season. Valtteri’s achievements include finishing third in the 2007 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC Championship, winning the championship the following season as well as Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, finishing third in Formula 3 Euro Series in both 2009 and 2010 and winning GP3 back in 2011. He actually beat Daniel Ricciardo and Antonio Felix da Costa to the titles in 2008 and they certainly aren’t weak racing drivers! In terms of his Formula 1 career, Valtteri has achieved 10 race wins, 20 pole positions and 67 podiums. Bottas’ highest championship finish was second place in both the 2019 and 2020 Formula 1 season. Overall, Bottas has shown his ability (particularly in qualifying), but Alfa Romeo were so bad in the second half of last season that I’m a bit worried for him. I would be surprised if Bottas calls it quits at the end of the year though.
P14: Kevin Magnussen
This feels like a big year in Kevin Magnussen’s career. Kevin’s achievements include winning the 2007 Danish Formula Ford Championship, finishing 2nd in the 2009 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC Championship, finishing third in German Formula 3 in 2010, finishing second in the 2011 British Formula 3 Championship and winning the 2013 Formula Renault 3.5 Series. He beat both Stoffel Vandoorne and Antonio Felix da Costa to the title in 2013 which is impressive given the fact that both men have gone on to become Formula E Champions. In terms of his Formula 1 career, K-Mag has achieved 1 pole position and 1 podium in 141 races. Magnussen’s highest championship finish was 9th in 2018. Overall, I thought K-Mag did a good job in his first season back at the pinnacle of motorsport. However, there’s now pressure on Magnussen’s shoulders as he can’t really afford to be beaten by his new teammate Nico Hulkenberg.
P13: Nico Hulkenberg
Nico Hulkenberg returns to a full-time Formula 1 seat after three years on the sidelines. Nico’s achievements include winning the 2005 Formula BMW ADAC title, the 2006-07 A1 title, finishing third in the Formula 3 Euro Series in 2007, winning the same championship in 2008 and winning the 2009 GP2 Series title. Pretty good junior career and he also won the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans race! In terms of his Formula 1 career, Nico has achieved 1 pole position and 521 points. Hulkenberg’s highest championship finish was 7th place in 2018. Overall, I am intrigued to see how the Hulk gets on this season. When it was first announced that Nico would be driving for Haas in 2023, I wasn’t impressed. However, if you take out his 2019 season where he struggled quite a bit, he’s had a really good, consistent career in the midfield. That’s the reason why I’ve got him finishing ahead of his teammate and top of the lower field.
P12: Lance Stroll
Lance Stroll enters 2023 aiming for his most consistent season in Formula 1. Lance’s achievements include winning the 2014 Italian F4 Championship, the 2015 Toyota Racing Series and the 2016 FIA Formula 3 European Championship. His FIA Formula 3 European Championship win was particularly impressive as he won nearly half of the races and finished some 243 points ahead of someone you might have heard of in George Russell (George finished third in the championship)! In terms of his Formula 1 career, Lance has achieved 1 pole position and 3 podiums. Stroll’s highest championship finish was P11 back in 2020. Overall, I do think Lance will have a positive season. I expect (and hope) that Aston Martin will be fighting with Alpine and McLaren this year and I think Lance will be forced to step up his game so he doesn’t get completely destroyed by Fernando Alonso.
P11: Oscar Piastri
Oscar Piastri finally gets his opportunity to show why there is so much hype around him. Oscar’s achievements so far include finishing second in the 2017 British F4 Championship, winning Formula Renault Eurocup in 2019, FIA Formula 3 in 2020 and FIA Formula 2 in 2021. 3 titles in back-to-back-to-back years is pretty damn impressive. However, Oscar was forced to sit on the sidelines in 2022 as Alpine’s reserve driver and after a lot of madness occurred with Alpine, Piastri finds himself driving for McLaren in 2023. Overall, I am so excited to see how Piastri gets on this season. I think Oscar will do well so that’s not the reason why I have him this low. The reason I have him finishing 11th in the championship is that I think McLaren will be the 5th fastest and sometimes even the 6th fastest car this season. Also, he hasn’t raced properly for over a year so it’s definitely going to take him a few rounds to get up to speed.
P10: Pierre Gasly
Pierre Gasly finally steps away from the Red Bull Family as he embarks on a new chapter of his career with Alpine. Pierre’s achievements include finishing third in the 2011 French F4 Championship, winning the 2013 Formula Renault Eurocup 2.0 Championship, finishing second in the 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 Series, winning the 2016 GP2 Series and finishing second in Super Formula in 2017. I’m particularly impressed with his 2013 Formula Renault Eurocup 2.0 Championship win as he beat Oliver Rowland, Esteban Ocon, Jake Dennis and Nyck de Vries to the title. In terms of his Formula 1 career, Pierre has achieved 1 race win and 3 podiums. Gasly’s highest championship finish was P17 in 2019. Overall, this is a big year for Pierre Gasly. He’s no longer got the pressure of Red Bull on his shoulders, but he will want to make a statement by beating his teammate this season. I think it’s more important that Pierre performs on a much higher level than last season though.
P9: Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso is looking to prove to everyone why he made the switch to Aston Martin. Fernando’s achievements include winning Euro Open by Nissan in 1999, 24 Hours of Le Mans twice (2018 and 2019) and the 2018/19 FIA World Endurance Championship. There’s also the small fact that Fernando won both the 2005 and 2006 Formula 1 World Championships! In terms of his Formula 1 career, Fernando has achieved two world titles, 32 race wins, 22 pole positions and 98 podiums. Overall, I think Fernando Alonso will have a very good first year at Aston Martin. Alonso proved in his two seasons with Alpine that he’s still got it and when you add in the fact that I expect Aston to be right up there in the midfield scrap this season, I think Fernando will fair very well.
P8: Esteban Ocon
Esteban Ocon is fully looking to make Alpine his own team in 2023. Esteban’s achievements include finishing third in the 2013 Formula Renault Eurocup 2.0 championship, winning the 2014 FIA Formula 3 European Championship and the 2015 GP3 Series. That 2014 title saw him finish ahead of a certain Max Verstappen! In terms of his Formula 1 career, Esteban has achieved 1 race win and 2 podium finishes. Ocon’s highest championship finish was 8th in both 2017 and 2022. Overall, Esteban Ocon has proven himself to be one of the top 10 drivers in the world. He consistently performs well and I expect that to continue this season. I also think he’ll come pretty close to finishing 7th in the standings come the end of the season.
P7: Lando Norris
Lando really needs McLaren to start challenging right at the front soon. Lando’s achievements include finishing third in the Ginetta Junior Championship in 2014, winning the MSA Formula Championship in 2015, the Eurocup Renault Formula 2.0, Formula Renault 2.0 NEC and the Toyota Racing series all in 2016, the FIA Formula 3 European Championship in 2017 and finishing second in the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship. It’s pretty clear that this guy is talented! In terms of his Formula 1 career, Lando has achieved 1 pole position and 6 podiums. His highest championship finish was P6 in 2021. Overall, I think Lando Norris has the talent to become World Champion someday. That’s honestly the reason why I’ve put him to finish best of the rest because I don’t think the McLaren will be the fourth fastest car this season. However, Norris has shown that he can get the most out of the car and then some.
P6: Sergio Perez
Now, this is where it gets controversial! Sergio’s achievements include winning the 2007 British Formula 3 International Series National Class title and finishing second in the 2010 GP2 Series. In terms of his Formula 1 career, Checo has achieved 4 race wins, 1 pole position and 26 podiums. Perez’s highest championship finish was P3 last season. Overall, I think Sergio Perez is an excellent racing driver. However, I think there will be a lot of tension at Red Bull this season and I think he could be a good 160-200 points behind his teammate come the end of the season and I expect the Ferrari’s and the Mercedes’ to be within that gap. Also, I think Checo will lose his seat at Red Bull because of everything that happens this season and he will end up retiring because he has no interest in going to the back of the field. I hope I’m wrong because he’s a great driver.
P5: Carlos Sainz
Carlos Sainz enters his third year with Ferrari hoping to finish higher than 5th in the championship. Carlos’ achievements include finishing second in Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, winning the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC Championship (both in 2011) and winning the 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 Series. He beat Pierre Gasly to the title in 2014. In terms of his Formula 1 career, Carlos has achieved 1 race win, 3 pole positions and 15 podiums. Sainz’s highest championship finish was P5 in both of his two seasons with Ferrari (2021 and 2022). Overall, I think Carlos is a super racing driver who is capable of beating anyone on his day. However, I don’t think the Ferrari will be as competitive as it was last season which will hurt him, but I do think he will be closer to his teammate, particularly in the championship standings.
P4: Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc is hoping that this will be the year that he finally becomes World Champion. Charles’ achievements include finishing second in the 2014 Formula Renault 2.0 Alps Championship and winning both the 2016 GP3 and the 2017 Formula 2 Championships. He beat a certain Alex Albon to the GP3 title in 2016 whilst he won the Formula 2 title by 72 points! In terms of his Formula 1 career, Charles has achieved 5 race wins, 18 pole positions and 24 podiums. Leclerc’s highest championship finish was second place last season. Overall, Charles Leclerc has shown himself to be one of the best racing drivers in the world and in my opinion, the best qualifier in the world. However, he ended up falling a long way short of Max Verstappen last year and I can’t really see a world in which he challenges for the title this year. It will get even harder for Charles if Mercedes turn up to Bahrain with a championship-contending car.
P3: Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton is looking to bounce back from arguably his worst-ever season in Formula 1. Lewis’ achievements include finishing third in the 2002 Formula Renault UK Championship, winning the title a year later, becoming the Formula 3 Euro Series champion in 2005 and winning the GP2 Series title in 2006. You then can add in the fact that he’s a 7-time Champion of the World! In terms of his Formula 1 career, Lewis has achieved 103 race wins, 103 pole positions and 191 podiums. For context, he’s first in all of those categories. Overall, I expect Lewis will have a much more competitive car underneath him this season and I think he will definitely get win 104, 105 and maybe more by the end of the season. However, I still think the Mercedes won’t be competitive enough to fight with Max Verstappen and also, his teammate’s pretty damn good.
P2: George Russell
George Russell is aiming to fully cement himself as Mercedes’ Number 1 Driver going forward. George’s achievements include winning the 2014 BRDC Formula 4 Championship, finishing third in the 2016 FIA Formula 3 European Championship and winning both the 2017 GP3 and 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championships. His back-to-back Junior Formula titles were particularly impressive as he convincingly beat Jack Aitken in 2017 and Lando Norris, Alex Albon and Nyck de Vries in 2018. In terms of his Formula 1 career, George has achieved 1 race win, 1 pole position and 9 podiums. Russell’s highest championship finish was P4 last year. Overall, I think George Russell is in the top 5, maybe even in the top 3 drivers in the world category. He’s so quick and his best attribute is his consistency. I don’t think he’ll be able to win the world championship this year, but I certainly think he is going to be the next new World Champion and that’s also the reason why I’ve got him finishing ahead of his teammate for a second successive year.
P1: Max Verstappen
In 2023, I expect Max Verstappen to become a 3-time Champion of the World! Max’s achievements include finishing third in the 2014 FIA European Formula 3 Championship and winning both the 2021 and 2022 Formula 1 World Championships. In terms of his Formula 1 career, Max has achieved 35 wins, 20 pole positions and 77 podiums. Overall, I fully expect Max to win the championship this year. He was on another level last season and it’s going to take something crazy to stop him from winning his third successive title. I’ll also through in the fact that I think Max will win the title in Maxico (Mexico City) and he’ll win 13 races over the course of the 2023 season (he won 15 last season).
The Constructors’ Championship:
P10: Williams
Williams are a historic sports team, let alone a Formula 1 team, but that isn’t going to help them move any further up the grid. Williams have finished bottom of the championship in 4 of the last 5 seasons and I can only see that moving up to 5 in the last 6 seasons unfortunately. I just can’t see Williams bringing out a competitive car, but if they do, they could certainly challenge for more points than last year as they’ve got a solid driver lineup.
P9: Alpha Tauri
Alpha Tauri are hoping that they can move back up the field in 2023, but I don’t see that happening. I don’t think Yuki Tsunoda is going to be the man to take them back into the midfield fight whilst Nyck de Vries is a rookie for 2023. Also, I don’t actually think Alpha Tauri will even deliver a car that’s really competitive enough in the first place.
P8: Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo had an amazing 2022 season when you look at where they finished in the championship, but when you look at their results over the course of the season, there’s reason to be concerned if you’re Alfa Romeo. After the first 10 rounds of last season, Alfa had scored 51 points. They then went on to score 4 points in the remaining 12 rounds as they just held onto 6th in the Constructors Championship. I just can’t see them having a good year and that’s definitely not the fault of the drivers.
P7: Haas
I think Haas are going to have a pretty positive 2023 season. Haas finished 8th last season (two places higher than 2021) and even though they only scored 3 points in the whole of the second half of the season, I think they will move up the grid. One of the reasons for this is that I don’t personally think the teams below them are very good. However, another one of the reasons is they now have two drivers who are very capable of picking up points when given the opportunity. In their seven-year history, Haas have only finished in the top 7 of the championship once (5th in 2018) so this could be a pretty historic season for them.
P6: Aston Martin
I’m an Aston Martin fan and I can safely say that their first two years in green have been mediocre at best. They were pretty awful for the first half of last season, but a big positive was how they managed to climb up the standings in the second half of the season and they only missed out on a 6th place finish by 1 point. Also, Aston finished in the points in 15 different races last season and that’s only a couple of times less than McLaren. The Silverstone-based team has always competed right at the front of the midfield and with all the money that’s being invested and Fernando Alonso now being aboard the ship, it just feels like they are going places.
P5: McLaren
McLaren enter 2023 with a more balanced lineup than what they had in 2022. However, I’m not so sure that McLaren will have the 4th fastest car this year and at times, I see it being the 6th quickest. McLaren does have Lando Norris and he will definitely put McLaren in a great position to fight, but the big question surrounds Oscar Piastri. If Piastri is as good as Norris, McLaren will finish 4th. However, that feels really unlikely and I just think they’ll miss out on P4 again.
P4: Alpine
Alpine definitely did a good job in 2022 and that showed with their 4th-place finish in the Constructors Championship. Alpine also finished in the points in 19 of the 22 races last season and that was mainly down to just how quick the car was. However, a slight concern with Alpine was their poor reliability. However, I expect that to improve this season and even though Fernando Alonso is no longer with the team, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly is a really strong lineup and I do expect Alpine to come out on top as the best of the rest in Formula 1.
P3: Ferrari
Ferrari had a very strong car last season and they should’ve finished a lot closer to Red Bull than they did. I do believe that the hiring of Frederic Vasseur will help them iron out some of the stupid strategy errors that they committed last season, but that doesn’t mean he can stop reliability issues and crashes. In the end though, the main reason why I think Ferrari are going to drop back down to third in the Constructors Standings is that I expect Mercedes to be much more in the fight in 2023.
P2: Mercedes
Mercedes didn’t win 8 consecutive Constructors Championship titles if they weren’t a good team. Mercedes did have an off-year last year, but I think they will definitely correct it this season. Mercedes were definitely the third-fastest car for most of the season and they were probably closer to the midfield battle than the front runners for most of last year. However, they can take massive positives with the fact they only finished 39 points behind Ferrari in the standings last year. I even think Mercedes will have an outside shot of winning the Constructors Championship going into Abu Dhabi!
P1: Red Bull Racing
Red Bull absolutely destroyed the competition last season, winning 17 of the 22 races and finishing 205 points clear of Ferrari at the top of the Constructors table. They’ve got such a good car and it’s going to take something special to beat them. However, I do think it will be tight this season in the Constructors Championship fight because of issues within the team. I expect both Red Bull drivers to collide and take one another out of at least 1 race this season and I also think Perez is going to be so far off his teammate again, there’s potential that Mercedes could sneak in and steal the Constructors title back. However, I think Red Bull will have enough to secure their second consecutive Double World Championships!
Comments