Season 10 (2023 Season)

Season 10 of the F1 CAREER will be contested on F1 23 PC version, with custom performance and visual mods.

## Teams & Drivers

* Williams used 2023 spec Honda RBPTH001 Power Units, badged as Dorilton under a sponsorship agreement.

## Pre-Season Testing

### **Red Bull-Honda RBPT**

Red Bull appear to have stolen a march on the 2023 field. After initially playing catch up to Alpine last season, Red Bull developed the RB18 into the car to beat. Many other teams now look to have moved towards Adrian Newey's concept, immediately putting them a year behind development. The RB19 challenger is an evolution in every area, with a more aggressive side pod design.

Defending World Champion Max Verstappen is signed in for the long haul, until 2028. The Dutch megastar shows no signs of slowing down, and is expected to remain in Championship contention moving forward. With Sergio Perez announcing his retirement, Verstappen's new team mate is 2016 and 2020 World Champion Josh Tirowee. The Brit initially struggled to understand the new 2022 cars, but managed to string together a strong run of wins and podiums to close out last season. If the Adrian Newey designed RB19 is to Tirowee's liking, a third Championship is on the cards.

### **Williams-Dorilton**

Williams are set for another season in the mid pack. The British outfit had a strong start with their 2022 concept, with a win in Australia, As the season progressed, the competitiveness of the team declined as a development wall was hit. Williams have turned their attention to a Red Bull-style concept. Williams could have more room than most to explore the concept, as the team continue their partnership with Honda RBPT Power Units badged as Dorilton.

Alexander Albon becomes a fully fledged Williams driver, parting ways officially from Red Bull. The Thai-Brit impressed last season, taking a win at the Australian Grand Prix, and emerged as the team leader. Dan Ticktum retains his drive. The fiery Brit started the season excellently, with a second place at the Japanese Grand Prix, but fell away as the season went on. With the full backing of team owners Dorilton Capital, he'll need to improve his consistency, with F2 graduate Logan Sargent lurking in the wings and taking on third driver roles.

**Aston Martin-AMG**

Aston Martin look to have emerged as a new force in F1. The British outfit that finished only 9th last season have catapulted themselves up the competitive ladder. The team's relentless recruitment of high profile figures from Mercedes and Red Bull in recent seasons has paid off. Former key Red Bull aerodynamicist Dan Fallows has, in part developed a car to have the established looking in their mirrors in the early races.

As announced at the Austrian Grand Prix last season, four-time Champion Fernando Alonso becomes the team's new lead driver. The Spaniard's negotiations with Alpine broke down, the French outfit siting his age as the main con to more than a one year deal. Aston Martin offered Alonso a two year contract, with an option for a third on Alonso's side.

Lance Stroll remains with the team, after making steady progress throughout 2022. The Canadian was unlucky to not maximise the teams better races, but also made costly errors. Notably, crashing into then team mate Sergio Sette Camara at the US Grand Prix. If he can iron out his errors with consistency, Aston Martin can be a force within the upper midfield.

Reigning F2 Champion Felipe Drugovich becomes the first driver in the Aston Martin Academy, and takes on test and third driver roles.

### **Toyota**

Gene Haas purchases back the naming rights of the team that bares his name and regains a management position. Toyota announce they're set to exit F1 at the end of 2025. The TRD123 has been fully developed by Toyota, and will continue to be throughout the season. Haas has also purchased back 49% shares in the team in preparation for a 2026 overhaul.

Toyota appear to have better understood the current ground effect concept over the winter, and have taken inspiration from Ferrari's philosophy. Early times indicate the team to be a force within the midfield, looking to move forward as the season progresses.

Gene Haas was keen to retain Kevin Magnussen, after putting in consistent points finishes for Toyota last season. The Dane has fully recovered from a hand surgery that kept him away from the final three races last season.

With experience comes youth in Sergio Sette Camara. After losing his drive at Aston Martin, the 2019 F2 Champion embarks on a new journey with the Japanese outfit. The Brazilian will share the drive with Toyota's star driver Nobuharu Matsushita. The Japanese driver will compete in the Asian rounds of the Championship.

Despite showing his immense speed when he stood in for the injured Nobuharu Matsushita, Niko Kari remains in the third driver role.

### **Alfa Romeo-Ferrari**

Recent front running force Alfa Romeo enter their final season. The Sauber run team have an agreement in place with Audi for 2026. The German auto giants have already purchased a 25% stake in the team. Alfa Romeo again seem to have a strong package to start the season, with a larger setup window to eliminate the early issues from last season.

With the team emerging as one of the most consistent front running teams in recent years, and with Audi influence, 2019 Champion Mick Schumacher aims to rejuvenate his career after an underwhelming 2022 campaign with McLaren. Similar to when his Uncle Ralf moved to Williams in 1999, Mick's move is to familiarize himself wit the team environment ahead of the Audi works project.

Zhou Guanyu was the breakout star of 2022. The Chinese driver was very unlucky to suffer three engine failures in the first three races. From there he slowly built his confidence, and by the end of the season was on par with Josh Tirowee. Two race wins could've gone his way. He'll be going for his first in Canada.

Robert Kubica also departs from the team, as do his sponsor Orlen.

### **Alpine-Renault**

Alpine once again look to have a strong base to work from. The A523 responds well to setup changes, which will be key as the facilities available are still below par.

Pierre Gasly finally broke free from the Red Bull family. After it was confirmed Josh Tirowee would fill the vacancy left left by Sergio Perez, the Frenchman explored his other options. Much like Tirowee, Gasly struggled with the new generation of cars, as was out performed by Yuki Tsunoda. Towards the end of the season, when it became clear Aston Martin were a threat to AlphaTauri for 9th in the Constructors, Gasly upped his game. The Frenchman took crucial points at the Mexican and Miami Grand Prix. This upturn in form attracted interest from Alpine. Initial talks were successful, and once Alonso confirmed his departure, a three year contract was signed. Gasly vowes to make late friend Antione Hubert proud in the team they no doubt could've been team mates in.

Alpine initially wanted to promote Oscar Piastri to the team, after negotiations with Alonso broke down. However, Piastri's management were already in talks elsewhere. This was due to Alpine not following through on their own contractual obligations with Piastri. The dispute went to the Contract Recognition Board, where Alpine were unsuccessful.

The open door lead the way for 2017 World Champion Jean-Eric Vergne to make a grand return. Making a return with a front running French outfit was all Vergne needed to sign the contract. 'JEV' raced for the team under their Renault guise before things turned sour, but with new management since 2020, Vergne and Gasly could have a very evenly matched season long battle.

Despite contributing to Renault and Alpine Constructor successes, Esteban Ocon finds himself in the reserve driver role. Capable of backing up Alonso, the Frenchman was never quite able to break out from the Spaniard's shadow, and often struggled in qualifying.

### **Ferrari**

Ferrari appear to be in a state of flux. Their car philosophy proved to be race winning last season, but it appears their concept has a lower ceiling than the likes of Red Bull. Ferrari's times throughout Pre-Season were near identical to that of last year. The SF23 lacks rear downforce in an attempt to gain straight line speed, but this has caused high rates of tyre wear throughout testing.

Ferrari returned to winning ways in 2022, and that was more than enough to keep their star driver Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque took the fight to Alonso and Verstappen, and had a late season fight with Tirowee for third. If Ferrari can continue to move forward, Leclerc will be at the top more often than not.

Carlos Sainz retains his seat despite a disappointing debut season in red. The Spaniard bore the brunt of the teams bad luck and unsuccessful strategies. Unable to build momentum, Sainz often found himself in the lower end of the points. Sainz has a strong strategic mind, often knowing what other drivers are doing half a lap away. With a better rub of the green, Sainz's first win won't be far away.

Robert Shwartzman and Antonio Giovinazzi will share the test and reserve role throughout the season.

### **McLaren-AMG**

McLaren look set for another difficult season. The new regulation that increases the height of the floor by 15mm appears to have been detrimental to the Woking outfit. A change in floor design at the Spanish Grand Prix last season brought large gains, but the concept doesn't appear to have worked as hoped with the raised floor. CEO Zak Brown is already downplaying the team's expectations until an upgrade package planned for the Azerbaijan can rectify the MCL60's shortcomings.

Lando Norris put on a charge towards the end of 2022, taking two podiums along the way. Signing a new contract through 2024, the Brit remains keen to build with McLaren. Oscar Piastri fills the seat left by Schumacher. Piastri's management were working behind the scenes, and had a preliminary deal in place with McLaren since the summer last year. After the CRB decision went in the team's favour, the Australian completed his duties in the simulator with Alpine before joining the Woking outfit to make his Grand Prix debut in Las Vegas.

### **AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT**

AlphaTaruri are starting the season on the back foot. The Italian outfit continue to take minimal components from Red Bull. The AT04, in the words of Team Principle Franz Tost, "lacks everything needed to go quickly. It lacks downforce, traction, is unstable through high speed corners and is unresponsive in slow speed corners".

Following a very impressive debut season, featuring a top five finish, Yuki Tsunoda has the full support of Honda and Red Bull. The Japanese silenced his critics who thought he was promoted too quickly from F2, by out performing the car and Pierre Gasly in the first half of last season.

The next Red Bull junior to make the step up to F1 is Liam Lawson. The New Zealander already has one race start to his name after debuting for Gasly as the French Grand Prix last season. A strong 4th in Formula 2 last year, ahead of Carlin team mate Logan Sargant convinced Helmut Marko Lawson was ready to compete for AlphaTauri full time. Lawson will also compete in Japan's Super Formula for Team Mugen, allowing Lawson to fully bed himself within Red Bull and Honda.

### **Mercedes-AMG**

Mercedes, much like Ferrari, appear to have hit a ceiling with their car concept. The W14 is faster than its predecessor, but has a peaky setup window. The team found an error in the wind tunnel simulations too late when exploring other concepts, causing Mercedes to have believed the 'Zero Pods' concept was the way to go. Two major upgrade packages are to come throughout the season, as they were already in development before the error was noticed.

Mercedes remain stable, and keep the same driver line up. George Russell had his best season since 2019, taking a second place at Singapore, and came within laps of his first win at Spain. His injury from the Belgian Grand Prix last season is far behind him, and he's fully focused on securing his maiden victory. 2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton continues with the German giants. Despite not appearing on the rostrum in 2022, the Brit was far more consistent than Russell, but mistakes crept in when a top three was on the cards.

#### **Day 1**

Morning - Leclerc tops the morning session of Pre Season testing. Gasly is back on form. Mercedes 'Zero-Pod' concept boosts Hamilton into the top 3. Schumacher and Tirowee focus more on long runs to get acquainted with their new environments. Rookie Piastri turned his first laps. Williams and AlphaTauri have pace to find.

Afternoon - Defending Champion Verstappen lead the way in the afternoon session. Albon dialed into the FW45 to jump up to 2nd. Stroll demonstrated Aston Martin's improved pace. Zhou sets his first laps of 2023.

#### **Day 2**

Morning - The track was artificially soaked for the second day of Pre-Season, allowing the teams to experience the newest specification of Pirelli Inters. Sainz found good pace to finish 2nd. Russell & Alonso set impressive times from the off. Lawson set consistent laps.

Afternoon - Tirowee found the groove in the afternoon session, with a best time over 1 second clear of Schumacher. Leclerc keeps himself at the sharp end. Williams seem to be finding a balance. Nobuharu Matsushita was thrown in at the deep end.

#### **Day 3**

Morning - Vergne set the fastest lap of Pre-Season so far to easily top the final morning session from Tirowee and Schumacher. Alonso didn't find the pace he expected. Matsushita found his rhythm. Lawson couldn't get it together with the difficult AT04.

Afternoon - Leclerc ended as he started, at the top and with the fastest time of the three days. Vergne pushed the Alpine to the limit to better Verstappen to 2nd. Norris and Camara brought the midfield into the fight. Tsunoda unleashed the pace of the AlphaTauri. Technical issues for Alonso compromised his running.

## Season Calendar

Las Vegas, Emilia Romagna & Singapore Grand Prix to run as the Wildcard races.

## Season Report

### **Round 1: Las Vegas**

#### **Practice**

Las Vegas hosted the first of three Wildcard races, allocating 5 points for pole, and all 20 positions in the race. Carlos Sainz started the season on a new track in the best way possible, topping Practice 1 with a 1:37.093. His best time was set on Softs, whilst Verstappen in 2nd 0.3s off was on Mediums. New Red Bull team mate Josh Tirowee completed the top 3. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll completed the top 10. Red Bull pulled clear of the pack in FP2, Verstappen top from Tirowee. Sainz was third, 0.6s off the Dutchman. Alexander Albon and Jean-Eric Vergne found their groove. Alonso topped FP3 ahead of Albon and 2008 Champion Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen languished in 11th.

#### **Qualifying**

Verstappen stormed to pole with a time of 1:34.460. Albon secured a front row start, despite setting a time 0.6s slower than the defending champion. Tirowee lined up third after setting his best time on the first runs of Q3. Vergne lined up lead Alpine in 6th. Alonso could only manage 7th, but it's still a large leap forward from where Aston Martin ended 2022. Toyota expected a strong start to the season, but only locked out the 7th row. Rookies Liam Lawson and Oscar Piastri lined the back row.

### **Race**

Verstappen got the perfect start, whilst Albon locked down second. Tirowee and Leclerc disputed the final podium position. Albon and Mick Schumacher started on Softs for a two-stop strategy, whilst the rest of the field started on Mediums for a planed one-stop. Tirowee started to drop back on the Las Vegas strop from lap 3, as his RB19 was suffering from ERS deployment problems. Both Ferraris, Schumacher, Vergne and Alonso demoted the Brit down the order. Albon made his first of 2 stops at the end of lap 7 for Mediums.

Tirowee's issues were still occurring on lap 12. George Russell made a move down the strip, but Tirowee regained the place as both pitted at the end of the lap. Gasly span on lap 13, blocking the track after the strip, and brought out the first Safety Car of the season. Verstappen lead from Hamilton, Alonso, Russell and Leclerc. The Safety Car ruined Albon's and Schumacher's strategy, but they were both on Mediums compared to Hards for the other 18 drivers. The Mercedes and Aston Martin debated second place, whilst Verstappen controlled the pace at the front. Leclerc's race started well, but went downhill from there, as an electrical fault ends his race on lap 22/25.

The squabbling from the three Mercedes powered cars allowed Tirowee to get back in the action. Red Bull were able to resolve the ERS issue under the Safety Car. Alonso squeezed out Russell on the run down the final straight, and Tirowee made his presence known passing both of them onto lap 23. The RB19 has a significant DRS advantage, as well as being the package to beat aerodynamically. Tirowee made it a Red Bull 1-2 on the final lap, pulling a gap over Hamilton.

Verstappen (+FL) scored maximum points with new team mate Tirowee second. 3rd Hamilton, 4th Russell, 5th Alonso, 6th Albon, 7th Schumacher, 8th Zhou, 9th Sainz, 10th Vergne, 11th Sette Camara, 12th Stroll, 13th Piastri, 14th Norris, 15th Ticktum, 16th Magnussen, 17th Gasly, 18th Tsunoda, 19th Lawson, 20th Leclerc.

Vetstappen's flawless weekend earns an early lead over Tirower. Albon and Alonso looked to disrupt the established. The Wildcard system netted Red Bull a 17 point advantage over Mercedes. Aston Martin lye in 4th, which is their highest ever position to date. Ferrari languished in 9th, whilst AlphaTauri was the only team still in single digit points.

### **Round 2: Australia**

#### **Practice**

There was two home favourites out in FP1, as Alpine's third driver Jack Doohan completed the session in place of Gasly. The Australian finished in 15th, with a best time set on Mediums. The red flag was out within 5 minutes of FP1, as the AlphaTauri of Liam Lawson came out of the pits and parked it on apex of turn 1, right as the Red Bull of Tirowee commited to the corner. The resulting debris from the Brit shearing off his front right corner lead to the session being stopped. Red Bull driver advisor Dr Helmut Marko was seen having a long discussion with Franz Tost during the stoppage.

Once the session resumed, it was the Mercedes of George Russell who set the early pace on Softs, whilst Verstappen was 2nd on Mediums. Vergne completed the top 3. Tsunoda again showed excellent pace around Albert Park, with a 8th place finish. Red Bull locked out the top 2 positions in FP2, Verstappen narrowly besting Tirowee. The Brit was up to speed on one lap pace, but crucially missed the long-run program from FP1. Tsunoda again was inside the top 12. Alonso once dialed into the Aston Martin to top FP3 from Tirowee and Zhou. Norris completed the top 12 on Mediums, suggesting the McLaren has pace when in the window.

#### **Qualifying**

Tirowee dominated Q3 to take pole by over 0.6s from Verstappen, who was in turn 2 tenths clear of Leclerc. Schumacher completed the second row. Alonso again couldn't replicate his pace from FP3, and lined up 7th. alpine were disappointed to line up only 10th and 11th. Albon was again lead Williams in 12th. Home favourites Piastri and Lawson completed the back row.

#### **Race**

Tirowee got the crucial gap he needed, as Alonso rocketed up to 2nd. Verstappen was in close pursuit of the four-time champion on lap three, but had to back out of a move into turn 1 to avoid taking out Tirowee. Once DRS was activated, it took until lap 5 for the defending champion to make it a Red Bull 1-2 once again. Stroll in the other Aston Martin was struggling on lap 6, and lost a place to Sette Camara who was running longer on Mediums. Sector 2 played to the strength of the Williams, allowing Albon to get in the mix. After missing FP1, Red Bull put Tirowee on a more conservative strategy. The Brit pitted at the end of lap 10 for Hards. He rejoined behind the Toyota-Albon-Stroll battle, but quickly made a move on the Canadian. Verstappen pit at the end of lap 12 for Mediums and set off after his new team mate. Those starting on the Mediums pitted at the end of lap 14 for Hards. Schumacher, Russell and Sainz found themselves in the midfield mix, with their undercut on Mediums.

Verstappen was on the back of Tirowee on lap 16, but the Brit wasn't easily overcome when his first win with the Austrian outfit was on the table. Verstappen wouldn't relent, and made his move on lap 18 through sector 2. Alonso was also on a push, and found a way past his 2018 Championship rival to move into 2nd. Tirowee's strength over the weekend had been low fuel runs. By lap 23/29, his RB19 was rapid once again, and he reclaimed 2nd from Alonso. The Brit was also closing on Verstappen, but the Dutchman was managing the gap in the remaining laps. Both Williams came alive in the final laps. Albon made a move on Gasly, whilst Ticktum passed fellow Brit Norris. Lawson claimed some national pride, as the New Zealender made a decisive move on Piastri.

Russell's race finished three laps early with a hydraulic leak. Whilst pulling off the circuit, an unsighted Vergne clipped the W14 and broke off some of his front wing. Even with two laps to go, the Frenchman had to put on safety grounds. The 2017 champion claimed the fastest lap from Verstappen, but ultimately left Albert Park empty handed.

Verstappen controlled the final laps to finish 3 seconds clear of Tirowee. Alonso backed off in the final laps, to ensure Aston Martin's first podium finish in F1. Schumacher secured his best finish since 2021 with 4th. 5th Sainz, 6th Leclerc, 7th Hamilton, 8th Zhou, 9th Gasly, 10th Albon, 11th Stroll, 12th Magnussen. Vergne had the fastest lap, but doesn't take the point as he was outside the top 10 in a non Wildcard race.

Verstappen (53 points) built his championship lead to 14 points over Tirowee. Alonso (28 points) jumped up into 3rd, four points ahead of Hamilton and Schumacher. Last year's race winner Albon dropped to 7th (20).

Red Bull (92 points) moved 50 points clear of Alfa Romeo. Aston Martin remained 4th on 39. Ferrari climbed up to 5th on 29 points. Toyota (16) moved a point clear of McLaren.

### **Round 3: Japan**

#### **Practice**

Alpine, AlphaTauri and Williams brought significant upgrade packages, as all three teams fins themselves lower in the pecking order than desired. AlphaTauri ran two home drivers, as Ayumu Iwasa substituted for Lawson in FP1. Reiging F2 Champion Felipe Drugovich also has his first outng in the AMR23. Nobuharu Matsushita took over driving duties from Sette Camara for the Asian leg of the Championship. Schumacher topped FP1 on the track he dominated at in 2019. Russell found his flow to go 2nd. The improved Alpines finished 3rd and 7th. Tsunoda wrestled the AT04 into the top 10. Red Bull's aero advantage was on display in FP2, as Tirowee went fastest from Hamilton and Lelcerc. Verstappen set the pace in FP3 from the Alfa Romeos. Albon and Alonso completed the top 5, and can't be counted out for a top 5 start in the race.

#### **Qualifying**

Schumacher lined up on pole for the first time since USA (COTA) 2021. Tirowee completed the front row, four hundreths quicker than Verstappen. Alonso narrowly dragged the Aston Martin into Q3, whilst Albon was only 12th. The home favourites Matsushita and Tsunoda lined the 8th row.

#### **Race**

Schumacher held the lead. A dive from Zhou into turn 1 forced both Red Bulls off the track, but both continued down a few positions. Zhou couldn't maintain his early offensive, as was passed by Hamilton and Tirowee on laps 2 and 3. The Chinese driver continued to fall down through the top 10 as the first stint unfolded. Verstapen made a comitted move on the Alfa Romeo through 130R on lap 7. Hamilton challenged the lead Alfa Romeo on lap 8, but lot the position back the the German as quickly as he gained it. On lap 9, Tirowee saw his opportunity to pounce on his fellow Brit for 2nd.

Rain was forcast for the mid point of the race. Alpine didn't believe it would come any time soon, and pitted Vergne on lap 10. On the next lap, Hamilton and Verstappen responded to the Frenchman. A routine lightning stop for Red Bull advanced the Dutchman ahead of Hamilton. Race leader Schumacher pitted on the next lap, and narrowly maintained the net lead over Verstappen. Tirowee and the Aston Martins went long in anticipation for the weather. Tirowee conceded defeat at the end of lap 14, and rejoiined behind his team mate and Hamilton. Verstappen look the net lead on lap 15, as Alonso and Stroll lead 1-2. Stroll pitted on lap 15 and Alonso on lap 16 for dry tyres.

The rain arrived on lap 19, as Tirowee caught and repassed Hamilton. Three laps later it was time to pit for Inters. Red Bull opted to double stack. As the Austrian outfit had the first pit stall, Tirowee was blocked in his box by the stacking Ferraris in front. The Brit dropped to 8th behind Albon. The Williams and Red Bull have the same Power Unit, and Albon used all his defensive skills to hold off hi former team. With pride at stake, Tirowee upped the pressure and passed the Thai driver. Toyota's trying start to the season didn't relent, as Magnussen pulled over with one lap remaining.

Verstappen took his third win from three races. Schumacher kept the Dutchman honest less than four second back to take his first podium since Austria 2021. Zhou quietly went about his business to complete the podium. Vergne boosed Alpine's morale with 6th. Tirowee pulled teo seconds on Albon to finish 7th. Hamilton strugged in the wet conditions and dropped to 11th. Norris claimed a point for McLaren with 12th.

Verstappen (74 points) built a 27 point lead over Tirowee. Schumacher became the newest best-of-the-rest with 42 points. Zhou jumped up to 5th on 30 points. Vergne maintained his top 10 status. Red Bull's points advantage was reduced by 1 to 49 over Alfa Romeo. Ferrari closed to thee points behind Aston Martin. McLaren pulled level with Toyota on 16 points but remain in 9th on count-back.

### **Round 4: Qatar**

#### **Practice**

A track originally designed with Moto GP in mind played perfectly to the strengths of the RB19. Williams and AlphaTauri brought further upgrade packages. Alonso was the first to push the limits to top FP1 from Vergne and the Ferraris. Red Bull kept their true performance under wraps, as Tirowee only ran on Hards, and Verstappen was outside the top 12. In FP2 Alfa Romeo found 1.5s to go fastest with Schumacher, with the Ferraris again looking strong in 2nd and 5th. Williams entered the picture in FP3, as Albon went fastest from Tirowee. Norris completed the top 3 as McLaren finally unlocked some pace from the MCL60. Alonso was down in 9th, with only a small improvement over his FP1 time, suggesting the AMR23 has reached it's potential.

#### **Qualifying**

There was Drama for Red Bull in Q3, as an issue for Tirowee's DRS as he left the pits for the final run saw it stuck open. The Brit was fastest on the first runs, and that time would prove to be enough by 0.002s from Leclerc. Schumacher continued his recent form to qualify 3rd. Verstappen was 4th, less than a tenth off the pole time. Williams' expected pace didn't emerge with Albon 12th and Ticktum 19th. Alonso was out in Q2 in 13th.

#### **Race**

The front row barely moved off the lights, as Verstappen and Schumacher rocketed through. Russell made a move on team mate Hamilton, whilst Albon fended off Norris. Zhou ran 5th in the early laps, but his Mediums weren't yet the optimum tyre and the Chinese drover fell back behind the Mercedes. Tirowee bided his time behind Schumacher and passed the German into turn 1 on lap 6, and then closed the gap to Verstappen. Piastri had quite the queue forming behind outside of the points. Stroll eventually found his way passed on lap 10. Tyre wear was much higher than expected. Stroll and Piastri headed in for Hards on lap 11. Speedy work from the McLaren crew for the Australian back in front. Red Bull were confident with their tyre wear as Tirowee boxed for Mediums at the end of lap 12, and Verstappen on lap 13, the Dutchman retained the lead. Leclerc started on Mediums and ran until the end of lap 14, but still oped for Hards.

Red Bull reported Tirowee had a slow right rear puncture and the Brit had to pit again at the end of lap 21. With the high tyre deg, a podium was still within reach. Tirowee wasted little time behind Albon and Vergne. Zhou was feeling the tyre on lap 23/29, and span into the final corner. Unsighted, the field behind barreled in and had to take evasive action. The Safety Car was deployed so Zhou could get back going. Verstappen lead from Leclerc, Schumacher and the Mercedes pair. Racing went back to green with a two lap sprint to the finish. Verstappen pulled a gap over Leclerc, but like Zhou, his Mediums had reached the cliff. Verstappen spun through turn 5. The pack came to a complete stop on the racing line. Both Toyotas and Tsunoda snuck through the queue into the points places. Leclerc inherited the lead and held off Schumacher for a fortunate win. Tirowee (+FL) beat Russell in a drag race to the line. Verstappen was lucky to only drop to 5th. 6th Hamilton, 7th Sainz, 8th Gasly, 9th Magnussen, 10th Matsushita, 11th Tsunoda, 12th Albon.

Verstappen lead over Tirowee came down, but was still a comfortable 19 points at this early stage. Schumacher consolidated 3rd, 19 points clear of Leclerc. Alonso's and Zhou's non-scores dropped them to 7th and 8th. Gasly moved into the top 12. Red Bull remained clear at the top, 57 points ahead of Alfa Romeo. Ferrari continue their ascent, now up to 4th. Toyota pulled 6 points clear of McLaren.

### **Round 5: Abu Dhabi**

#### **Practice**

For the first time in 10 years, Yas Marina hosted the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Alfa Romeo have a vibrant new look as title sponsor Stake promote their streaming platform Kick. Red Bull unveil a new KTM inspired livery. Ferrari and Leclerc looked to ride the wave of momentum with a SF23 that's not quite on the pace. Hamilton won the last race here in 2014 in a Mercedes and is on top early. Alfa Romeo were in close pursuit and Alonso showed early pace once again. Red Bull ran conservatively, as Tiowee was only 10th fastest on Hards, whilst Verstappen was 14th on Mediums. Russell topped FP2 in the other Mercedes. Norris is another driver looking to build on recent better results. Alonso looked solid in the top 10. Alfa Romeo went backwards, as Schumacher was only 11th, whilst Zhou was 18th. Verstappen and Red Bull were surprised to go 1-2 in FP3. Matsushita looked a serious contender for points. Mercedes took a step back from Thursday.

#### **Qualifying**

Tirowee pulled out a mega lap to once again steal pole on the last lap. Hamilton went back to his FP1 setup and completed the front row. Leclerc and CarlosSainz had a long race ahead down in 9th and 10th. Schumacher and Alonso were the surprise knockouts of Q2.

#### **Race**

For the first time the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ran in the sunlight. Sainz started on Softs for a two-stop strategy, whilst the other 19 drivers were on Mediums for a planned one-stop. Tirowee held the lead but Hamilton was hungry for his first win since 2020 and made the move in sector 2. Gasly had a career best start of 3rd but couldn't hold off Verstappen's offensive and dropped to 4th on lap 3. Norris showed an encouraging turn of speed and demoted Gasly further on lap 6. Russell was making up for a poor qualifying, and made a sweeping move around the outside of both Gasly and Norris through the new turn 7 on lap 9. Seeing Gasly's rapid descent through the top ten, Alpine switched the Frenchman to a two-stop. Both Gasly and Sainz found themselves with it all to do from the back. Those on a one-stop began to pit at the end of lap 13. Hamilton went one lap longer, and Verstappen further still onto lap 15. Red Bull split the strategy, and left Tirowee out until lap 19 to pit for Softs.

Sainz and Gasly pit for a second time on lap 20. Alpine had genuine pace for the first time this season, and 2017 Champion Vergne used it to move into 5th on lap 23/39. Verstappen caught and passed Hamilton for the lead in lap 25, but couldn't pull a gap to the Mercedes. Sainz was wasting little time scything back through the midfield once again, but it would be in vein, as both the Spaniard and Gasly finished outside the top 12. Verstappen was leading onto the final lap. Hamilton has saved as much battery as he could for one final assault. Down the back straight, Hamilton dumped the entire battery from the W14 and made a move on the final lap for the win. Hamilton won for the first time since 2020. Verstappen was only 3 tenths behind. Tirowee (+ FL) narrowly held onto the final podium position from Russell. 5th Vergne, 6th Leclerc, 7th Schumacher, 8th Zhou, 9th Albon, 10th Magnussen, 11th Matsushita, 12th Alonso.

Verstappen's lead come down by a point to Tirowee. Schumacher held onto 3rd. Hamilton jumped up to 4th. Alonso dropped back to 8th. Red Bull's gap extended at the top to 74 points now over Mercedes. Alpine got things moving up to 6th ahead of Williams. Toyota pulled clear of McLaren.

### **Round 6: Bahrain**

#### **Practice**

F1 returned to the scene of Pre-Season testing. AlphaTauri brought further upgrades to the AT04, to compare it to the baseline car from the winter. Roy Nissany had another outing with Williams, whilst Arthur Leclerc had another outing with Ferrari. 2023 Formula E runner-up Nick Cassidy had his first taste of F1 action with Red Bull. An excellent lap from Zhou saw the Alfa Romeo fastest in FP1 from Gasly and Matsushita. The Mercedes and Tirowee focused on race runs. Albon continued his great form to top FP2 from Tirowee. Verstappen was still getting up to speed after sitting out first practice. Gasly has found a rhythm to top the final practice session. Vergne backed up a strong session for Alpine with 3rd. Verstappen finished lead Red Bull in 5th.

#### **Qualifying**

A magic lap from Leclerc secured pole from Gasly by a tenth. Schumacher secured a point for 3rd. Matsushita continued to look strong with 4th. Tirowee started lead Red Bull from 6th, but felt there was more pace in the car. Tsunoda took AlphaTauri to Q2 for the first time this season. Verstappen was out in Q1 with gearshift issues, and lined up 17th.

#### **Race**

Gasly challenged, but Leclerc held the lead. Tirowee powered up to 4th, to put Schumacher under pressure at the end of lap 1. The Brit used the slipstream to good effect to pass the Alfa Romeo through turn 1. The order remained relatively stable until lap 7, when Verstappen pulled off with yet more gearshift problems. It was the Dutchman's first retirement since the Austrian GP last year. Leclerc, Hamilton and Tirowee were presented with a golden opportunity to close on the championship leader. Matsushita's tyres were finished on lap 12 as Toyota's weakness reared its head once again. Sainz made a move for 5th past the Japanese driver. Alonso took a risk and boxed for Mediums, whilst most would opt for Hards. The battle for 5th went to the pits on lap 14, with Sainz maintaining net track position over the Toyota.

Leclerc pit at the end of that lap and maintained the net lead. Alpine again got creative with their strategy, and ran Gasly until lap 16 to have a tyre offset to Leclerc. Russell and Albon found pace on the hards, and made progress into the points positions. On the other side of the Mercedes garage, Hamilton was losing over a second a lap, his Hards got gelling with the W14. The Mercedes swapped places on lap 24, as Norris and Albon demoted the 2008 Champion out of the points. Matsushita was having his best performance this season for Toyota, and tried to make a move on Schumacher for 5th on the final lap. The German defended well, and the Japanese lost 6th to Russell.

Gasly closed the gap to Leclerc but ran out of laps to pass the Monegasque. Leclerc took the win by less than two tenths to the Alpine. Tirowee was a distant third, but closed the gap to his team mate. Alonos made the aggressive strategy work to climb from 11th to 4th. 5th Schumacher, 6th Russell, 7th Matsushita, 8th Albon, 9th Norris, 10th Vergne, 11th Stroll, 12th Zhou. Sainz finished with the fastest lap, down in 19th.

Verstappen's lead came down to only 6 points from the ever consistent Tirowee. Schumacher and Leclerc closed in to 26 and 28 points back. Hamilton dropped to 5th with his no score, only a point ahead of Russell. Gasly moved into the top 10. A below-par race for Red Bull still saw the Austrian outfit increase their lead to 79 points over Mercedes. Alfa Romeo drew level on 109 points. Gasly's points haul moved Alpine to 5th ahead of a Williams team fighting one-handed.

### **Round 7: Azerbaijan**

#### **Practice**

Aston Martin brought a significant aero package with a new front and rear wing and new floor. Red Bull also brought an upgrade, after seeing their gap to the field decrease over the opening races. Roy Nissany had another FP1 outing with Williams finishing 17th, four places behind Ticktum. Alonso topping FP1 was becoming a familiar sight. Hamilton was back on the pace with second. The long straight also played to the strenghts of the Toyota. The pace for Alonso carried on through FP2, topping again from Hamilton. Williams switched to a low-drag setup and ended the session 5th and 7th. FP3 was a washout, and only 9 drivers set times. Albon topped the pile from Gasly and Hamilton. Lawson finished an encouraging 4th.

#### **Qualifying**

Verstappen pulled out the lap when it mattered. Hamilton completed the front row. Alonso lined up third in the upgraded AMR23. Albon had his best start of the season with fourth. Tsunoda got AlphaTauri through to Q2 for the first time the season. Tirowee lacked pace and was out in Q1. Red Bull then took a fresh Power Unit, and the Brit lined up at the back.

#### **Race**

Hamilton made a dive, but Verstappen held the lead. Tirowee made up a few places from the back, but the two-time Champion again dropped back and found himself battling with Lawson to remain in 19th. Tirowee dropped to the back on lap 5. Alonso completed a pass on Vetstappen for the lead on to lap 6, whilst Albon flew past Hamilton for a podium position. Tsunoda was on a push for points, and found himself in close quarters with Zhou. The Williams was the fastest car through the speed trap, and Albon passed the lead Honda powered Red Bull for 2nd on lap 8. Magnussen and Vergne went for a different strategy, and went for a two-stop. Magnussen pit at the end of lap 8, and Vergne lap 10. Both rejoined behind Tirowee and lost significant time. Both drivers blasted past the Red Bull onto lap 11. The top four headed into the pits at the end of lap 12. A routine quick stop from Red Bull got Verstappen back into 2nd.

After a lap holding up an under pressure Ticktum, Tirowee boxed at the end of lap 14 for Mediums. Schumacher ran to lap 15 on Hards before pitting for Mediums. Vergne and Magnussen made their second stops at the end of lap 18, and had all the ground to make up again. Leclerc's race ended on lap 20 with an electrical problem. Four laps later, Zhou's race ended in the same place with the same problem. Tirowee played the team game for Red Bull and boxed for a fastest lap attempt to try and take the point from Alonso. Verstappen kept Alonso honest, but the Spaniard took victory for a sixth different team! Hamilton pulled away from Albon for a secure 3rd. Russell went under the radar to complete the top 5. 6th Gasly, 7th Sainz, 8th Schumacher, 9th Matsushita, 10th Stroll, 11th Tsunoda, 12th Norris. Tirowee managed to secure the the fastest lap in a race to forget.

Verstappen reopened his championship lead to 24 points from Tirowee. A mediocre race for Schumacher dropped the German to 37 points back. Alonso's victory moved the four-time Champion back up to 6th. Red Bull's gap at the top of the Constructor's continued to grow despite Verstappen doing all the heavy lifting. Mercedes open the gap in 2nd to Alfa Romeo by 17 points. Alonso took pride in carrying Aston Martin to 5th ahead of Alpine.

### **Round 8: Emilia Romagna**

#### **Practice**

Alonso was full of confidence prior to FP1, even entertaining the chances of a 2023 title bid. Enzo Fittipaldi returned the name to the F1 grid for the first time since the 90s after completing FP1 with AlphaTauri. Theo Pourchaire fulfills Alfa Romeo's rookie runs for the season. Liam Lawson received a huge confidence boost after outperforming the Red Bull of Tirowee last time out. Red Bull brought a new chassis for Tirowee, after not finding anything in the data to explain the Brit's lack of pace around Azerbaijan. Williams put pressure on Dan Ticktum, by running Logan Sargeant in the Brit's car during first practice. Sergio Sette Camara returned to his race seat with Toyota.

Albon dialed into the potential of the Williams to top FP1 from the Spaniards of Sainz and Alonso. Tirowee was only two tenths behind Verstappen in 6th. Sargeant finished in the top 10, but was almost a second off the pace set by Albon. Gasly was back on form in FP2 to go fastest by half a tenth from Hamilton. Tirowee was only 8 thousandths further back to complete the top three. Tsunoda raised AlphaTauri's prospects with 7th. Albon could only manage 11th, with Ticktum only three tenths further back in 12th. Qualifying runs took place in FP3 and Saturday was also expected to be wet. Tirowee gave the other 19 drivers something to think about by risking a lap on Inters to top the pile from Schumacher and Verstappen on Wets.

#### **Qualifying**

The top three from FP3 lined up in the same order on the grid. Leclerc lined up lead Ferrari from 4th. Tsunoda started from his and AlphaTauri's highest position of the season so far with 7th. Previous race winner Alonso could only manage 12th. Mercedes could get heat into the Wets during Q2 and were knocked out in 14th and 15th. Ticktum was again out in Q1 in 16th, but dropped to the back with a gearbox penalty

#### **Race**

The second Wildcard race of the season delivers points for every position, and battles for every place. Tirowee held the lead off the start, whilst Verstappen made it a Red Bull 1-2. Verstappen went for the lead on lap 3, but Tirowee was stern in his defense to maintain position. There was a bit of a queue forming behind Gasly by lap 4, and Magnussen wasn't sticking around and made a move past the Alpine. Another opportunity was lost for Sainz as he was forced to pit at the end of lap 5 with front wing damage. Tsunoda'a pace was genuine this weekend and the Japanese was next to overtake Gasly. The tyre wear kicked in early for Toyota once again, and on lap 7 Magnussen was back in the pack he'd left behind. Schumacher found his way past Verstappen and on lap 12/32 the German made a move for the lead. On the same lap, Albon had a half spin but only lost one place to Leclerc.

After losing the lead, Tirowee boxed early for Hards at the end of lap 14. Red Bull got their calculations wrong, as the Brit rejoined right behind the under pressure Ticktum. Tirowee wasted little time behind the Williams and Mercedes of Russell but had lost crucial time on his out lap. Alonso was fired up, and was into the top 5 on lap 16 after putting a move on the flustered Albon. Schumacher and Verstappen pit at the end of lap 16 and the order was maintained. Both drivers were clear of Tirowee. Alonso was the only driver to start on Hards and after leading a lap boxed for Mediums. The four-time champion breezed past a Williams again on lap 18, this time Dan Ticktum. Tsunoda was still making the most of his excellent qualifying to hold down 7th. Hamilton finally began to make progress on lap 23 past Magnussen.

Alonso stormed through the midfield again and by lap 27 was up to 4th. One lap later, the Spaniard moved past Tirowee into the podium places. Albon wrote his wrong on lap 29 and recovered the place he lost to Leclerc in the first stint. Verstappen showed his hand on the final lap, but Schumacher had put last season behind him and reminded everyone why he's a World Champion to block the Dutchman's offensive. Alonso's mediums were finished by lap 32 and Tirowee made the move Verstappen couldn't to climb back onto the podium. Schumacher kept it together for the rest of the final tour to claim his first win since 2019. Almost 20 years ago, his father Micheal won here for an Italian team with Ferrari power. Verstappen was only half a second behind. Tirowee was a distant third. Alonso narrowly held on to fourth and took the point for fastest lap. Albon finished where he started in 5th. Leclerc was the only Ferrari to finish in 6th. Zhou was 7th, ahead of Tsunoda 8th. Vergne finished lead Alpine in 9th, ahead of the returning Sette Camara. Hamilton and Piastri completed the top 12. 13th Stroll, 14th Norris, 15th Magnussen, 16th Gasly, 17th Russell, 18th Lawson, 19th Ticktum, 20th Sainz.

Verstappen's championship lead came down by 2 points to Tirowee. Schumaher completed the breakaway trio. Alonso climbed back into the top 5. Sainz dropped down to 12th. Stroll maintained 13th, whilst Sette Camara and Tsunoda ascended to 14th and 15th. Maagnussen dropped to 17th. Ticktum and Lawson remained the only two drivers in single figures. Alfa Romeo became the nearest challengers to red Bull once again but lost further ground to the Austrian outfit. Mercedes' dismal weekend had the German giants looking over their shoulder to Ferrari. Aston Martin pulled 26 points clear of Alpine. AlphaTauri closed to 15 points behind McLaren in the battle for 9th.

### **Round 9: Austria**

#### **Practice**

McLaren's 'true' MCL60 took to the track, with the car being described as B-Spec car minus the chassis. Zane Maloney became the first Barbadian to participate in an F1 session, taking over Tirowee's RB19 for FP1. Fellow F2 drivers Theo Pourchaire and Victor Martins were on track for Alfa Romeo and Alpine. It was a smooth operation for Sainz to top FP1 from Albon and Zhou. McLaren ran strongly with Piastri 5th on Softs, and Norris 10th on Mediums. Tirowee wad back in the hot seat for FP2 and immediately set the pace on Mediums, half a second clear of Verstappen on Softs. Norris completed the top 3, whilst Piastri struggled on long runs down in 15th. Alpine showed signs of line with 6th for Vergne and 7th for Gasly. Tirowee again sent fastest to top FP3, but only by three tenths from Leclerc. Norris was again at the sharp end in 4th.

#### **Qualifying**

The lap of lifetime secured pole for Tirowee by 1.011 seconds from team mate Verstappen. Schumacher secured the final qualifying point ahead of Albon. Ferrari locked out the third row. Norris was the only McLaren in Q3 with 8th. Alonso narrowly missed out on Q3 with 11th. Piastri couldn't get to grips with the MCL60 when it mattered and lined up only 18th.

#### **Race**

Something finally clicked for Tirowee with the RB19. The Brit secured the lead off the start, whilst Schumacher powered into 2nd. Verstappen took back the position on lap 3. Their squabbling allowed Albon behind to close and Tirowee ahead to pull away. Schumacher took back the position on lap 5, whilst Albon demoted Verstappen off the podium. Albon was on a push for a podium and passed Schumacher on the next lap. There was a Ferrari-fueled battle in the mid pack, as Leclerc and Sainz struggled with tyre wear. Ferrari converted Sainz to a two-stop and the Spaniard pit at the end of lap 12, along with the Alpine of Gasly. Albon's valiant effort ended on lap 13, as Verstappen then Schumacher repassed the Williams. Tirowee pit at the end of lap 17, and was almost a pit stop ahead on second placed Verstappen.

The battle for 3rd went to the pits, with Schumacher remaining ahead of Albon. The Thai-Brit's race ended half a lap later with a loose wheel forcing the Williams to pull over. Vertappen pit at the end of lap 18 and rejoined back behind Schumacher. Sainz and Gasly pit again at the end of lap 22 but were demoted back to 19th and 20th. Under pressure drivers Stroll and Ticktum debated 16th on laps 27 and 28, with the Alpine of Gasly struggling to get through. Back up front, Verstappen took back 2nd on lap 29. Schumacher wanted the P2 to keep his championship aspirations alive and took the place back from the Dutchman on lap 30. For the first time since 2020 drivers were being lapped. Piastri and Stroll were the first to go to Tirowee. Such was the Brit's advantage, he was half a lap ahead of the other podium placed drivers. Norris was on la late charge, but Alonso was never going to let a McLaren go easily and narrowly held onto 5th. Sainz was making the two-stop work and with three laps to go passed Lawson for 11th, and on the final lap Magnussen for 10th. Hamilton also gained a place on the final lap at the expense of Zhou.

Tirowee completed his domination of the Austrian Grand Prix by lapping Gasly in the final sector. Schumacher was nearly 40 seconds behind in 2nd, with Verstappen 3rd. Leclerc closed on the podium finishers to be less than a second behind Verstappen at the flag. Norris couldn't find a way past Alonso and had to settle for 6th. Hamilton had a quite race to 7th ahead of Zhou. Russell was a further 8 seconds back from the Chinese. Sainz fought through to 10th. Magnussen scraped 2 points for Toyota. Lawson finished in the top 12 for the first time to secure his first regular points finish. Verstappen's lead came back down to 12 points to Tirowee. Schumacher was only 17 points further back. Leclerc pulled 4 points clear of Alonso for 4th. Sainz finally made some forward progress into 11th. Red Bull's incredible margin only continued to grow now to 112 points over Alfa Romeo. McLaren closed to 12 points behind Toyota.

### **Round 10: Britain**

#### **Practice**

Alpine brought an upgrade packing in response to the recent slump in performance. Liam Lawson's recent progress is being noticed by Dr Helmut Marko, with the Austrian stating 'he's doing all he needs to secure a drive for next season'. Mercedes ran with a one-off purple livery in support of Lewis Hamilton's Mission 44 initiative. Mercedes junior Frederik Vesti took the purple arrow out for some laps in FP1. Ralph Boschung's efforts were also noticed by McLaren, who granted the Swiss his first F1 outing during first practice. Williams again ran Logan Sargeant in FP1, this time with Dan Ticktum in the other seat for a direct comparison.

Hamilton finished FP1 where he wants to remain for the rest of the weekend, on top from fellow Brits Tirowee and Ticktum. Gasly was the lead Mediums runner in 6th. Sargeant was almost one second slower than Ticktum, with both Williams running Softs. It was another all-Brit top 3 in FP2 with the same top 2 and Norris in 3rd. Albon dialed into the Williams with 11th on Mediums. FP3 took place in Intermediate conditions, with the rain expected to continue into Qualifying. Zhou found the pace to go fastest from Norris and Hamilton. Tsunoda ran strongly to finish 5th. Red Bull could only manage 6th and 12th with Tirowee the lead driver.

#### **Qualifying**

Another magic lap from Leclerc secured pole by half a tenth from Schumacher. Tirowee was the lead Brit in 3rd. The cold temperatures played to the strengths of Toyota with Sette Camara 5th and Magnussen 9th. Hamilton made a mistake on his final run and was only 10th. Verstappen and Alonso were caught out in Q2 and lined up 12th and 13th. The wet conditions didn't go in favour of Williams or Alpine with Albon the highest placed in 14th.

#### **Race**

Leclerc held on to first, with Sette Camara rocketing up to second. Verstappen began to gain ground on lap 3, firstly at the expense of Zhou. Sette Camara was pushing for glory and climbed all over the back of Leclerc's Ferrari, before making a move stick on lap 7. The Brazilian's glory was short lived, as on lap 8 the tyre wear kicked in early once again and the TRD123 was a sitting duck for Leclerc, Norris and Tirowee. Norris sent the home crown wild when he took the lead on lap 9, with Leclerc now facing his own tyre troubles. Norris and most of the grid pit at the end of lap 12. Most boxed for Hards, whilst McLaren were risking it all for a home win and opted for Mediums. Tirowee used this opportunity to pounce on the McLaren that had to nurse the tyres early in the stint to move into the lead. Hamilton was also on charge and scythed past Verstappen and Leclerc to make an all-Brit top 3. The fourth Brit Dan Ticktum was batting towards the back of the field with the Alpines and AlphaTauris.

Sergio Sette Camara passed the Aston Martin of Stroll for 9th on lap 16, but it's far from where the previous race leader wanted to be. Hamilton couldn't maintain his earlier offensive, and fell back behind the Ferrari and Red Bull. Stroll's tyres were also finished five laps from the end after his undercut, and found himself three-wide with Schumacher and Vergne. Norris went on the attack on lap 24 to steal back the lead with only two laps remaining. Tirowee also had some life left in his Hards and the two-time Champion reasserted himself on the penultimate lap. Norris pushed the Red Bull all the way on the final lap, but couldn't find a way back past and had to settle for second. Tirowee held on to victory by 0.266s. Verstappen secured the final podium place on the last lap (+FL). 4th Leclerc, 5th Hamilton, 6th Russell, 7th Sainz, 8th Albon, 9th Alonso, 10th Sette Camara, 11th Magnussen, 12th Schumacher.

Verstappen's lead was down to only 4 points from Tirowee. Schumacher began to slip back, after only taking a single point away from Silverstone. Norris climbed into the top 12 for the first time this season. Red Bulls gap over Alfa Romeo was nearing the points total of the Italian outfit. Norris' first podium of the season bridged Mclaren's gap to Toyota for 8th down to only 2 points.

### **Round 11: Netherlands**

#### **Practice**

Williams announced Logan Sargeant would race in place of Dan Ticktum for the remainder of the season. Ticktum had only 10 points, compared to Albon's 67. The Thai-Brit has been in podium contention at most races, whilst on the other side of the garage, Ticktum was yet to get out of Q1 and rarely finished inside the top 15. In response to falling from first to the lower regions of the points at the British Grand Prix, Toyota brought a weight redistribution upgrade to the TRD123 aimed to tackle the horrendous tyre wear that's plagued the Japanese outfit for a number of seasons. Sainz set the pace in FP1, with the Alpines in second and fourth. Piastri ran strongly to 5th on Mediums. Tirowee topped FP2 on Mediums from Leclerc and Norris on Softs. Albon surprised Williams with 9th, on a track which shouldn't suit the car. Vergne finally got to grips with the Alpine to top Final Practice 3 from Russell and Verstappen. The other Red Bull and Mercedes completed the top 5. Williams switched Sargeant to Albon's setup, and the American beat his team mate to 12th.

#### **Qualifying**

Tirowee was in the zone to secure another pole position ahead of the usual suspects of Schumacher and Verstappen. McLaren had their best combined qualifying since 2021, with Norris 5th, half a tenth quicker than Piastri 6th. Magnussen used the better balance of the Toyota to line up on the 4th row. Mercedes and Vergne took a backwards step with setup, and filled grid spots 14-16. Sargreant lined up last for his debut race, but was less than a tenth behind Stroll on 19th.

#### **Race**

It was a relatively calm start to the Dutch Grand Prix, as Tirowee controlled the pace whilst Verstappen slipped into 2nd. McLaren began to further understand the upgraded MCL60, and Piastri moved into 3rd at the end of lap 1. One lap later, the Australian moved past the defending World Champion into 2nd. Piastri's glory was short lived, as onto lap 4, Verstappen reclaimed the runner up position. At the other end of the grid, Sargant had made a good start, up to 18th, but lost ground on lap 5 to Tsunoda. McLaren played the team game, as on lap 8 Piastri allowed Norris through to challenge Verstappen for 2nd. The Brit made the move on lap 9. Magnussen was on a charge of his own, as the Dane had ambitions of taking Toyota's first podium of the campaign. The Hards weren't working for Hamilton as even by lap 13, the Mercedes continued to drop back through the pack.

The front runners began to pit at the end of lap 15. Home hero Verstappen had to go a lap longer was was undercut by Piastri. McLaren once again played a different strategy with Norris. The Brit ran until lap 18 to box for Hards. The Mercedes pair ran even longer and for a lap lead 1-2, but both Russell and Hamilton proved nothing more than mobile chicanes for Tirowee who swiftly dispensed of both W14s. The Hards also weren't switching on for Norris in the overcast conditions, and the McLaren fell behind Gasly and Schumacher. Two laps later, Norris found himself at the mercy of Alonso. Gasly found plenty of pace on his Mediums and the Frenchman demoted Piastri off the podium. The rookie fought back at the Alpine but ultimately had no answer. Albon once again found out the Williams is fast but fragile, when his race ended on lap 31/36. Norris' Hards finally came in on lap 32 and the McLaren driver moved back ahead of Alonso.

The Red Bull drivers closed up for a formation finish, with Tirowee securing the win from Verstappen. Gasly brought his Alpine home for his second podium of the season. Piastri had his best finish to date in 4th. Schumacher dropped to 5th. Norris recovered back to 6th ahead of Alonso. Vergne stormed through to 8th to round off a strong weekend for Alpine. Sette Camara finished lead Toyota in 9th, with Magnussen 10th. Ferrari had a race to forget with Leclerc the lead finisher down in 11th, with the final point going to Zhou. The fastest lap was taken by Russell, but the Brit was 14th so couldn't claim the point for it.

Tirowee's third win in a row lead the Brit to the top of the Driver's Championship, 3 points ahead of Verstappen. Schumacher filled the no mans land 3rd position, 48 points behind Tirowee, 23 points clear of Leclerc. Gasly and Norris entered the top 12. Red Bull's gap at the top of the Constructors grew ever bigger, now to 171 points to Alfa Romeo, with Mercedes a further 20 back. McLaren moved up to 8th and only one point behind Williams.

### **Round 12: Canada**

#### **Practice**

Aston Martin announced Lance Stroll would depart the team at the close of 2023, as the British outfit move in a new direction ahead of partnering with Honda from 2026. Alfa Romeo re signed Zhou Guanyu for another season. McLaren moved quickly to secure Oscar Piastri's future, extending the Australian's deal through 2026. Pietro Fittipaldi completed FP1 for Toyota, in place of Sergio Sette Camara. The fan favourite Urban Camo livery returned to the Red Bull for a one-off appearance. Williams trialed 0-0 wings during FP1, as the ultra slippery FW45 was already usually the fastest in the speed traps at regular downforce levels. With most of the lap taken at full-throttle, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve provided the perfect opportunity for Albon or Sargeant to take the team's long awaited first podium of the season. Albon liked the balance of the Williams to top FP1 on Mediums from Piastri on Softs. Sargeant completed the top 3, also on Mediums. Albon again topped set the standard in FP2 from Piastri. Lance Stroll ran strongly to complete the top 3. The Thai-Brit completed Practice clean sweep from Gasly and Tirowee. Verstappen struggled to 12th, almost a second off the pace of the Williams.

#### **Qualifying**

It was an extremely wet start to qualifying, but the sky was brightening up. Four big names were caught out in the transition from Wets to Inters at the end of Q1, with Tirowee 20th, Alonso 19th, Leclerc 18th and Russell 17th. The track was drying rapidly throughout Q2, but Inters was still the way to go. Previous World Champions Hamilton and Vergne could only manage 12th and 13th. The track was just about dry enough at the end of Q3 for Softs, with last over the line having the best track conditions. Yuki Tsunoda ceased the initiative to secure his first ever pole position, ahead of the usual suspects Verstappen and Schumacher. It was the first pole for the team since Sebastian Vettel took pole for the Italian Grand Prix in 2008, wen the team was Toro Rosso. Home favourite Lance Stroll lined up a strong 7th. Logan Sargeant made the top 10 in only his second qualifying.

#### **Race**

Changeable conditions returned for the race. Tsunoda had the pressure of leading the pack on Full Wets. The Japanese secured the lead into turn 1, as Verstappen held back Schumacher's offensive. All 20 drivers survived the opening lap without damage. 6 Championships in the battle for 19th, as Tirowee demoted Alonso to the back onto lap 3. An over cautious George Russell presented a golden opportunity for Tirowee to make a dive into the hairpin. The red flag was out on lap 5, as Carlos Sainz's day ended early, and Liam Lawson collected the Ferrari in the process. By the time the AlphaTauri and Ferrari had been cleared away, the sun was out and the track was dry.

17/18 remaining drivers were on Drys. Toyota made a catastrophic error and fitted the Brazilian's TRD123 with Inters. Sette Camara's excellent qualifying and opening laps had been wasted. To add to the restart chaos, Zhou's Alfa Romeo experienced a clutch issue and the Chinese pulled off at turn 1. The Williams was in its element in the dry, and Albon powered into the lead at the end of lap 9. Tirowee skimmed the Wall of Champions on lap 11, and the loss of momentum granted an easy passage to Norris. Sargeant stated his claim to the Williams seat full time four laps later with a move on the championship leader. With the added confidence boost from passing Tirowee, the American replicated his move two laps later on Stroll. The skies began to darken once more by lap 18, but Williams still pitted Albon for a set of Mediums. Two laps later, the Heavens opened and it was time for Inters once more. In a desperate bid to regain lost track position, Albon and Norris attempted another lap on Drys, which would only drop the pair further behind.

Schumacher brought out a second red flag on lap 29, when the German had an identical crash to Sainz. It wasn't the impact the 2019 Champion needed to make with Tirowee down the order. It was a four lap sprint to the end on Full Wets. The pressure of a resurgent Piastri could've been getting to Norris, as the one time race winner plowed into the back of Leclerc at the hairpin, and had to box with damage. With Verstappen leading, Tirowee went on a late charge. Verstappen was most likely unaware of all the chaos unfolding behind, as the Dutchman won from first time podium finishers Oscar Piastri and Yuki Tsunoda. Logan Sargeant was only half a second away from his first podium. Tirowee made the perfect dive into the final chicane on Stroll on the last lap for a top 5. Stroll narrowly held onto 6th from Vergne. Magnussen saved face for Toyota with 8th. Despite diffuser damage from Norris' error, Leclerc brought the sole remaining Ferrari home in 9th. Hamilton had a quiet race to 10th. Another opportunity was squandered by Albon and Williams, with the FW45 crossing the line only in 11th (+FL). Gasly claimed the final point in 12th.

Verstappen opened a healthy 11 point lead over Tirowee. Schumacher fell to 66 points behind after a no score. A strong showing from Alpine saw Gasly and Vergne ascend to 9th and 11th. Norris dropped to 12th with nothing to show for a mostly strong weekend. Red Bull looked all but set to defend their Constructor's title, 200 points clear of Alfa Romeo. Piastri's first podium lifted McLaren ahead of Williams to 7th, despite Sargeant's strong race.

### **Round 13: Spain**

#### **Practice**

AlphaTauri's final major upgrade package of the season has been pushed back until Singapore, but the team was still riding high from Tsunoda's first pole and podium finish. Mercedes finally abandoned the 'zero-pod' concept, as the German giants implement the groundwork for their 2024 challenger. Williams brought a small downforce upgrade for damage limitation before the remaining power circuits. The importance of Alonso's home race wasn't lost on Aston Martin, as the team brought their final upgrade of the season to this event.

A fully focused Norris set the fastest time in FP1, almost one second clear of Hamilton and Piastri. Schumacher was lead championship contender in 4th. Albon and Stroll put their new upgrades to the test. Even with the old final chicane removed, this circuit was always going to play to the strengths of the RB19. Tirowee topped FP2 from Hamilton and Norris. Tsunoda and Lawson boosted their team's prospects for the weekend with 11th and 12th. A mixed up Final Practice saw Albon fastest from Norris and Tirowee. Tsunonda ran very strongly to 4th. Alonso and Stroll looked odds on for a Q3 apearence.

#### **Qualifying**

Norris put the lap together to secure pole ahead of Verstappen. Aston Martin provisionally finished 3rd with Alonso and 4th for Stroll, however both drivers were later disqualified for fuel irregularities. Albon extracted the maximum from his FW45 to line up an elevated 4th. Tirowee and Leclerc didn't improve on their second runs in Q3 and lined up 7th and 8th. Lawson started from the top 10 for the first time. Both Spaniards had plenty of work to do from 14th for Sainz and 19th for Alonso.

#### **Race**

Verstappen stole the lead from Norris, whilst Tirowee moved up to 5th. Schumacher started on Softs and needed to make moves quickly. The German passed Tirowee on lap 2. Albon also started on Softs, but all of his progress was in the wrong direction. Gasly was also struggling. The Frenchman had the pace to line up 3rd, but wasn't looking as competitive on high fuel. Williams suffered another mechanical retirement, but this time to Logan Sargeant's car. The Safety Car was deployed, allowing the FW45 to be cleared. With nothing to lose, Toyota boxed Sette Camara and switched the Brazilian onto a two-stop strategy. Norris lead back to green at the end of lap 7, but Verstappen headed into the pits. The Dutchman picked up a slow puncture, and the defending World Champion also converted to a two-stop. Hamilton was getting to grips with his new W14, and made a move past Stroll on lap 12. Norris had a comfortable lead over team mate Piastri on lap 14, but a rear right suspension failure forced the Brit to retire. It's not the first time a McLaren looked odds on for victory before it all went wrong.

The one-stoppers that were on Mediums began to pit at the end of lap 16 for Hards. Lawson ran a lap later on Softs to push hard for points on Mediums. Tirowee ran to the end of lap 19 for Softs to chase down Piastri on Hards. Verstappen was leading the race before he had to pit again on lap 20 for another set of Mediums. Both the Dutchman and Sette Camara had to charge from the back once again. Tirowee wasn't wasting any time behind Albon or Schumacher, and blasted past both of them into 2nd. Tirowee had complete confidence in his RB19 and Albon to pull off the mega move on the Thai-Brit. Zhou's pace had been lacking all race and he was easy pickings for Hamilton. With only a few laps to go, Albon made a move on Schumacher for the final podium position, but it was short lived, as a relentless Schumacher secured the place back on the final lap.

This race was one for the history books, as Oscar Piastri became a rookie winner at his 13th attempt. He became the first driver to win in their debut season since Mick Schumacher in 2017. A faultless drive and a bit of luck secured the Aussie his first victory three seconds ahead of Tirowee (+FL), with Schumacher completing the podium. Albon had to settle for fourth. Russell flew under the radar to 5th. Alonso fought like a lion to climb from 19th to 6th. Leclerc was the only Ferrari to score in 7th. Verstappen made the most of a bad situation to salvage 8th. Zhou found some pace in the final laps to finish 9th. Gasly dropped from 3rd to 10th. Vergne climbed into the points with 11th. Lawson fought hard to secure a valuable point.

Verstappen's lead was cut down to only 2 points to Tirowee. Schumacher also closed in but was still 61 points behind. Piastri's win elevated the McLaren driver to 9th, ahead of Norris. Red Bull's gap increased further over Alfa Romeo. For the second race in a row, Piastri's result elevated McLaren another position, now to 6th ahead of Alpine.

### **Round 14: Singapore**

#### **Practice**

F1's newest race winner, Oscar Piastri proved very popular with the media as the teams rocked into Singapore. AlphaTauri debuted their major upgrade package, as the Italian outfit comes in line further with Red Bull to move off the bottom of the Constructor's table. The Singapore Grand Prix looked set to be a disaster for Red Bull. The dominant team of 2023 failed to find a setup in the Simulator, leaving any breakthrough to be found on track. Russell was aiming to go one place better than last season and finally claim his first race victory. FP1 brought further hardship for the Austrian outfit, as Albon made contact with Tirowee and brought their running for the session to an end. The Williams driver misread Tirowee running wide as him letting Albon through. Norris took over where Red Bull left off to top FP1 from Piastri and Schumacher. The Mediums looked to be the favoured race tyre, with Alonso 5th only one second off Norris' time on Softs. Red Bull completed the order in 19th and 20th. Norris was again the form driver in FP2 from Hamilton and Schumacher. Aston Martin again looked strong with Alonso 4th and Stroll 5th. Tsunoda bedded in his new upgrades with 9th on Mediums. Red Bull improved, but only to 14th with Tirowee and 15th for Verstappen. Albon pulled out a worldly lap to go fastest in FP3 from Piastri and Zhou. Ferrari showed their hand with 4th and 5th. Verstappen cracked the top 12.

#### **Qualifying**

Norris secured an easy 5 points with pole over six tenths to Piastri. Alonso qualified third for the second race in a row and this time would start from that position. Albon kept up his strong form with 6th. Both AlphaTauris made it into Q3, with Tsunoda 8th and Lawson 10th. Leclerc had a poor Q1 to line up only 16th, whilst Sainz started from 4th. Red Bull took a step back from FP3, with Tirowee 18th and Verstappen 19th.

#### **Race**

The final Wildcard race of the season started dry, but rain was projected later on. A traditional lightning start from Alonso saw the Spaniard in the lead by turn 2. Sargeant got the jump on the reigning World Champion to move into 19th. The American fought valiantly to hold onto his position, but Verstappen had the measure of the rookie on lap 5 to take back 19th. Alonso was pulling clear on lap 5, until a loss of hydraulic pressure in the AMG Power Unit forced the four-time Champion to retire from the race just as the rain began to fall. Most drivers pit for Inters at the end of lap 5, whilst Lawson and Hamilton went on for another lap, looking to gain positions by avoiding the crowded pitlane. Neither driver would get the chance to make a stop as Albon crashed heavily and brought out the red flag. The Thai-Brit's tyres were still cold and he spun his FW45 in the same place he had contact with Tirowee in FP1. The rain only got heavier during the race stoppage. 17/19 drivers opted to restart on Full Wets, whilst Lawson and Hamilton gambled with the Inters. The McLarens swarmed Hamilton at the restart, whilst Lawson kept his composure to lead a lap for the first time in his career. This second gamble didn't pay off as the New Zealander pit at the end of lap 8 for Wets, along with Hamilton.

Norris retook the lead from Schumacher and Tsunoda. Despite the tricky track conditions, there was a few laps of calm until Magnussen pit at the end of lap 18 for Inters. At the end of the next lap, nearly every other driver also made the change. The Dane gained a handful of places with the undercut. Piastri, Zhou and Sainz tried to do something different and stay out on Wets, but all 3 had to admit defeat at the end of lap 21 and also pit for Inters. Leclerc also gained a few places through strategy, but had a large queue behind. Sargeant did all he could to find a way into 11th, but chose not to risk a strong points haul given he started last on the grid. Conditions aside, Norris had it easy to dominate around the Marina Bay to take the victory by over 11 seconds from Schumacher. Tsunoda secured his second third place finish in three races. Vergne secured his best finish of the season so far to climb up to 4th. Stroll completed the top 5 after being nocked out in Q1. Piastri's gamble didn't pay off, and he dropped to 6th. Zhou claimed good points with 7th. Sainz had his best finish in recent times with 8th. Magnussen secured strong points for Toyota with 9th. Tirowee climbed into the top 10 from 18th on the grid. Leclerc held onto 11th, whilst Sargeant reached the top 12 for the second time. 13th Gasly, 14th Sette Camara, 15th Hamilton, 16th Verstappen,17th Lawson, 18th Russel (DNF), 19th Albon (DNF), 20th Alonso (DNF + FL).

Tirowee reclaimed the lead of the Driver's Championship by 4 points from Verstappen. Schumacher opened the gap to Leclerc to 17 points. Alonso remained 5th, despite only taking 3 points from this race. Norris climbed from 12th to 8th. Albon dropped to 9th, but remained ahead of the other McLaren. Vergne made his way into the top half. Sainz remained 14th. Sargeant almost doubled his points tally and moved into 19th. Lawson moved off the bottom and into double digits. Red Bull took a step closer to retaining their Constructor's trophy for another season, despite Alfa Romeo closing the gap. McLaren's rapid progress continued, now up to 5th ahead of Aston Martin. AlphaTauri closed to 28 points behind Toyota.

### **Round 15: Belgium**

#### **Practice**

Jean-Eric Vergne re-signed with Alpine for 2024. Toyota remained one of two teams yet to reach the podium. The Japanese outfit brought an upgrade to minimise drag for Spa and the next race at Monza. Williams trialed their '0-0' package during FP1. Red Bull looked to return to the front of the pack, with the struggle of Singapore behind them. Lance Stroll's debut race came here in 2016, this weekend the Canadian prepares for his 8th and final. Tirowee powered to the fastest time in FP1on Mediums, from Albon and Piastri on Softs. Sargeant ran strongly to 5th on Mediums. Both AlphaTauris featured in the top 12. Tirowee again was at the top at the end of FP2, this time on Softs. Albon was second again, this time on Mediums. Verstappen still had pace to find, down in 6th and over half a second off Tirowee's pace. FP3 started wet. With weather expected to play a part in the race, most drivers got some laps on Inters. Piastri set the fastest Inters time from Sargeant and Alonso. When the track dried, Williams dominated. Albon and Sargeant were almost a second clear of Norris in third. Verstappen was still lacking pace over Tirowee.

#### **Qualifying**

Tirowee and Albon pulled clear of the field to complete the front row. McLaren locked out row two with Norris ahead. Verstappen was only 6th, over as second off the time set by the other Red Bull. Both of Sargeant's lap times were deleted for track limits. The American would've line up 4th. Alfa Romeo got their calculations wrong in Q1, leaving Schumacher only 17th. Stroll's final Belgian Grand Prix began from 19th on the grid. Russell took a 10 place penalty for extra Power Unit elements and lined up at the back.

#### **Race**

Rain retuned for the race, all drivers started on Inters. Albon got the launch he needed, but Tirowee held the inside line and the lead. Zhou couldn't maintain his early pace and began to drop back on lap 3. Verstappen was first to make a move, followed by Gasly on lap 4. Sette Camara didn't qualify where he needed to and the Brazilian found Lawson harder to pass than expected. Rain looked set to remain for the rest of the race. Tirowee pit for a new set of Inters on lap 11. Such was the Brit's pace, Tirowee rejoined the track in very close quarters with Verstappen. The Red Bulls made contact as Tirowee made his way through. Verstappen pit at the end of lap 12 and an excellent stop from the Red Bull pit crew jumped the Dutchman ahead of Leclerc. Albon ran longer on to attack in the second stint. Norris discovered he again had the weaker of the MCL60s, as the Brit pulled off 14, leaving the podium securely in the hands of team mate Piastri.

Verge made a move on Magnussen which also invited Sette Camara to the party but all three were outside the points places. With pride on the line, Sette Camara passed Magnussen with three laps remaining. Tsunoda wasn't going to repeat his previous wet race podiums of Canada and Singapore, Hamilton passed the Japanese for 11th. Albon put in a mighty final stint but Tirowee was too far in front. Tirowee (+FL) won by four seconds from Albon, who finally secured his first podium of the season. Piastri went unchallenged to complete the podium. Verstappen salvaged 4th ahead of Leclerc but was almost 30 seconds behind Tirowee. Gasly drove excellently to 6th and kept Sargeant at bay. Zhou finished where he started in 8th. Sainz climbed up to 9th. Alonso secured 3 points with 10th. Hamilton remained ahead of Tsunoda.

Tirowee built his championship lead to almost a race win's worth of points over Verstappen. Albon and Piastri ascended up to 7th and 8th. Gasly re-entered the top 12. It never looked in doubt and with five races to spare, Red Bull claimed the 2023 Constructor's title. Ferreri reclaimed 3rd from Mercedes. Williams closed to 13 points behind Alpine in the battle for 7th.

## Race Results

\* Fastest lap point wasn't scored, as the driver finished outside of the top 10 during a non-Wildcard race.

## Championship Standings

Points were awarded to the top 12 classified finishers using the following structure:

1st: 20 points, 2nd: 15 points, 3rd 12 points, 4th: 10, 5th: 8, 6th: 7, 7th: 6, 8th: 5, 9th: 4, 10th: 3, 11th: 2, 12th: 1.

During Wildcard races, all drivers would score points. 25 for the winner, 20 for second, 18 for third, 17, 16, 15, etc. During these races and driver can take the point for fastest lap and 5 points would be awarded for pole. Click on the points table to enlarge it.

Key;

* ¹ - Pole Position
* ² - Started in second
* ³ - Started in third

* Gold - Race Winner
* Silver - Second Place
* Bronze - Third Place
* Green - Points finish
* Blue - Classified finish outside of the points paying positions (regular points races)
* Blue ^ - Driver did not finish, but was still classified
* Purple - Did Not Finish
* Black - Disqualified
* White - Driver/ Team did not race
* ***Bold*** - Fastest lap