Before the beginning of the 2023 Formula One Season commenced, I did something brave. Very brave. I made a handful of predictions for the season that was ahead of us, and boy, did I make some absolute shockers. Ok, not all was bad. In fact, some were spot on. In this post I am going to be looking back at my, said, predictions and decipher the good from the bad and whether they have any chance of repeating themselves in 2024. Shall we begin?
Let's kick things off with that all important championship. After his performances in 2022, it was hard to think of anyone, bar Max Verstappen, whom would take home the 2023 Championship trophy. And, after a challenge by teammate; Sergio Perez, in the earlier stages of the season, not one driver managed to get close to Verstappen, with the now Triple World Champ breaking numerous records and taking home 19 out of the 22 wins possible. There is no denying that Verstappen has earned his place in the F1 history books, and it's more than likely he could continue with his current performance into 2024 and beyond.
Max Verstappen Will Win His 3rd Consecutive World Championship ✔
My next prediction was something that I have wanted to see happen in Formula One since Fernando Alonso's departure from Ferrari back at the end of 2014. Low and behold, the Spanish drivers fulfills this "prophecy" during the first race of the season in Bahrain.
One of the biggest shocks came in the Winter break, between the 2022 and 2023 seasons, with Alonso announcing a move from Alpine to Aston Martin. Was it a good move? Who knew. After a third place finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix, Alonso and Aston Martin would go onto score a total of eight podiums throughout 2023. However, it's a shame that the car development dropped off in the second half season. Could've we seen a win for the Double World Champ? Unfortunatley, that's something we will never know. Regardless, I can't wait to see more Alonso battles and podiums in the upcoming season. So, get working on that car, Aston Martin!
Fernando Alonso Will Get A Podium ✔
A teammate rivalry is always a happy sight in Formula One. Maybe not for the team involved, but for fans it adds a touch of spice. In 2023, things were on the quieter side, with the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell getting closest in the "who falls out first" battle. There were also slight glimpses of tension down at Ferrari, but nothing fully evolved, in what was probably the preferred outcome with new contracts for both drivers on the horizon. Of course, the likes of social media and journalism create and emphasis pointless drama. But, with things reportedly just touching the sidelines in some teams, could 2024 become explosive?
A New Teammate Rivalry X
Haas. I'm sorry I made a prediction about them, as they endured one of their most difficult seasons to date. In 2023, although the team had a decent driver line up in the form of Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, the race pace failed to materialse, and the team finished last in the constructors standings with a dismal 12 points. If recent seasons are anything to go by, the team start strong before dropping off about a third of the way through. It's a sorry sight and the trend didn't continue, with only 7 points scored between both drivers in the first 3 races. Can they have a better start to 2024? Or, how about a better 2024 in general?
Haas Will Have A Strong Start to the Season X
Williams' 2023 season was nothing more than "bittersweet." With one driver clearly out-performing the car and the other, well, not, the team's finishing position in the championsipship (7th) couldn't be bettered. It's fair to note that driver, Alexander Albon, had a stellar season in a car that wasn't fanatstic, scoring all the team's points bar one. Unfortunatley though, although the team seem to be improving compared to recent years, they're still not quite there, with point finishes few and far between. Standard for the current crop of back markers. If they continue their current upward trend, surely they'll feature in the points on a more regular basis.
Williams Will be Regular Point Scorers X
This prediction started strong and looked to be one that would continue to develop over the course of the season. Luckily for McLaren fans, it didn't. A tough start to the season saw a couple of DNFs and several zero point finishes. However, the team from Woking never gave up and when updates were brought from Silverstone onwards, they became Red Bull's strongest competitor, with both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri proving they are the real deal with the nine podium finishes between them. Not to mention the excellent sprint race results. Could McLaren be the team to take it to Red Bull next year? We NEED more competition!
A Tough Season for McLaren X
As I've already discussed, 2023 was Verstappen and Red Bull's year, with VER winning 19 races and Perez, 2. Carlos Sainz was the only driver, outside of Red Bull, to take home a win. That means there were only 3 winners in 2023, all of whom have won races before. The only drivers that are yet to win that got close are the McLarens of Norris and Piastri. However, Piastri did take the win at the Sprint race in Qatar. Unfortuatley for the rookie, it wasn't the main Grand Prix. I have no doubt that a win is coming for the McLaren duo. Could 2024 be their year?
A First Time Winner X
Shall we just all admit now that our expectations for Nyck de Vries were too high in 2023? With a Formula 2 and Formula E championship under his belt, you can't blame anyone for having such high expectations on him, especially Red Bull who took him on as an Alpha Tauri driver for the season. Unfortunatley, after a string of bad performances, he was dropped and replaced by Daniel Ricciardo. Standard for the Red Bull team. But, with a car that severely under-performed and a driver that failed to score points during his short F1 career; Nyck de Vries is definitely not Rookie of the Year and I would like to apologise to him for jinxing his career with this prediction.
Nyck de Vries: Rookie of the Year X
Well, if there is anything I have learnt from this post is that I am really bad at making predictions. Jinxing, I am good at. Will it stop me from making predictions for the 2024 season? Heck, no. Stay tuned for that one.
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