Lars Leeftink
Wednesday, October 11, 2023 5:17 PM – Last update: 5:19 PM
2023 has proven to be a season in which Red Bull Racing, and especially Max Verstappen, is almost unbeatable. However, with five races to go in the current season, there is still more than enough to fight for besides first place in both championships.
Red Bull has won a total of sixteen races after seventeen races: fourteen with Verstappen and two with Sergio Pérez. Carlos Sainz has been the only driver in 2023 who has been able to prevent Red Bull from being undefeated this season. Red Bull is first and second among the drivers and has a huge lead over Mercedes in the constructors’ championship. Both championships were finally decided over the past two race weekends, so the focus can now be on other duels. There are more than enough of them during the final phase.
Article continues below video
ALSO INTERESTING: Hill responds to Schumacher’s ‘taking of world title’: “Does anyone have Massa’s number?”
Five races
Firstly, there are of course five races and two sprint races that can be won by all drivers. Even though Verstappen will be the favorite during all these races, there is a chance that the Dutchman will have to deal with another bad luck retirement in 2023. That will be the time for the other drivers to strike. A triple header starts next week, which will take the drivers to the United States, Mexico and Brazil. There will then be races in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi in November. The last two sprint races will be held in the United States (Austin) and Brazil.
Records Verstappen
For those who think that Verstappen has nothing left to race for other than victories, things are wrong. The Dutchman can set several F1 records of his own in the coming weeks, starting next weekend. The highest number of points, podium places and victories in a season are a realistic goal for the Dutchman. In terms of victories, he needs two more victories to reach sixteen, which would be an improvement on his own record (15 victories in 2022). In terms of podium places, he also needs three more to reach nineteen podium places, once again improving his own record (18 podium places in 2021). In terms of points, Verstappen now stands at 433 points, while he will have a total of 454 points in 2022. In short: a victory during the next five races is enough to improve his own points record, and therefore also that of Formula 1. These are three records that, given the form of Verstappen and the RB19 in 2023, will normally be improved.
Battle for P2 and P5
In the drivers’ championship, the battle for P2 and P5 in the championship is especially interesting. Pérez is currently in P2 with 224 points, but Lewis Hamilton (194 points) and Fernando Alonso (183 points) are only twenty points and 31 points behind. This is a gap that can easily be closed in five races, with two sprint races.
The battle for P5 is also still quite exciting. Carlos Sainz is currently in that position with 153 points, but Charles Leclerc (145 points), Lando Norris (136 points) and George Russell (132 points) are only eight points, seventeen points and 21 points behind. Oscar Piastri is firmly in P8 with 83 points, but realistically does not seem to be moving up or down in that position.
P10
The battle for the last spot in the top ten is between Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon. Stroll currently has 47 points and is only one point and three points ahead of Gasly and Ocon. Albon has 23 points and, given the car he has at his disposal, seems realistically no longer able to compete for tenth place. It will be little consolation for Stroll at the end of a season that has been disappointing for the Canadian.
P2 – P5 manufacturers
Behind Red Bull Racing, teams two to five barely differ from each other. Mercedes is fairly firmly in control of P2, with 326 points and 28 points ahead of Ferrari. Aston Martin (230 points) and McLaren (219 points) are now fighting for P4 and have had to leave a gap to Mercedes and Ferrari, but McLaren could certainly close this gap given their form. However, Aston Martin has completely lost its form and it seems only a matter of time before they are overtaken by McLaren.
P6 – P10 manufacturers
Finally, P6 to P10 in the championship, especially important for the income of these teams and the time they get in the wind tunnel during the winter. Williams is for now the ‘best of the rest’ with 23 points, actually only thanks to Albon. Alfa Romeo (16 points) and Haas (12 points) are not far behind Williams, but both are not in shape at all. AlphaTauri has been more successful lately, but always ends up just outside the top ten. As a result, it does not collect any points and is still firmly in last place with five points. It needs a miracle in the last five races to move up some places.
2023-10-11 15:18:19
#championship #competition #races
