Verstappen Wins 2023 Driver's Championship

PLP Season 1 Edition 3 🏁

Quick Quiz: Max Verstappen joins 10 other drivers who have won at least three Formula 1 Championships. Can you name all 10?

Find the list of champs below ⬇

Max Verstappen Wins Third Driver’s Championship in a Row

In what seemed to be a foregone conclusion since preseason testing, Max Verstappen won his third Driver’s Championship in what has been a dominant season. While being edged out in an exciting sprint race by Oscar Piastri, his second place finish earned him enough points to claim the ‘Ship. But the Flying Dutchman wouldn’t sit back after locking up the title - He took the GP win (his 14th of 2023) and the fastest lap of the race (his 8th of 2023). You don’t get to the top of your sport without having that killer instinct - Expect Max to try to break the record for race wins in a season (a record he owns, winning 15 in 2022). He’ll need just two more victories in five remaining races to do so, which could make Max’s 2023 season the best ever performance from a driver.

• An epic shot of the champ from @sam.vanderwal

• Jos is very proud of his son

• Max’s mighty season

Although the title is wrapped up, there’s still plenty to watch for the rest of the season. Hamilton challenging Perez for 2nd, McLaren catching Aston Martin, the Ferraris putting pressure on Alonso, and the return of everyone’s favorite Australian (obviously Daniel Ricciardo, though Piastri is quickly becoming a fan favorite).

Qatar Race Recap

Sprint Race

The 19 lap race was action packed, with Piastri getting a good start off the line as Verstappen and Norris fell behind Russell and the Ferraris. 3 safety cars broke up the frantic pace, with Lawson going off on lap 1, Sargeant spun out soon after, and a big dust up between Perez, Ocon, and Hulkenberg on lap 11. Russell took the lead when the soft tires lit up early, but patience from Piastri on mediums saw him take it back with 9 laps remaining. With high tire degradation playing a factor, Norris was able to battle back up to 3rd on mediums to seal a PIA/VER/NOR podium.

Grand Prix

It was fireworks from the start as Hamilton and Russell came together on the first turn, ending Hamilton’s race. There had been a bit of tension brewing between the Mercedes teammates over the past few weekends, but Lewis took full responsibility and apologized to George after the race. Not all was lost for the remaining Merc as Russell battled back to finish 4th. In an unprecedented move, the FIA mandated that tires would have a 18 lap maximum life due to the immense degradation seen to that point in the weekend. This meant teams had to adopt at least a 3 stop strategy, which posed a unique challenge for the race engineers. Due to all the pit stop timing Alex Albon even briefly led the race, which was cool to see. At the checkered flag, the sprint podium shuffled a bit for a VER/PIA/NOR result.

A big story line on Sunday was the absolute punishment taken by the drivers in the Qatar heat. Many called it the most physically demanding race they’ve had in their careers. After a grueling 57 laps, many drivers sought medical attention, had trouble getting out of their cars, and could be seen flipping up their visors to get a little bit of relief. Sargeant had to retire early, Ocon admitted to getting sick in his helmet on lap 15, Alonso asked for water to be dumped in the cockpit, and Stroll said he was losing consciousness for the last 25 laps. In the cooldown room, Max and Oscar could be seen sitting and lying down on the floor. An absolutely brutal race highlighted how physically demanding the sport can be, which is easy to take for granted. The GP will run 6 weeks later in next year’s schedule, hopefully giving the driver’s some reprieve.

Oscar Piastri Wins First (Sprint) Race

The rookie phenom took his first F1 victory at the Sprint this weekend, continuing an incredibly strong campaign thus far. While his teammate Lando Norris is also a highly touted young driver himself, this intrateam competition is an absolute must watch for the remainder of this season and into 2024.

Lando mentioned how Oscar beat him to the elusive first F1 victory, although he was happy for how the team performed and thinks he could have done better given the strong pace McLaren has found. While Norris now holds the record for most points scored without a win, at such a young age and with top talent you have to believe his first win is not far away.

Down the Grid

Tech Talk

• Gap to VER from @FDataAnalysis 

• Qatar car cooling test [F1 Unlocked Only]

• Reason for FIA ruling on tire lap limit

Off the Grid

• Action needed after extreme Qatar GP

• Pirelli remains tire supplier until 2027

• Circuits must address track limit problems

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