Reflections on the 2023 F1 Season: Key Insights and Milestones

A comprehensive look at the notable achievements, records, and statistics from the F1 campaign of 2023

As we eagerly anticipate the upcoming 2024 F1 season, it’s insightful to revisit the notable happenings and milestones of the past year. F1Technical’s senior writer, Balázs Szabó, provides a thorough analysis, uncovering key facts, statistics, and trivia that defined the 2023 championship.

1. Max Verstappen’s Dominance:

• Verstappen set a new benchmark, amassing 19 wins in 2023, surpassing his own record of 15 wins in 2022.
• His 86.3% win rate across 22 events broke Alberto Ascari’s longstanding record from 1952.

2. Pole Positions Battle:

• Verstappen secured pole position in 12 events, overshadowing competitors.
• Charles Leclerc took five poles, while Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz each claimed two.

3. Introduction of Rookie Drivers:

• Logan Sargeant and Oscar Piastri made their grand prix debut in 2023.
• Piastri showcased improvement, finishing ninth in the Drivers’ Championship, while Sargeant faced challenges.

4. Closely Matched Teams:

• Pierre Gasly’s move to Alpine didn’t lead to intense intra-team conflicts with Esteban Ocon; both finished closely in 11th and 12th positions.
• Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu mirrored this closeness, ending the year 15th and 18th with only four points separating them.

5. Verstappen’s Records:

• Verstappen’s 10 consecutive victories and 1003 laps spent in the lead set new records.
• His overall point tally of 575 points exceeded his own record from the 2022 season.

6. Fastest Laps and Pole Positions:

• Verstappen’s nine fastest laps in a season paralleled Mika Häkkinen’s achievement in 2000.
• Despite securing 12 pole positions, Verstappen is yet to break Sebastian Vettel’s record of 15 in a single season.

7. Weather and Longest Stints:

• Variations in weather conditions were observed, with Austin being the hottest and Zandvoort the coolest race.
• McLaren’s Oscar Piastri stood out for his incredibly long stint in Jeddah, covering 302.5 kilometers on a single set of C2 tires.

8. Tyre Stats:

• Throughout the 22 Grands Prix, Pirelli’s F1 tyres covered nearly eight times around Earth’s circumference.
• A total of 307,925.8 kilometers were traveled over 60,473 laps by 6,847 sets of tyres.

9. Fastest Tyre Change Record:

• McLaren set a new world record for the fastest tyre change at the Qatar Grand Prix, completing it in a remarkable 1.80 seconds.

As we turn the page to the 2024 season, these insights from 2023 offer a retrospective glance at the dynamic world of F1.

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