If you love motoring, and we’re presuming you do if you’re on our website, then you should be unable to contain your excitement at the upcoming Formula One season. The season opener for the 2023 campaign comes to us from Bahrain on March 5th, and they will raise the curtain on the biggest season in F1 history. This year there will be 23 races from 20 different countries and five different continents.
Last season, Max Verstappen romped his way to a second consecutive World Championship. The Flying Dutchman dominated the campaign as we have never seen before winning a record-breaking 14 races leaving the rest of the grid lying in his wake. Although it has to be said that he did have some assistance from Ferrari, whose catastrophic decisions from the pit wall left Charles Leclerc’s title challenge in tatters.
The Scuderia have replaced their team principal, with Mattia Binotto making way for the incoming Fred Vasseur, who was formerly Alfa Romeo’s head honcho. Despite that change, however, it is Red Bull’s main man who remains the driver to beat. Online bookmaker Bovada, whose sports book provides Formula One odds and outrights, make Max Verstappen the overwhelming favourite to make it three titles on the spin this year.
Fans will also be hoping to see a comeback from Mercedes. The 2022 campaign was the first season in Lewis Hamilton’s illustrious 15-year career where he didn’t pick up a single race win. He will be hoping to put that behind him as he has his sights firmly set on a record-breaking eighth World Championship.
But of the current teams in Formula One, how many of them actually manufacture road cars? Well, wonder no more.
Mercedes
Prior to the rise of Max Verstappen and his Red Bull Racing team, Mercedes were the dominant force in Formula One. The Silver Arrows embarked on a record-setting run between 2014 and 2021, winning eight consecutive constructors’ championships. Their drivers also picked up seven titles during that time frame, with the aforementioned Hamilton winning six and Nico Rosberg picking up his first and only championship back in 2016.
Last season, the German outfit endured a turbulent season, finishing third in the constructor’s standings, some way behind title-winning Red Bull and Ferrari. They did show signs of improvement throughout the second half of the campaign however, with upstart driver George Russell picking him his maiden race victory in Brazil in the penultimate race of the season. They will be hoping to build on that in the upcoming campaign.
Ferrari
Before the dominance of Mercedes and Red Bull before them, there was one leading team in the world of Formula One, Ferrari. Michael Schumacher led the Scuderia to six consecutive constructors championships between 1999 and 2005, picking up five driver’s titles for himself along the way. They also added another two constructors’ titles to their name in 2007 and 2008 thanks to the driver pairing of Kimi Räikkönen and Felipe Massa.
The Italians are without a championship since however they did threaten to add to their collection in 2017 and 2018 with Sebastian Vettel as their lead driver. In recent years, Ferrari has struggled, however, last season they returned to their winning ways. In Charles Leclerc, they have a driver that is a genuine star, and he will be hoping that better decisions from the pit wall this season can lead him to a maiden World Championship.
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo returned to Formula One in 2019 after a 34-year hiatus, taking over the famed Sauber team. They immediately announced made a statement of intent by hiring former world champion Kimi Räikkönen as their lead driver. He retired at the end of the 2021 season, however, was replaced with another flying Finn, former Mercedes driver and race winner, Valtteri Bottas.
Last season, Alfa Romeo was firmly part of the midfield. They started strongly, with a string of points finishes for Bottas, but fell off during the second half of the campaign.
Aston Martin
Aston Martin has provided luxury cars to the world for years now, however, they have never truly made their presence felt in Formula One. They did briefly feature in the world championship in 1959 and 1960 however, swiftly left the scene after their car underperformed. Throughout the 2010s, they sponsored Red Bull Racing, but it wasn’t until 2021 that they finally formed their own team.
Their first order of business was immediately hiring four-time world champion, Sebastian Vettel. So far, however, they have been unable to make an impression on the rest of the grid.
McLaren
McLaren is the third most successful team in the history of Formula One. Between 1974 and 1998, the team picked up eight World Championships. They also led Lewis Hamilton to his maiden title back in 2008. In recent years, the supercar manufacturer has fallen down the grid somewhat, leading the midfield fight behind Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes.
In Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, the team has two of the most talented young drivers on the planet, and they will be hoping that duo can return them to former glories in the years to come.
