After a season of utter dominance from Max Verstappen and Red Bull, the Formula One world now enjoys a few months off as the focus begins to turn to 2024.
Nobody could get near Red Bull, and more specifically their three-time world champion who failed to win only three races all year. Mercedes finished second in the constructors’ championship, but they did not once finish top of the podium.
There were positives for the likes of McLaren and Williams, while things were less chaotic at Ferrari and Fernando Alonso had some standout moments at Aston Martin.
It is very rare at the top of elite sport for a team to perform as flawlessly as Red Bull did in the 2023 Formula 1 season.
Every single component of what makes a good race team was on display from Christian Horner’s outfit as it demolished the opposition with a scale of dominance never, and will likely be again, seen.
As the paddock took in the first drubbing in Bahrain, Mercedes’ George Russell predicted that Red Bull would win every race, and while that didn’t quite happen, just how close it did come to happening was astonishing.
The fact that Red Bull won 21 of the 22 races is one of the greatest achievements in Grand Prix racing, given the ever-increasing number of races and opportunities to screw up.
Before Red Bull it was Mercedes and then Red Bull and then Ferrari and then Williams and then McLaren. It’s just the way it is, and will always be. F1 is a meritocracy and the best will always rise to the top.
That’s not Red Bull’s fault – rather Mercedes and Ferrari simply must shape up.