That’s right people, I watch other sports besides cage fighting! While I tend to pay less attention to the NBA, NFL, MLB, and even NHL, Formula 1 was a passion of mine even before Drive To Survive turned everybody on.
I figured I’d give this site more obscure sports content, and who knows, maybe we have some F1 fans out there. The 2023 season opener at the Bahrain Grand Prix is two days away, and as we gear up (racing puns are in play) for the year, I’m delivering my early predictions. So without further adieu, let’s jump in!
Red Bull will repeat as double champs (driver and constructors).
If you’re not as tuned into Formula 1, essentially, Red Bull (yes, like the drink) has been a juggernaut. They have the best car in the field by a lot; in it sits the best driver in the world, Max Verstappen.
In Formula 1, there are two championships: one for individual drivers, and one for teams (each team has two cars) called “The Constructors’”. I won’t explain the point system, but basically how each team finishes in a race determines how many points they get, which goes toward the individual drivers as well as the teams.
This is all to say that Red Bull rinsed the field last year winning both the constructors’ and driver championships. Verstappen won 15 races of a possible 23 (a record). He also set the record for most individual points at 454. He was so good that he sealed the championship for himself with nearly two months left in the season.
For those who have no idea what I’m talking about, allow me to put this in NFL terms. Imagine the Kansas City Referees won the Super Bowl in week 15 because there was no way any team could catch them.
Anyway, I suspect Red Bull will continue to dominate for quite some time. Max Verstappen will be a three-time world champion, and Red Bull will cruise to a second consecutive constructors’ championship. It will be reminiscent of Mercedes’s reign with Lewis Hamilton through the 2010s, but a new regime has ascended to power in Red Bull.
It will be tight between Alfa Romeo, Haas, and McLaren; Aston Martin will separate itself.
In Formula 1, there is a special classification for a select few teams teetering on the edge of greatness and disappointment known as “the midfield”. Essentially, it’s a group of three teams that won’t win any championships but have quick cars, consistently finish in the middle of the pack, and jockey all season for a higher standing in The Constructors’.
How teams finish in rankings at year’s end determines their prize money, so the midfield matters a whole lot to teams with less financial security. Haas and Alfa Romeo, who notoriously have tight budgets, can seriously benefit from substantial prize money.
This year, based on pre-season testing, Haas, Alfa Romeo, Alpine, and McLaren all seemed in relatively good shape. Expect these teams to be battling hard for mid-pack positions all year. However, one team set itself apart.
If pre-season testing and initial whispers could be summed up in a sentence, It’d be “watch out for Aston Martin”. After concluding its testing sessions last week in Bahrain ahead of the season opener, Aston Martin ranked 4th according to ESPN.
Some people might look at pre-season testing as an inaccurate indication of how teams will perform in the upcoming season, but Aston Martin wasted no time proving they’re here to play.
As free-practice 2 (FP2) wrapped up on Friday morning for the Bahrain Grand Prix, Aston Martin driver and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso recorded the fastest time of the session. In summary, the car is quick, and if both drivers can maintain form, Aston Martin will separate itself from the midfield.
This will be Lewis Hamilton’s last season (at least with Mercedes)
It brings me no joy to say what I’m about to say.
One: Mercedes doesn’t have as good of a car as it should, and two: Sir Lewis Hamilton might retire at the end of the season, or at least switch teams. While he claims he’ll be around for a while, if Mercedes has another mediocre start to the season, Lewis might not renew his contract for 2024.
According to Sky Sports, “Hamilton says he is committed to Mercedes beyond this year even if the team has the ‘difficult’ 2023 season many expect, insisting there has been no contract ‘hold up’ and that the car will improve.”
Other reports say Lewis may finalize an extension if he performs well this weekend in Bahrain. I say it’s fugazi. This “hold up” also indicates that Mercedes does not have a solid car (right now).
It’ll be interesting to see how the team ends up after weekend one, and if good news is on the horizon for the Mercedes faithful. I, for one, am not convinced.
The rookies will struggle, except Oscar Piastri.
This season adds a few new faces to the field! One reason why people should care is that an American takes the grid for the first time since 2015. However, one rookie will stand out amongst the rest: Oscar Piastri.
The Melbourne-bred racing prodigy has tasted victory from a young age. He was an F3 winner, an F2 winner (by more than 50 points), and now gets his opportunity in an F1 race car. Piastri charged up the junior single-seater staircase to loudly knock on the F1 door rather than just climbing it.
It’s not that the other rookies are poor drivers, but Piastri has won more and sits in a quicker car. It will be difficult for the other two rookies, Logan Sergeant (Williams) and Nick de Vries (Alpha Tauri), to make statements from where they sit. While he may have spun out in Friday’s FP1, don’t be fooled – the kid is fast.
How to watch the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix
- Date: Sunday, March 5
- Location: 3.36-mile (5.412-kilometer), 15-turn Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain
- Time: 9:55 a.m. ET
- TV: ESPN2
- Stream: fuboTV (try for free)
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