Opinion: Top 5 Drivers of F1 2023 So Far

As we go into the Dutch Grand Prix week, we can finally say goodbye to the Summer Break and hello to "Race Week!" However, before that, I wanted to take one more look at the first half of the season and decide which 5 drivers have been the most impressive so far in 2023.

As we're all well aware, this season has, so far, been dominated by the reigning World Champion; Max Verstappen and his Red Bull team. But, here and there, there have been some impressive performances, from others, up and down the grid. But who would I say has impressed me the most? Let's find out.

Max Verstappen

This one may be an obvious choice but I couldn't emit Verstappen from this list. As mentioned before, he has had a dominate first half of the season, breaking numerous, long-standing records and winning ten out of the twelve available wins, to date. Of course, people could, and will, argue that he has the best car, and there's no denying it - he does, but he's also showing an extraordinary talent to go with it. Why else is his teammate so far behind him? Perez is a decent driver, but Verstappen is on another level. In 2023, Red Bull and Verstappen are an unstoppable force and are on course for another World Championship win. Can anyone stop him?

Fernando Alonso

With two World Championships to his name, Alonso has always been considered as one of the most all around drivers in F1 history. However, since leaving Ferrari back in 2014, he had only scored one podium -Qatar 2021; but that was before the start of this season. In 2023, with a new team and a new car around him, Alonso has managed to put his Aston Martin on the podium six times, with four 3rd places and two 2nd places, while denying his teammate; Lance Stroll, of any. In fact, what's also impressive, but maybe unsurprising, is how Alonso has "destroyed" his teammate so far in 2023, by scoring over 100 points more than Stroll in the first half of the season. However, with teams, such as McLaren, making constant improvements; can Alonso score anymore podiums, or even a win, during the remainder of the season?

Alexander Albon

Although he currently sits 13th in the World Drivers Championship, with only 11 points to his name; Alex Albon has shown a great improvement over the course of 2023. And, what makes it even more impressive is that he's doing it in a Williams - a car that is way off the pace and has failed to hand his teammate; Logan Sargeant, a single point in 2023. It is true that Albon has masses of experience compared to Sargeant, but when the Thai driver manages to keep the faster cars of, for example, the Alpine of Ocon and Aston Martin of Stroll, behind him (Canada 2023), you know you're on to something special. That may be why during the Summer Break, Albon was declared as "F1's Most Wanted Man," with top teams reportedly lined up to take him on.

Oscar Piastri

Piastri is, undoubtedly, the standout rookie of the season, so far. In fact, some of his performances have been so "stellar," you'd be forgiven in thinking that he was a seasoned Formula One driver. As we know, McLaren had a difficult start to the season, but once the upgrades came, both drivers were coming on in leaps and bounds. And, despite Lando Norris' two podiums for the team in 2023, it's Piastri who stands out for me. He is a rookie placing a McLaren 3rd and 4th in qualifying at Silverstone and Hungary, respectively, followed by a 2nd place in the Sprint Shootout qualifying and Sprint Race in Spa. As McLaren continue to better themselves, will we be seeing Piastri at the front of the field more often?

Lewis Hamilton

Since the introduction of the new regulations in 2022, Hamilton and Mercedes have struggled to get their feet off the ground. But, in the first half of 2023, with a better understanding of the new regulations and with a driver of Hamilton's caliber, he has surely made his claim as one of the most consistent drivers on the grid, scoring in every race that has been and gone, so far. Four of those have even been podiums, and have helped to give the Brit a nearly 50-point advantage over his teammate. Obviously, as a 7 time World Champion, we know what Hamilton is capable of. But, after last year, it's nice to see him back in a better position.

So, there we have it. My Top 5 Drivers in F1 2023, so far. This year, this list has been relatively easy to make, with not many stand out performances, to date. However, I do want to mention Lando Norris' podiums, Esteban Ocon's 3rd place in Monaco and Carlos Sainz's consistency as things that would have got them onto this list. But, at the end of the day I could only pick 5.

I'm intrigued to know my thoughts at the end of the season, as to whether this list will stay the same. But, until then, we've got a whole lot of racing to do!

Tell me, what are you thoughts? Who would make your Top 5? Let me know in the comments below!

Formula 2: Pourchaire vs Vesti - Who Will Come Out On Top?

With only three race weekends left in the 2023 Formula 2 calendar, the championship battle seems to be heating up with ART Grand Prix's Théo Pourchaire and Prema Racing's Frederik Vesti as the two emerging Championship contenders. And no, this isn't "de ja vu." Pourchaire is really in the title fight for a second year in a row. But, can he succeed where he didn't in 2022? Or can his ex-teammate, Vesti, show him how it's done?

After finishing as runner up in 2022, Pourchaire came into the 2023 season as the championship favourite. And, with a dominate first weekend in Bahrain, the Frenchman proved he had already gotten one hand on this year's championship trophy. However from there, things got a little bit sketchy with a string of retirements and pointless finishes. This didn't stop Pourchaire from regaining his form, however, with the ART driver saying that he is "in a lot better position than last year." He has since gone on to have an extremely consistent season to date, scoring points in every round bar the Austrian Sprint Race. Consistency - that's what has given him the championship lead. He may only have one win and a handful of podiums to his name in 2023, but you can't deny the fact that he is turning into one of the most consistent drivers in modern day Formula 2; a quality that Pourchaire has indeed noticed himself by commenting; "in qualifying, I’m better. In the races, I’m more consistent." The big question now is can he keep up the consistency for the remainder of the season? Or, will he need to bag a few more wins to really get one step ahead of Vesti? Regardless, Pourchaire is a strong racing driver and after finding himself in the same position as last year, surely he has the advantage of experience over his rival to take this one.

And, then there's Frederik Vesti. Ironically, the man that raced alongside Pourchaire at ART in 2022. However, while Pourchaire was battling it out with eventual champion; Felipe Drugovich, Vesti experienced a more "sombre" season, finishing on 117 points compared to Pourchaire's 164. But, in 2023, it wasn't just a change of team for the driver from Denmark, but a change in prospect also, with the Prema driver saying: "I think this year I’ve just gone, ‘no regrets.' Like this is my year if I want to make it into Formula One." And sure enough, everything is falling into place, with an outing planned for Vesti and Mercedes F1 Team during FP1 at the 2023 Mexican Grand Prix. Only in his second Formula 2 season, Vesti has, so far, picked up 4 wins and numerous podiums - the most out of any driver. But, it was having to sit on the sidelines for the Spa Feature Race in Belgium, after crashing while on the way to the grid, that has put a dent into the Dane's attempt at winning this season's championship. But regardless, like Pourchaire, Vesti has shown consistency over the course of the season by regularly finishing in the points. The task ahead though is simple. He needs to beat Pourchaire. And, it'll be tough, but I'm sure he'll do everything in his power to try and do just that.

But, it's Pourchaire that currently sits in the pound seat, 12 points ahead of Vesti. It would be easy to argue, that with his (Pourchaire) experience and consistency, he has the championship in the bag. However, Vesti is on a roll and is living proof that one mistake can turn it all upside down. But, let's not forget, the likes of Ayumu Iwasa and Jack Doohan who are sitting nicely in 3rd and 4th respectively, waiting to pick up any pieces. Zandvoort, Monza and Abu Dhabi are going to be race weekends not to miss. I'm looking forward to it. Are you?

F1 Academy: Has it Succeeded Where W Series Failed?

After the abrupt ending to W Series 2022 season, before dissolving completely in 2023; many were sceptical when Formula One announced plans to create it's own all-female racing series - F1 Academy. With it's purpose to help young girls get a better footing on the motorsport ladder, questions were indeed asked as to whether F1 Academy could succeed were W Series failed.

Unlike W Series, F1 Academy is run by the same company that oversees other F1 feeder series, such as Formula 2 and Formula 3, which in itself is already an advantage. However, despite this, there was a large proportion of concern before the first event at the Red Bull Ring in April, due to the lack of televised coverage the series would have going forward compared to it's "sister" series of F2 and F3. Instead, fans would have to settle for live timings or highlights streamed at a later date - something that didn't sit right with a large percentage of the motorsport world. Yet, this could still be another advantage that F1 Academy has over the heavily-marketed W Series.

In this day and age, our day to day lives are heavily influenced by social media which, especially in the motorsport community, can become toxic. Keeping the inaugural F1 Academy season a "low-key" event may help Formula One shape it into the series it wants it to be without the hassle and criticism that comes with social media and media, in general. But, despite that, F1 Academy's social media team has been on it; feeding fans with engaging content from race weekends in an attempt to promote the series the best they can, without the help of live coverage. However, there are some who believe this to be detrimental to the image and following that F1 Academy are trying to build. After all, like with many things, publicity is an important tool to success. Is this why there planning on televising the final round of the season? Regardless, the lack of televised races hasn't deterred fans from keeping up to date with the race results but instead proved that there is a need and a want for this series to be made more accessible. And, we may just get that in 2024 when the series travels alongside the Formula One circus.

But what really gives F1 Academy the chance to differentiate itself from W Series is the fact that teams from F2 and F3 are directly involved, with Campos, MP Motorsport, ART Grand Prix, Rodin Carlin and Prema, all fielding cars and drivers meaning that a transition to one of the feeder series may be more likely on the cards in the near future. And, in 2024, it gets better, with the 10 F1 teams representing one driver each in the F1 Academy field. A landmark moment in raising the awareness, of not just the series, but females in motorsport as a whole.

With the series only part way through it's inaugural season, it's too early to declare it a success compared to it's predecessor; W Series. However, everything is pointing in the right direction for it to become "something." With the backing of Formula One, surely we can witness more females moving up the motorsport ladder. Time will tell. Let's just see how the rest of the inaugural season plays out first.