ABU DHABI.- Red Bull crushed the competition, Mercedes and Ferrari disappointed, while McLaren and Aston Martin in the 2023 F1 season that ended this Sunday in Abu Dhabi.
Red Bull
The Austrian team has closed an almost perfect season with 21 wins in 22 Great prizes, something never seen before. For the first time he achieved the double in the drivers’ classification with the title for the Dutchman Max Verstappen which broke several records, including the number of victories in a season (19), and second place for the Mexican Sergio Perezwho won two Great prizes.
Red Bull has expanded its dominance, which was overwhelming in 2023, compared to its competitors, who had to fight for crumbs. With 860 points, the team has established a new scoring record in the constructors’ classification, leading 451 points over Mercedes/Ferrarian abysmal difference with respect to the first of his pursuers.
Mercedes
The German team probably hoped to have a better season and fight for victory in some races. Second in the constructors classification, has been far from that goal. It is the first time since 2011, a year after his return to F1, that Mercedes ends without registering a victory.
Although he achieved a ‘pole’ in July in Hungarythe seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton He has only been able to make six podiums, with three second places and three third places. The British, who has renewed for two years, has a second year without victory in a Big prize. Your compatriot George Russell He had an even worse season, with only one podium compared to eight last year, when he also achieved a victory.
Ferrari
The Scuderia, which thought it could compete with Red Bull, He’s had a frustrating season. Although it can boast of being the only team that has won a Big prize apart from Red Bullthanks to Spanish Carlos Sainz in Singapore, was unable to maintain second place in the constructors’ standings after a difficult first half of the season.
The Italian team managed to be very fast in the classifications with seven pole positions, of which five for the Monegasque Charles Leclerc, but he lacked pace in the race. However, he greatly reduced strategic errors, which were very numerous last year.
McLaren
The British team had a disastrous start to the season with only 17 points achieved in the first eight races. Then he straightened the course to the point of threatening Red Bull in some Great prizes.
Fifth force last year, McLaren He has managed in extremis to finish fourth this season, scoring many more points than last season (302 compared to 159). He achieved nine podiums, seven for the British Lando Norris and two for the Australian rookie Oscar Piastri. The latter also achieved a sprint victory in Qatar, the only one who did not win Red Bull.
FOUNTAIN: AFP
