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Ahead of this weekend's opening Grand Prix in Bahrain, a preview of the 2023 Formula One season, taking a detailed look at the chances of each of the 10 teams.
As Formula One gears up for its longest season yet, with 23 races expected to hold from March to December 2023, it is difficult to predict how each team will perform over the course of the season.
The major focus will be on Red Bull, can the reigning champions continue from where they stopped last season or will they will face a better challenge from traditional rivals Ferrari and Mercedes?
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There’s a potential new contender in Aston Martin whose package looks fast and with two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso at the helm, may be good enough to compete for podiums and wins.
Pre-season testing
While the traditional pre-season testing is mostly for teams to practice their set-ups and understand how their car translates to the track, it also gives insights on how each team will perform over the course of the season.
This year’s pre-season testing which held from February 23 to 25 already makes it clear what teams will be competitive and which ones will struggle a bit, at least in the earlier stage of the season.
Based on what the pre-season testing in Bahrain showed, all 10 F1 teams on the 2023 grid can now be broken into four categories; the contenders, the pretenders, the midfielders and the tails.
The contenders
Red Bull
The legality of Max Verstappen's 2021 title triumph might be questioned till the end of time but no one, not even his greatest adversaries, would begrudge him his second.
The Dutchman was in sublime form last year, breaking the record for most wins in a Formula 1 season with 15 wins in 22 races as he blitzed to his second consecutive title leaving his touted rival, Charles Leclerc, in the dust.
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He, alongside teammate Sergio Perez, also helped Red Bull to their first Constructors Championship since 2013.
From their outing in Bahrain, it is safe to say the Austrian team will be picking off right where they left off in 2022 with the team going fastest over the course of three days. They also clocked a total of 413 laps which says a lot about their reliability.
Red Bull might face a challenge from Ferrari and (if they get their act together), Mercedes but should be able to withstand the pressure.
Ferrari
Last season’s disappointment will be fresh on the minds of the Tifosi and that should fuel their ambitions for this season.
New team principal Fred Vasseur was picked as the man to finally propel them to glory with their search for a first World Championship since Kimi Raikonnen’s success in 2007.
It would be difficult to usurp Red Bull but if they do away with the incessant strategy errors, reliability issues, and driver mistakes that marred their last campaign last time out, they should be able to give the defending champions a run for their money.
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Vassuer’s approach of not having a number one driver between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz would also be good for the team, although how the results trickle in during the season might change that up.
Still, Ferrari has a solid package that makes them the second-fastest team on the grid, a couple of adjustments here and there with a solid development run will help the team to challenge the dominance of Red Bull.
Mercedes
After a nightmare start to their 2022 season, eight-time world champions Mercedes managed to improve on the struggling W13 over the course of the season to settle for third on the Constructors Championship while Lewis Hamilton finished the season without a win for the first time in his illustrious F1 career.
While the W14 looks promising without the porpoising that assailed its predecessor, its performance in the recently concluded pre-season testing puts it firmly behind the RB-19 and SF-23 for pace with Aston Martin’s AMR23 also touted as being faster.
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There is enough confidence in Mercedes to know that they will eventually get their act together and match up to the top two teams on the grid.
Also with Lewis Hamilton gunning for a record eighth championship and George Russell looking to finally compete at the highest level, it would be ignorant to dismiss them from the title race.
The pretenders
Aston Martin
The Lawrence Stroll-owned team had a difficult start to pre-season with Lance Stroll ruled out with a minor injury and Felipe Drugovich's car grounding to a halt due to steering issues before Fernando Alonso's damaged floor took him out of the afternoon session.
Despite these setbacks, it was clear after the weekend that Aston Martin had a good package on their hands and with Fernando Alonso behind the wheel, a lot has been said about the team's chances for podiums and maybe wins this season.
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However, it would be an overkill to expect them to overthrow the top three teams because while there is a budget cap all teams are meant to follow, the disparity in the level of resources means they might not be able to match up in the development battle.
Their best bet will be to finish ahead of the rest of the midfield and that will be an improvement from last season where they finished seventh.
Alpine
It is no secret that the goal of Renault-owned Alpine is to move back to the front of the grid and compete for wins with the creme de la creme of F1.
Their fourth-place finish last season was a step in the right direction but the emergence of Aston Martin might push them back a little and make it difficult for them to get to the heights they dream of this season at least.
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They can be rest assured in the talents of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly to push them forward and extract the maximum from this season's package.
Development is also key in the long run and they have to match with the top teams in that regard.
The midfielders
McLaren
McLaren had a less-than-impressive pre-season outing as they struggled with aerodynamic efficiency and issues with their front wheelbarrows.
This resulted in drivers Lando Norrris and Oscar Piastri only managing 312 laps between them and they head into the first race of the season on the backfoot.
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It is a long season however and upgrades might change the course of their season but new team principal Andrea Stella will have a lot to do to ensure they emerge strong in the midfield battle.
They took a chance on Oscar Piastri last season and have the dependable Lando Norris to propel them forward and lead them higher than last season’s fifth.
Alfa Romeo
A lot of changes have happened at the Swiss team over the summer with Andreas Seidl coming in as CEO following Fred Vasseur’s move to Ferrari and the team opting for Alunni Bravi as team representative as opposed to the traditional method of having a Team Principal run the affairs of the team.
On track, however, it is more of the same with Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu partnering up for a second season following their solid outing last year where they finished sixth.
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The team looks to have improved a bit during the testing with Zhou topping the timesheets in Day 2 and should hold their own in the midfield battle this year.
AlphaTauri
The Faenza team managed to run a total of 456 laps during the pre-season testing in Bahrain – the most of any team – and while their pace cannot be ascertained, they are unlikely to pose too much of a challenge to other teams on the grid.
A disappointing 2022 season saw them finish ninth on the grid and their first goal will be to improve on that this season.
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Pierre Gasly’s move to Alpine led to the team signing former Formula E champion, Nyck Devries, as the second driver to partner Yuki Tsunoda this season and while the Dutchman is technically a rookie, his stint in Formula E and as Mercedes test driver, means he comes with experience.
The tails
Haas
American team Haas had a good 2022 season, finishing a solid eighth in the Constructors championship, and followed that by swiftly signing the experienced Nico Hulkenberg to replace the underperforming Mick Schumacher.
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Their pre-season outing was not exactly bad but with the improvements of other midfield teams, it might be a bit difficult for them to move higher up the grid.
However, the experience of their drivers, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg might be the difference.
Williams
The sleeping giants finished bottom of the championship last season and while the FW45 looks to be better than its predecessor, it is unlikely they will improve on that performance this season giving how other teams on the grid have improved.
The team also has rookie Logan Sargent who cannot be counted on to grind out results just yet but should be able to depend on Alex Albon who managed to outperform the FW43 last season.
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They also have a change of management in James Volwes who moved from Mercedes to lead the team following Jost Capito’s departure at the end of last season, with his arrival hoping to contribute to a resurgence.
Conclusion
The F1 season is a long and arduous one with enough time available for teams to shift the momentum in their favour depending on how they do in the development battle.
Red Bull looks to be the team to beat but all that can change in a fell swoop. It will be interesting to see how the season shapes up for each team but for now, we look forward to the curtain raiser in Bahrain to kickstart what is sure to be a dramatic season.
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