It’s Christmaaaaaaas! Well almost – 2023 is almost at an end, with mere days of the calendar year remaining until another chapter closes in motorsport history, with plenty of memorable moments being made.
Formula 1 saw Max Verstappen run riot en route to a third straight Drivers’ title, which he secured in the Saturday Sprint at Qatar with five rounds to spare.
The Dutchman was faultless practically 100% of the time he got behind the wheel of the RB19, accumulating more than twice the points of team-mate and runner-up in the championship Sergio Perez. Verstappen’s dominance was so brutal that he could have secured the Constructors’ Championship for Red Bull with his points haul alone.
A rampant 10 consecutive wins mid-season saw him set a new record and he concluded the campaign with a record 19 victories out of 22 races. The question is: will anyone be able to stop Verstappen next year?
In the world of two-wheeled racing, MotoGP was an altogether closer affair. Reigning World Champion Francesco Bagnaia sported the number 1 plate on his factory Ducati and was pushed to the season finale by rival Jorge Martin aboard the satellite Pramac Ducati.
Bagniaia rose to the top once again with a season built on consistent Grand Prix results, as Martin gained the upper hand in the all-new Saturday Sprint race addition to the series. Will Bagnaia make it three titles out of three during the 2024 campaign?
In the FIA World Endurance Championship, the stunning Hypercar category got a shot of adrenaline via an influx of new competitors. The likes of Ferrari, Porsche, Cadillac and Vanwall joined Peugeot and Glickenhaus to take the fight to Toyota’s winning machine but to no avail.
An enthralling year of the biggest names in motoring fighting on the track ended with Toyota on top once again, save for Ferrari’s historic triumph at the Centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans. With more manufacturers joining the championship in 2024, can anyone topple Toyota from its throne?
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship also had a fresh dawn, with the reintroduction of the premier GTP category showcasing several LMDh cars seen across the pond in FIA WEC, with Acura and BMW added into the mix stateside. 11 rounds across some of the United States’ most historic racing circuits saw the fight for the title go down to the wire, with Action Express Racing’s #31 Cadillac proving triumphant. The Roar Before the Rolex 24 at Daytona is set to usher in IMSA’s next chapter starting January 19, 2024.
The 2023 IndyCar season completed Motorsport Week’s stateside coverage and fans were treated to yet another magnificent year of single-seater action across the USA and Canada. The jewel in the IndyCar crown at Indianapolis set the stage for an enthralling month of May, with Penske’s Josef Newgarden putting his Indy 500 woes to bed with a stunning last-lap victory.
But the real star of the IndyCar season was Ganassi’s Alex Palou, who was a cut above the field, winning five races and wrapping up the title one round ahead of the season finale, a feat that hadn’t been achieved since 2007. Will Palou exert his dominance over the rest of the IndyCar field once again in 2024?
Just as the Japanese marque was in FIA WEC, Toyota was in fine form in the World Rally Championship as Kalle Rovanpera fought to defend his title. The 23-year-old Finnish driver succeeded in his mission, securing a second title with a round to spare at the Central European Rally. But having decided to run a part-time campaign in 2024, the stage is set for a new champion to take his place.
July feels like a long time ago now, but unbelievably that is when Season Nine of the Formula E World Championship ended in London. The London E-Prix played host to another of our season-finale title deciders and it was Andretti’s Jake Dennis who emerged victorious to become the all-electric series’ first-ever British Champion.
2023 has been a long, rollercoaster of a motorsport season. With Christmas upon us, now is the time to rest and recharge, as the 2024 season is already fast approaching as Formula E gets us racing again with the Mexico City E-Prix on January 13.
