Postcards from… Abu Dhabi

From Sakhir to Yas Marina is 440 kilometres as the crow flies, and on Sunday Max Verstappen closed the circle on his season as precisely as the doughnuts (of the non-edible variety) that he left on the Yas Marina main straight after the race. Max finished exactly as he had started by dominating the grand prix: in the end, not much has changed in the 266 days and 21 races that have passed since Bahrain. At Yas Marina, the three-time world champion and his team were able to further improve on the many records they have established this year. Namely, from the driver's perspective: 19 victories, 86.36% of races won during the season, 21 podium finishes, 575 points, 1003 laps led, and a record-breaking margin of 290 points over the second-placed finisher. As for Red Bull, they claimed 21 victories, 95.45% of races won, 15 consecutive successes, 860 points, and 1149 laps led. Is it even possible to do any better? That seems hard, but people said exactly the same about Mercedes in 2016, Ferrari in 2002, and McLaren in 1998…

It was Enzo Ferrari who claimed that second was the first of the losers – and who can argue with him? But there are different ways and means of finishing runner-up, especially in Formula 1. In a season like this one, faced with total domination from Red Bull, second is the very best that Mercedes could have hoped for, and they got it. Both in the constructors' championship, and also, to some extent in the drivers' classification – as Lewis Hamilton was eventually classified third behind the imperious Red Bull duo of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. Of course, for a team that won 15 world titles (seven drivers' championships plus eight constructors' championships) from 2014 to 2021, a second place without even a victory to their name – as well as a deficit of 106 points compared to the previous season – is nothing to write home about. But considering that the team realised that their car was conceptually flawed from the start of the year, an actual improvement of one place in the constructors' championship was definitely positive. Lewis Hamilton, who finished a lowly sixth last year, can feel equally satisfied. The fact that his last win came back at the 2021  Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weighs heavily on the seven-time world champion's mind but finishing in the top three of the world championship (and beating his team mate) for the 11th time is still an achievement: only Michael Schumacher has done better, with 12 top three finishes.

Undeniably, Ferrari has taken a step backwards compared to last year. The team dropped from second to third in the constructors' standings and its best-placed driver, Charles Leclerc, dropped three positions in the drivers' rankings: from runner-up in 2022 to fifth just a year later. The numbers don't lie: Ferrari is the team that conceded most points (148) compared to their previous season. Looking on the bright side, Ferrari was also the only team capable of interrupting Red Bull's supremacy, winning the Singapore Grand Prix with Carlos Sainz, and there was plenty of speed from Maranello in qualifying too thanks to seven poles: five with Leclerc and two with Sainz. Go back one year though and those numbers were four wins and 12 pole positions. The podium placings have also gone from 12 last year to 9 this year, while there were no fastest laps in 2023 (as opposed to five in 2022).

Following the summer break things improved significantly: only Red Bull was able to do better in terms of total points collected from Holland to Abu Dhabi. Yet the declared objective of finishing second in the team standings was lost right at the end of the year – despite a competitive advantage over Mercedes that became increasingly clear during the second part of the season.

They say that you're only ever as good as your last result, but the truth is that all points are worth exactly the same, whether they are scored in the first or the last grand prix. And that's why it's impossible to draw anything other than a positive conclusion from Aston Martin's 2023 season. The Silverstone-based squad showed the biggest improvement in form compared to 2022, with a 225-point increase over their score of 55 points last year. Fernando Alonso is a key part of what made the difference. At 42 years of age, the Spaniard finished the championship in fourth place overall, coming close to the end-of-year top three (which he hasn't seen since 2013) and scoring 206 of the team's 280 points. On top of that, he was one of the most spectacular drivers of the year, finishing on the podium eight times: more often than anyone else who wasn't lucky enough to drive a Red Bull. The first part of the season was truly exceptional, to the extent that Aston Martin even occupied second in the constructors' standings for quite some time. From Silverstone onwards, things became trickier, with Aston's development programme probably not being quite up to scratch, as well as a strong resurgence from two other teams: Ferrari and above all McLaren, who established themselves as frontrunners once more. Holland and Brazil were definitely highlights of the year though, showcasing all of Fernando's determination and talent. So fourth place might have left a bad taste in some people's mouths there, but it's equally important to remember where the team was in 2022. The only way is up.

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was the final race for one of the most understated yet respected characters in the paddock: Franz Tost, who stepped down from the role of AlphaTauri team principal, which he has occupied since 2006 (back when it was called Toro Rosso). The famous Faenza-based team was born out of the ashes of Minardi, and under the uncompromising leadership of Tost became an extraordinary incubator of talent for Red Bull, where champions such as Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen cut their teeth – as well as grand prix winners such as Carlos Sainz, Daniel Ricciardo and Pierre Gasly. Considering its budget and resources, the team has often punched above its weight throughout its 351 races to date – having finished sixth in the constructors' championship three times (in 2008, 2019 and 2021) and claiming two wins, which were both at Monza: 2008 with Vettel and 2020 with Gasly. Not only that but there have been five podium finishes, one pole, three fastest race laps and 809 points scored so far. Now, the team that has always been a fan favourite gets two new leaders: Peter Bayer (who will be responsible for corporate and commercial strategy) keeps the Austrian flag flying high, while incoming team principal Laurent Mekies is a Frenchman who spent 11 years at Faenza.

Their job will to be ensure that Franz is not too sorely missed, and to take the team to even bigger heights in future.