A year of F1 predictions reviewed!
FINAL CORNER, CHEQUERED FLAG: One last look around the block of the 2023 season before our attention turns to 2024
Whacks the side side the box… “does this thing still work?”
Indeed, it does. After wiping off the dust from my keyboard, let’s get back to the very intense action of (writing about) Formula One.
The new F1 season is almost upon us, so it’s time spin this bad boy back up for whatever fresh ride this sport wants to take us all on in 2024.
The off-season has been particularly spicy this time around, but that’s all stuff we can get to at a later date.
First, before getting back into the groove of discussing the world of Formula One, I wanted to take a look back at the relevant predictions I made last year and see how I fared.
There are 12 in all, with a full tally of 24, so let’s get to them:
…a predicted order of: Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, Alpine, Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo, McLaren, Haas, Williams, Alpha Tauri.
A 2/10 on this one, which shows that the 2023 season did spring some surprises even if the title battle was as predictable as it has ever been.
The three point difference between Ferrari and Mercedes does now sting in this context, though.
George Russell predicted Red Bull to win all 23 races this season following Max Verstappen’s dominant display in Bahrain.
Going to take an easy victory here and disagree with the Mercedes driver. Ferrari and Aston Martin should both get chances this year at a win.
Red Bull almost got there, but Singapore ended the streak courtesy of Carlos Sainz.
Aston Martin had their chance in Monaco, but a poor strategy call ultimately cost Fernando Alonso from getting a long-awaited victory. 2/3.
Fernando Alonso will earn his 33rd F1 race win in 2023.
That Monaco race was as close as he got, as Aston Martin went backwards in the second half of the season. 0/1
[Ferrari] will fail to win a single race in 2023, but no driver changes into 2024.
No driver changes were announced for 2024, but they’ve already got a head start on making changes for 2025. 1/2.
The upcoming triple header of Imola, Monaco and Spain will see a non-Red Bull winner.
Red Bull did only win two of these races, but that’s because Imola was cancelled. 0/1.
Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari contract won’t be renewed beyond 2024.
This one could’ve gone long into 2024, but Ferrari pulled the trigger early and announced Lewis Hamilton will be taking over the Spaniard’s seat in 2025. 1/1
The July period sees four races in five weeks. Red Bull’s run of race victories will come to an end this month.
The hope for a more entertaining season led to making this prediction a couple times, but Aston Martin’s drop in form around this period really ended any hope of some fresh faces on the top step of the podium. 0/1
The teams have been testing tyres for Pirelli for next year that can be used without the use of blankets to warm them up.
A vote will take place on whether to go through with plans to ban these blankets.
No way it passes.
The vote failed to pass pretty easily. 1/1
Silly season to never really get out of first gear, none of the current top six teams to change drivers for 2024.
None of Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, Aston Martin, Alpine have changed drivers for 2024. 1/1
Hamilton has signed on for another two years with Mercedes, keeping him there for the 2024 and 25 seasons, but I think we’ll see him on the grid beyond that as he searches for an eighth world title.
Hamilton’s contract with Ferrari takes him beyond 2025, so I’m taking the early victory here for the time being. 1/1.
Red Bull to sweep the final races of the season.
Singapore was suggested as a potential opportunity for a different winner in 2023, and it duly delivered, but expect normality to be resumed starting this weekend in Japan.
Following Singapore, Red Bull did sweep the end of the season. But Charles Leclerc came close to a win in Las Vegas, but for an unfortunately timed Safety Car. 1/1.
I predict that a major incident will happen at the front before the end of this season where a punished driver stays on the podium despite earning a time-penalty.
Verstappen won in Las Vegas despite a five-second time penalty. 1/1.
While 2023 was not the most exciting season, it was far from predictable, so hopefully 2024 can provide some even more crazy twists and turns.
The newsletter will make a bigger return ahead of the first Grand Prix in Bahrain on 2 March - NOTE: A Saturday race!
Until then, here’s one prediction to get us underway for 2024: In the spirit of our first driver change announcement for 2025 already happening, I’ll predict the grid next year will have at least two rookies. I’m thinking Ollie Bearman and Kimi Antonelli. Liam Lawson will also have a drive.