F1's winners halfway into 2023
The ongoing break is the perfect opportunity to analyse who’s had a good year so far.
Despite Red Bull and Max Verstappen reigning supreme in F1 this year, there’s been no shortage of competition behind them.
Mercedes, Aston Martin, and Ferrari - and more recently, McLaren - were regular podium contenders in the first half of the year. Meanwhile, just eight points separate Williams, Haas, Alfa Romeo and AlphaTauri for the bottom four places in the championship. In short, the teams behind Red Bull are competing in an ultra competitive environment - and some have flourished more than others.
These are my picks for the drivers and teams who’ve been winners so far this season.
Oscar Piastri
The young Australian rookie has done exactly what was expected of him in his debut season: be there or thereabouts for McLaren when it mattered. Back in Silverstone, when McLaren suddenly thrust themselves to the pointy end of the F1 field, Piastri was always on the pace and played a valuable rear-gunner role for his more experienced teammate, Lando Norris. By the time we got to Spa, Piastri was the stronger of the two McLaren drivers. For him to be rivalling Norris in just his maiden season is a superb achievement that I think has been hugely underappreciated.
Alex Albon
The Williams driver has been one of the best midfield drivers of 2023. Points are harder to come by this year, but when two big opportunities were presented to him in Canada and Britain, Albon seized both. The Canada result, where he finished 7th, was by far his most impressive, as he deployed superb defensive driving to fend off several faster cars. Because of Albon, Williams has a decent shot at finishing 7th in this year’s championship, ahead of Alfa Romeo, Haas and AlphaTauri. If they pull it off, it would be their best championship result since 2017.
Fernando Alonso
Alonso has not featured prominently in recent races, but he makes this list because of his performances early on. Plus, he hasn’t been bad recently, Aston Martin has just slipped back. When 2023 began, you would’ve put money on Alonso to be the man to beat Red Bull, if anyone could. He was often the fastest driver behind Verstappen or Perez - and he’s netted six Grand Prix podiums this year, more than any other non-Red Bull driver. Also, Alonso has been leaps and bounds ahead of teammate Lance Stroll, whose best finish is only one 4th-place.
Nico Hulkenberg
If there’s one man who keeps shining consistently in qualifying this year, it’s Nico Hulkenberg. Despite the Haas car not being a frontrunner, Hulkenberg has started in the top ten seven times this year. His unfortunate problem is the Haas car struggles throughout races, which means his superb starting positions often don’t lead to points. Still, that’s more down to the car than the man. Over one lap, Hulkenberg is consistently extracting the maximum - and then some.
Red Bull and Max Verstappen
You can’t really have a winners list without mentioning the team that has won every race this year and the man who could single-handily lead the Constructors’ Championship. Early in the year, Sergio Perez was confident he could fight with Verstappen for the 2023 title, but it was clearly wishful thinking. Verstappen has won the last eight races and has barely put a foot wrong the whole year. What we’re seeing this year at Red Bull is a phenomenal level of performance from both team and driver.
McLaren
McLaren make this list because they’ve rescued their season. They were not winners early on, but the last four races have been exceptional. McLaren now look to have leapfrogged Alpine, Ferrari and Aston Martin in the pecking order - placing themselves neck-and-neck with Mercedes. Their leap back to the front has arguably been even more impressive than the one made by Aston Martin last winter.
Mercedes
Mercedes probably wouldn’t call themselves winners, but they’re worth a mention because they are 2nd in the constructors’ championship. That didn’t look possible when the season began, but they’ve achieved it thanks to dogged consistency.