F1 2013: Season Review

Now that the dust has settled on another Formula One year, I’ve been thinking about this season: the highs and lows, shocks and surprises and I thought I’d get a little summary together to tie us over until the new season begins next year. Feel free to disagree with me and let me know why!

Kudos to the Champ

No matter whether you like him or hate him, Sebastian Vettel has done some remarkable things the last four years, as has the Red Bull team. We have been the witness of some dominating performances reminiscent of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari. People will complain, as always but there’s plenty going on after the winning position if you pay attention.

The records Vettal has broken, and at such an age, are incredible and he’s probably not done by a longshot. I’ll be interested to see how he copes with the lows if and when they come his way. We saw a darker, meaner side of him in the team orders fiasco early in the season. Is there more of this to come? Time will tell.

Stand out driver

There are a few names to mention here. Fernando Alonso for Ferrari has once again pushed more than most other drivers with an inferior car. Valtteri Bottas has proven he has some talent, but whether he can transform that into results is something else. Nico Hulkenberg has once again shown this season why he is so highly rated. Max Chilton set his own record of finishing every race in his rookie season.

However, I have to give it to Lotus driver Romain Grosjean. Compared to the driver he was last season, and despite a few hiccups this year, he has proven himself to be fully deserving of his place in F1 and with a team such as Lotus. We have not seen all the French driver can do and if Lotus can pull it together next year, he could be a title contender. Wouldn’t that be a great reward for him!

Stand out team

Of all the teams, Mercedes did better than expected, especially judging by their performances since the brand took the team in 2010. To have the pace they did was downright shocking to everyone on the grid – unfortunately they couldn’t hold it in the race due to high tyre wear. They solved it through the season (probably helped by the ‘illegal’ tyre test they did) and were often the closest challengers to the Red Bulls.

Best race

I enjoyed Melbourne, Australia, the most. I like the track, and being the first race of the season always means there are some unsure faces and some unpredictable results. Kimi Raikkonen won the first race after an unsurprising Red Bull front row. At first, it was a case of familiar faces at the front. It soon changed and the season would offer a little more spice but things soon settled down and things got boring in subsequent races, unfortunately,

Worst race

Silverstone was probably the worst race of the season, but on the other hand, it was the most interesting. It was the worst because of six tyre blowouts that could have, at any point, seriously injured the driver in the car and others around it. It was worse because we’d seen tyre failures like this before but nothing this severe. I said at the time I was surprised the race wasn’t stopped and I still hold to the belief. It was a ridiculous environment to be in. It did lead to a change in compounds for the next two races – did that play a part in Red Bull’s success in the second half of the season? Undoubtedly.

Biggest surprise

For me, the biggest shock was McLaren being so uncompetitive. It was ridiculous that one of the teams we’re used to seeing challenge for wins and championships couldn’t get a podium this year, especially after Jenson Button won in Brazil. Lewis Hamilton, for all his problems, definitely made the right choice that year. Whether it continues to pay off, is something we’ll have to see, as well as if McLaren can make it back to the top.

New rules and changes

One advantage to waiting a while before posting this review was these “new rules” being introduced. I’m a bit confused that they’d go for double points at the last race rule but not an increased weight limit to be fairer to drivers – I mean, really?! The fact that this rule would have made only three – yes, THREE – differences to the championship in about ten years makes it a stupid rule that won’t really do anything. I kind of understand why they did it, but one race is kind of pointless if someone wins with three or four races to go in the season. It seems like a cheap shot and not thought out at all, but with all the other changes, it will make for an interesting year.

Overall thoughts

Not the most dramatic or enthralling of seasons by a longshot, but it definitely had its moments. While some things will be carried over to the new season, the new rules and regulations mean that we are going back to square one for many teams and that should give us a much more interesting season to come as teams and drivers get to grips with what they have to work with. I’m very excited for 2014!