FAREWELL TO SEB & A LOOK TOWARDS 2023

Farewell to Seb

This weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix saw Sebastian Vettel bow out of F1 after 15 seasons in the sport. He is the third most successful driver in F1 history with 53 wins and 4 World Titles but it's who Vettel is off the track, as well as on-track, which has endeared him to fans worldwide and seen him have an influence on the wider world. As fast and committed as he is, he mirrors that with genuine empathy, humility and care for issues that matter to him. Apart from Lewis Hamilton, I don’t remember another driver so willing to put their reputation on the line for the causes they believe in.

He will be sorely missed, but I won't miss the years of seeing that No.1 finger pop out after a qualifying session or a race. In his prime, he was truly unstoppable.

Let's take a look at his career highlights:

1st Win: Monza 2008

This is arguably his greatest race-winning weekend. He totally dominated in the wet at Monza in a Toro Rosso that shouldn’t have been a race-winning car. While the championship-contending teams got it wrong in qualifying, Vettel stuck it on pole alongside Heikki Kovalainen but everyone expected it to be hard for him to hold off the much faster McLaren in the race. However, the opposite happened, while Kovalainen went backwards Vettel disappeared off into the distance, only making one small mistake in very tricky conditions to take his and the team’s first win. This really cemented his place as the new rising star in F1.

1st Title: Abu Dhabi 2010

Vettel went into the weekend as the third-placed driver in the championship and had yet to lead it that season. While the other title contenders Webber and Alonso focused on each other, Vettel led from pole position and secured an easy victory and his first title. While he had to rely on the others getting it wrong, he put himself in the position to win and stole the spoils on the final day.

The Whole 2011 & 2013 Seasons

Vettel took 4 championships in a row between 2010-2013, but these two seasons stand above the rest. He was utterly dominant in a car that was quick, but in his hands it was unbeatable. He won 11 races in 2011 and 13 in 2013, but those stats are just the tip of the iceberg. In 2011 he finished off the podium only once and, in 2013 he won the final 9 races despite winning the title with three races to go. When he needed to turn it on, he got in a zone and was in a class of one. While I couldn’t appreciate it then as he stopped my beloved McLaren from winning, those were truly special seasons to witness. In a time when 5 World Champions were on the grid and fighting for wins, Vettel stood above and beyond the rest.

1st Win with Ferrari: Malaysia 2015

Vettel’s first win with Ferrari came at a time when everyone was worried Mercedes’ dominance would be too much to overcome. In the scorching heat of Malaysia, Vettel was able to protect his tyres enough to do one less stop than the Mercedes, but his pace was what led him to win easily. After struggling with the new era of cars in 2014 and being overshadowed by his teammate Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull, this was the perfect reminder of what Vettel could do in an F1 car. His emotional radio message as he crossed the line showed just how much it meant to him and the team. A great moment and a full circle moment for a boy who idolised Schumacher in Red.

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The class of 2023 is set

With Nico Hulkenberg being confirmed at Haas for next season and Logan Sargeant getting enough super licence points to secure his Williams seat, all the driver’s seats have been filled. So with the 2022 season wrapped up, let's look ahead to 2023 and see how the grid shapes up.

Red Bull: Max Verstappen & Sergio Perez

Red Bull keeps the same line-up for 2023 and I expect the same running order to carry over into next season. While Perez is a great driver, Verstappen is better and the team is clearly built around him. Perez can hold his own on his day, but Verstappen’s consistency is on another level. They will be strong and fighting for the championship once again.

Ferrari: Charles Leclerc & Carlos Sainz Jr

Ferrari also keeps the same line-up and the drivers will hope their championship challenge won’t tail off in quite as spectacular fashion as this year. While the two drivers are strong, they need to cut out mistakes and find that extra couple of tenths when needed to maintain their title fight. These two are good enough to challenge for titles, I have no doubt, they just need the team firing behind them as well.

Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton & George Russell

Arguably the strongest line-up going into 2023. Russell got his first win and joins an elite group of three drivers to beat teammate Hamilton over a season. The other two are both World Champions (and they aren’t called Fernando Alonso). Mercedes seem to have built nice momentum going into next year and I think these two drivers have what it takes to take the challenge to Red Bull.

Alpine: Esteban Ocon & Pierre Gasly

Gasly moves over to complete an all-French everything at Alpine next year. It will be really interesting to see how Ocon and Gasly compare. Both have shown periods of consistently fast driving but I think Pierre is better in that regard. If they don’t crash into each other, this could be a really strong lineup.

McLaren: Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri

The most intriguing driver line-up for me going into 2023. Obviously, Piastri has been in the headlines for the unusual way he arrived at the McLaren seat but he comes into F1 with a pedigree only Russel and Leclerc have, winning F3 & F2 back-to-back, so expectations will be high. If he can match Lando then McLaren is in good shape, they just need to get the car up the front.

Alfa Romeo: Valterri Bottas & Zhou Gyanyu

Alfa keeps their line-up for 2023, which Zhou definitely deserves. The car has been a bit hit-and-miss this year but Bottas has shown his speed & leadership after his years being 2nd fiddle to Hamilton. Moving into 2023, we hope to see more progression from Zhou while I think we all know what we are getting from Bottas.

Aston Martin: Lance Stroll & Fernando Alonso

Alonso started the driver market silly season when he surprisingly announced he was leaving Alpine for Aston Martin in 2023. While it looks like an interesting choice, Aston Martin was ready to prioritise him while Alpine was using him as a stop-gap, so it was probably a no-brainer for him. I think Alonso can help push this team further forward and it seems like the upgrades they have brought in the 2nd half of the season have generally worked. Alonso should be able to finish races in this car as well. This is a team on the up and it will be interesting to see how Stroll stands up to a highly motivated Alonso.

Haas: Kevin Magnussen & Nico Hulkenberg

Bringing these two old foes together is a really interesting lineup for Haas. Hulkenberg didn’t deserve to lose his previous seat at Renault, he was just the victim of F1’s political landscape. When he has filled in for Racing Point/Aston Martin drivers over the last couple of years, he was on the pace immediately so I expect the same for 2023. This pairing could push Haas further up the grid and their nice new title sponsor MoneyGram will help them develop the car further.

Alpha Tauri: Yuki Tsunoda & Nick de Vyrs

I'm happy de Vyrs got a drive, he dominated his championship in F2 and has won a Formula E title so he's definitely good enough. Tsunoda has yet to fully prove himself, he needs to be more consistent and if he is beaten by de Vyrs in 2023, it could be curtains for him. It will be a big year for the young Japanese driver.

Williams: Alex Albon & Logan Sargeant

Alex Albon has done a good job for Williams this year and I expect him to continue to get better in 2023, he has shown that he is a solid F1 driver at worst. Logan Sargeant had a very promising rookie season in F2, with 2 wins and 3 pole positions but we have seen rookies take a while to get used to the demands of F1. The only way is up for Williams in the constructors for 2023 and I expect them to be closer to the fight in 2023, regular points finishes must be the aim.

SCOTT'S VERDICT:

The strongest line-up for me - and I’m not just saying this because I’m British - has to be Lewis and George. I’m most impressed with Russell. He’s shown strong form against Hamilton and has remained consistent throughout this season. In fact, the closeness of the two drivers may be a disadvantage, when compared to a line-up like that at Red Bull.

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