F1 2023

[Clarke B]

Ultimately all the teams have to step up....they have been dealt a severe hammering by Red Bull. Did RB make significant mistakes ? Mercedes and Ferrari made mistakes pretty much every weekend, Aston Martin gave up on car development in the summer and McLaren started so dreadfully they were playing catch up. Saying that the gulf between Verstappen and Perez is frightening....I just cannot see Danny Ric doing any better....I would rather see a young driver like Tsunoda or Lawson given the seat but RB have previous for destroying talent.

I do worry about the young talent coming through, Doohan, Pourchaire, Drugovich deserve promotion whilst Stroll and Sergeant continue to waste their highly paid chance. Hulkenberg, Magnusson etc have had their time....let's bring some new blood through. Least Oliver Bearman is the new British hope - hope Ferrari give him a chance.

There are more safety cars/red flags these days so cars rarely lap the majority of the field like the (supposedly good ol' days).

Oh and I went to only 1 GP all season and it's one where Max didn't win ! Roll on March 2024!

 

[Brussels Bureaucrat]

There are more safety cars/red flags these days so cars rarely lap the majority of the field like the (supposedly good ol' days).

This is a really good point - weirdly F1 has never been so closely matched, it's just that Verstappen's freakish brilliance has coincided with an Adrian Newey special, in an era of bulletproof reliability. I think all of us who've been watching F1 for a few decades are prone to a bit of sepia-tintedness, but do we really want to go back to the days of Damon Hill winning the Australian Grand Prix by two laps?

It is never good to see one driver win 19 races in a season. But I do think the battle behind him has been pretty good. McLaren's rise from nowhere was extraordinary, as was Aston Martin's excellent first half of the season (no thanks to Stroll Jr). It's encouraging to see Albon's Williams continue to make progress. Hopefully Mercedes and Ferrari will be closer next year, although you do feel that Ferrari's hopeless strategy calls will continue to sabotage one of the best driver pairings around.

 

[Clarke B]

BB, what are your thoughts on Lando Norris ? I want to him to succeed so much.....he just makes mistakes or has bad luck at the wrong moments....a little like David Coulthard used to (although DC had periods in great cars). I think Piastri will be hot on his heels next season....what a great driver line up they have !

 

[Brussels Bureaucrat]

BB, what are your thoughts on Lando Norris ? I want to him to succeed so much.....he just makes mistakes or has bad luck at the wrong moments....a little like David Coulthard used to (although DC had periods in great cars). I think Piastri will be hot on his heels next season....what a great driver line up they have !

He's outstanding isn't he. Made absolute mincemeat of Ricciardo. No doubt he's title material in my book, although whether he'll ever have the machinery is another question. I half wonder if Verstappen might do a Cantona and walk away in his prime - if he does, Norris would be the obvious replacement.

Piastri is clearly the real deal. What a rookie season - probably the best since Max Verstappen's.

 

[Argylegames]

What's the deal with you and Hamilton?

Basically, since he was robbed of the championship the GOAT has not pressed the pedal to the metal - he has lost it and it irritates me that he won't accept it and quit. He's doing a Graham Hill and not giving enough effort. He needs to step up again or quit, or his team need to boot him out and get a young driver in who WILL press the pedal to the metal and keep it there. He's lost his bottle IMO.

 

[Brussels Bureaucrat]

Basically, since he was robbed of the championship the GOAT has not pressed the pedal to the metal - he has lost it and it irritates me that he won't accept it and quit. He's doing a Graham Hill and not giving enough effort. He needs to step up again or quit, or his team need to boot him out and get a young driver in who WILL press the pedal to the metal and keep it there. He's lost his bottle IMO.

You keep saying this but there's absolutely nothing to back it up. In 2022 and '23 he's been in a vastly inferior car to the Red Bulls, and there have been times this year that Mercedes has been probably the fourth quickest car on the grid. Which young driver do you have in mind that would have finished miles clear as best of the rest this year? His brilliant teammate Russell didn't.

Don't suppose you saw his pole lap at the Hungaroring this year?

 

[Quinny]

Basically, since he was robbed of the championship the GOAT has not pressed the pedal to the metal - he has lost it and it irritates me that he won't accept it and quit. He's doing a Graham Hill and not giving enough effort. He needs to step up again or quit, or his team need to boot him out and get a young driver in who WILL press the pedal to the metal and keep it there. He's lost his bottle IMO.

Nope. Red Bull have one major advantage over every other team: Adrian Newey. No designer in the modern era of Formula One has come close to him in understanding how to understand the regulations and build a championship winning car around those regs. He did it with Williams for 6 seasons (1992-1994, 1996-1998), McLaren (1998), and now Red Bull (2010-2013, 2022-23). Hamilton can't come close because his car is a dog compared to the Red Bull.

Edit: and there were two seasons where his cars didn't win the Constructor's Championship, but their drivers went on to win the Drivers' Championship: Hakkinen in 1999, and Max (obvs) in 2021.

 

[Brussels Bureaucrat]

Nope. Red Bull have one major advantage over every other team: Adrian Newey. No designer in the modern era of Formula One has come close to him in understanding how to understand the regulations and build a championship winning car around those regs. He did it with Williams for 6 seasons (1992-1994, 1996-1998), McLaren (1998), and now Red Bull (2010-2013, 2022-23). Hamilton can't come close because his car is a dog compared to the Red Bull.

Edit: and there were two seasons where his cars didn't win the Constructor's Championship, but their drivers went on to win the Drivers' Championship: Hakkinen in 1999, and Max (obvs) in 2021.

Has there ever been such a long-term sporting reign of dominance to compare with Newey? He's been at it longer than Sir Alex Ferguson was at Man Utd, albeit with different teams. It is genuinely remarkable.