M. Verstappen is one more time a Formula 1 champion. It is his third world champion title. Verstappen became the first driver since Nelson Piquet in 1987 to be crowned champion on the Saturday of a race weekend. In the F1 sprint, he arrived in second place, and it was enough to guarantee him the world title even before the F1 Qatar race. M. Verstappen has won his 14th race this year, and with five races remaining, he is just one victory shy of equalling his record of 15 victories in a season, set last year. The Red Bull driver showed no signs of slowing down as he dominated the 57-lap race. He stayed ahead of the two McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in second and third positions. They secured their second double podium in as many Grand Prix.
Lando Norris (23) and Oscar Piastri (22) were incredible in the past few races. They both showed solid tactical preparation and used their strengths to their advantage. L. Norris has four races with at least 18 points, and he even broke his record by setting a new season-best – 21 points in Qatar. He stepped on the podium three times in the last three F1 tournaments – two 2nd and one 3rd place. Noting O. Piastri, the racer broke his point’s record twice in the previous two races. He collected 15 points in Japan and a resounding 26 in Qatar. This mark was his season’s best result. His earlier record before the Japan GP and the Qatar GP was 12 points in the British Grand Prix. It was the rookie’s second podium in F1 career. O. Piastri also won the sprint race in the Qatar Grand Prix.
F1 standings
After the last Grand Prix in Qatar, let us take a glance at the TOP 10 driver standings:
- Max Verstappen – 433 (+33) points;
- Sergio Pérez – 224 (+1) points;
- Lewis Hamilton – 194 (+4) points;
- Fernando Alonso – 183 (+9) points;
- Carlos Sainz – 153 (+3) points;
- Charles Leclerc – 145 (+10) points;
- Lando Norris – 136 (+21) points;
- George Russel – 132 (+17) points;
- Oscar Piastri – 83 (+26) points;
- Lance Stroll – 47 (0) points.
Plus/minus shows how many points the racers acquired in the F1 Qatar GP. As mentioned, L. Norris and O. Piastri made the highest jump alongside M. Verstappen. George Russel came in fourth in the race, and that is not too shabby. Mentioning the constructor’s leaderboards – the same success formula applies. The Red Bull Racing constructor’s team has won their second title in a row – sixth in total.
Constructors table:
- Red Bull Racing – 657 (+34) points;
- Mercedes – 326 (+21) points;
- Ferrari – 298 (+13) points;
- Aston Martin – 230 (+9) points;
- McLaren – 219 (+47) points;
- Alpine – 90 (+6) points;
- Williams – 23 (+2) points;
- Alfa Romeo – 16 (+6) points;
- Haas – 12 (0) points;
- AlphaTauri – 5 (0) points.
The most intriguing dilemma is the second position. Ferrari is not far away from Mercedes in the standings, and they still have a chance to catch up to them. McLaren’s impressive form, which saw Piastri win Saturday’s sprint race ahead of Verstappen, means the team is now only 11 points off Aston Martin for fourth place. The battle for positions is essential not only to be higher at the end of the F1 season but also to receive additional prize money that comes with it.
F1 top performers and biggest disappointments
Since the start of the Formula 1 season, the situation has changed massively – S. Perez completely lost his momentum, L. Norris and O. Piastri became brand new favorites and leaders of F1 alongside the champion, but one thing that did not change was that same Belgian-Dutch champion. The racer has spent most of the time in the first position. He also led his constructor’s team to yet another Formula 1 championship. He joined an elite club of three-time title winners, but what makes it even lovelier is the “three in a row” fact. Things were not so sweet for the rest of the crew. L. Hamilton did not win a single race in 2023. C. Leclerc always showed quality, but he finished only once in the TOP 2 spot in the Austrian GP.
L. Hamilton showed stability throughout the campaign. It helps Mercedes to keep the second position in the standings. L. Hamilton only made five podiums in 2023, which is not impressive considering his background and experience. On the other hand, his stability paid dividends because of his constant receival of points. On 71 percent of occasions, he managed to get more than 10 points. His last race in the Qatar GP did not turn out well. Hamilton, who suffered a race-ending incident, received 4 points and repeated his season’s lowest result achieved in the Austrian GP. What we could say is that Austria is not harmful to everyone. For instance, C. Leclerc finished second in his only TOP 2 finish this season, and where did it happen – in the beloved Austria.
M. Verstappen has been on a tear, but the fact that McLaren has two possible future world champions in the MCL60 is strange to note that L. Norris remains without any sort of win in Formula 1. Given his talent – it sounds ridiculous. While Norris’ winning moment will surely come soon, Piastri appears to be on a rapid incline to stardom, which leaves little doubt that McLaren has an enormous chance to compete for Formula 1 titles soon.
F1 strategic popularization procedure in the US, new F1 team
The majority did not realize that the USA would hold three Formula 1 races in 2023. Former American F1 racer Alexander Rossi explained why F1 started to pay more attention to the US market. “They stepped forward so that F1 races play a more important role in every US citizen’s life”, he said. “Remembering that Ferrari and Mercedes are clear favorites in the US market, Formula 1 integration into the US society has been a long-awaited change”, A. Rossi stated. In 2022, F1 races saw a significant growth in media viewership, and the numbers were the highest compared to other seasons. L. Sargeant is the only USA racer in the Formula 1. The 2023 American rookie is the only American since Alexander Rossi battled in this sport.
Logan Sargeant has zero points in this F1 season, which is upsetting because of the fact that L. Norris and O. Piastri are almost the same age. The victories of the first two American F1 champions – Phil Hill in 1961 and Mario Andretti in 1978 should inspire this youngster to comprehend and utilize the experience in further stages of his racing career. Logan is only 22 years old, and he still has time to make himself shine. Two races out of five will take place in the US locations – Texas and Nevada. Everyone’s eyes are on the circuit of Las Vegas. The Las Vegas race will be the penultimate stage of the F1 season.
One more unexpected thing occurred during the Qatar Grand Prix. Andretti’s new team might join Formula 1 next year. If everything goes according to plan – in 2024, we will have the 11th F1 team, but ten other teams have to agree on terms. The problem is that the F1 teams do not want to share one-tenth of their financial pie for it to become one-eleventh. The brand-new organization must add clear value and financial stability. Seventy-five percent of the voters voted that they would like to see Andretti’s new team in Formula 1 competition.
Remaining F1 schedule
With five more F1 tours remaining in 2023, M. Verstappen is already a champion, and the fight for the other positions is active. The Formula 1 season ends on the 26th of November.
Schedule:
Lenovo Grand Prix (USA) – on October 20-22;
Mexico City Grand Prix – on October 27-29;
San Paulo Rolex Grand Prix – on November 3-5;
Las Vegas Heineken Grand Prix – on November 17-19;
Abu Dhabi Etihad Airways Grand Prix – on November 24-26.
Formula 1 Odds
The odds in the last stages of F1 are in favor of M. Verstappen. There is no wonder here, but the fact that Lando Norris (13.00) has an equal chance of winning the USA race as Oscar Piastri (13.00) is astonishing. Sergio Perez (18.00) and George Russel (24.00) are the other two challengers who might have a possibility of winning the USA Grand Prix. After a few Grand Prix tours, everyone’s eyes should be on L. Norris and O. Piastri. Experts believe L. Norris will be in that TOP 3 alongside M. Verstappen and O. Piastri. S. Perez is in the fourth sport – so everything can happen, but with his current form – it is not happening. However, George Russel is the one that might surprise the favorites.
While everybody is betting, L. Hamilton is probably rubbing his hands and waiting for an opportunity to prove everyone wrong. He is in the TOP 6, with a chance of reaching the TOP 5 spot in the race. Mentioning constructors – the wildest thing is that McLaren is a new leader alongside Red Bull. They are above Mercedes and Ferrari. It will be critical for Ferrari to step up if they still believe they can reach second position in the league standings. However, seeing how McLaren has been doing lately – it is logical to bet on them.
Three bold predictions for the rest of the F1 season
Now it is time to make some predictions for the remaining F1 season.
Driver’s final standings prediction:
- Max Verstappen – champion;
- Lewis Hamilton;
- Sergio Pérez.
L. Hamilton will probably overtake S. Perez to rise to the second spot. He is currently in the third position, alongside drivers, with the highest probability of finishing in the TOP 3 at the end of the season. Considering the latest form of the Mexican driver – he will not maintain the pace and his 30-point advantage – 224 against 194.
Constructor’s final standings prediction:
- Red Bull Racing – champion;
- Mercedes;
- Ferrari;
- McLaren;
- Aston Martin.
L. Hamilton’s success will strengthen the position of Mercedes, and Ferrari will stay in the third position. Noting about McLaren – it is likely to overcome Aston Martin. McLaren has been on a tear recently, and it might be enough to surpass Aston Martin for the fourth spot. The difference of 11 points between the two is not much. With five tournaments to go – everything can ensue. Read more about Formula 1 here.