The 2023 Formula 1 season is coming to a close, and it’s been a wonderful year for the world of motorsport. It’s unfolded in the best ways possible with one of the largest event calendars, fierce competition, and pure adrenaline.

With only one race left – the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – we can finally recap all of the most notable moments and changes that have happened.  If you’re an F1 fan and you want a reminder of the best moments that happened during this season, fasten your seat belt and let’s recap!

Drivers

The season began with some major driver changes: McLaren securing Oscar Piastri, AlphaTauri filling De Vries’ seat with Daniel Ricicardo, and Fernando Alonso taking over Vettel’s spot with Aston Martin following Vettel’s retirement.

Along with Piastri, the season saw two more rookies hop into F1 cars. F2 star Logan Sargeant joined Williams, and Nyck de Vries – an F2 and Formua E champion – joined AlphaTauri for a short period of time. Unfortunately, his F1 career only lasted 10 grand prixs as he struggled to prove himself in a difficult car. Being relieved of his driving duties was upsetting for many fans, but it gave Ricciardo a way back onto the grid, since he was signed as their reserve driver.

Fans of Ricciardo were ready to see the Aussie back in action, but the excitement was short lived. Two races into his return, Ricciardo had a crash during practice for the Dutch Grand Prix causing him to break his hand. Fortunately for Liam Lawson, he got to step into the car and outperform his teammate Yuki Tsunoda during his short time on the grid. His performance has secured himself a future in Formula 1.

Rookie driver, Oscar Piastri, and teammate, Lando Norris, brought life back to McLaren following multiple podium finishes during the second half of the season. Despite early-season frustrations, major car upgrades turned Piastri and Norris into some of the biggest competition throughout the season. Both drivers held their ground throughout the second half, landing them both podiums alongside Max Verstappen in the Japan and Qatar Grand Prix’s, plus a Qatar sprint race win for Piastri and 2 more podiums for Norris at the Singapore and US Grand Prix’s.

Highlights

Securing his third world championship before the season even ended, Max Verstappen has had an unforgettable season. He’s won 18 out of 21 races so far – and many of us can probably predict the outcome of Abu Dhabi.

At the Canadian Grand Prix, Verstappen matched legend Ayrton Senna’s total wins of 41, which was later surpassed after his win in Austria. No matter the outcome at Abu Dhabi, the Red Bull driver has already broken the record for most wins in a season, most consecutive wins, most points in a season, and has surpassed the 71-year-old record held by Alberto Ascari for the highest percentage of wins in a season – which Verstappen has sitting at an 85%.

Not only Verstappen, but everyone at Red Bull seemed to be unstoppable this year. The only two drivers to surpass Verstappen were his teammate, Sergio Perez, and Carlos Sainz Jr of Ferrari. Perez landed himself two first place finishes at Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia, putting him in second place for points – just ahead of Lewis Hamilton. It will be a tight race for second and third position, but there’s still one more race to go to determine the outcome.

Constructor’s Championship

In terms of constructor’s, Red Bull won their sixth title at the Japanese Grand Prix after Verstappen’s win. Despite there being six more races after the title was given, it was no surprise it came early due to their points stacking up head and shoulders above the rest.

The battle for second in the constructor’s championship is still ongoing with Mercedes and Ferrari holding only 20 points between each other.

As it stands going into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the constructors’ points are:

Races

One of the most anticipated races of the 2023 season was the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix. While the world waited in anticipation ahead of the race, some drivers, however, didn’t love the extravagance of it all.

Verstappen labelled the Las Vegas Grand Prix as “99% show and 1% sporting event” following the opening ceremony at the street circuit. Unlike any other grand prix, promoters out-did themselves with an entire hype weekend, consisting of live music performances, specialty helmet & car designs, promotional advertisements, and more.

Despite all of the extravagant pre-race displays, there were some mishaps that both drivers and fans weren‘t pleased about. Before the race day even began, Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz had damaged his car eight minutes into the first practice session of the weekend due to a water valve cover that came loose on the track. Soon after, roughly 35,000 fans were sent home from the same practice run without a refund. It’s important to note that many fans can only afford to attend one day of the race weekend due to the expensive ticket prices. Being one of the most expensive races on the calendar, many fans, drivers, and teams were extremely upset with the way that the grand prix kicked off.

On race day, the Las Vegas Strip Circuit drew plenty of criticism, but it still delivered an exciting grand prix undoubtedly because of the visual spectacles. It was a tough night due to the late timeline and cold track conditions, but many drivers still managed to pull off a great race. It’ll be interesting to see if 2024’s race will be full of ups and downs or if the much needed fixes to the track will happen for a smooth sailing weekend!

With the drivers’ and constructors’ championship titles already handed out, all eyes are going to be on the teams racing to take home second place at this weekend’s grand prix in Abu Dhabi. Momentum is with Ferrari to snag a close second and bump out Mercedes, but with millions at stake they may hold their ground.

This weekend also stands as Mercedes’ last chance to snag the top step of the podium – otherwise this will be their first season without a single victory since 2011. Hamilton, the most successful driver in Abu Dhabi with five wins, remains determined to end his own winless drought and give Mercedes’ the podium finish that they need.

If you’re a Formula 1 fan and you’ve yet to turn your love for the sport into a collectible experience – check out the Topps F1 Card collection. The newest 2023 edition has been thriving and is available on SoccerCards.ca!