Success: Red Bull

Red Bull has had one of the most dominant seasons in F1 history, taking their first ever 1-2 in the Driver’s Championship and winning the Constructors’ Championship with five races left. They won all but one Grand Prix and one sprint race, breaking McLaren’s record for the most consecutive wins as a team.

Max Verstappen became a three-time World Champion in Qatar (Photo via @F1 on Instagram)

Reigning World Champion Max Verstappen broke multiple records, including the record for the most consecutive wins by a single driver and the record for the most wins in a single season. There’s no doubt that Red Bull was the most successful team of the season. 

Failed: Mercedes  

It’s been a season to forget for Mercedes. While they managed to hold on to 2nd in the Constructors’ Championship, the team has struggled to get consistent results in the second half of the season. Hamilton has only had two podiums since the summer break, and Russell only had two podiums all season. Even when they’ve had the pace, they haven’t always had a clean weekend; Qatar and COTA with the DNF and DSQ being two examples of this. Mixed in with their rough results at tracks like Brazil and Las Vegas, it’s clear they’re ready to get rid of this car and move on to the 2024 season.

Success: Ferrari

Ferrari has struggled with consistency and tyre wear throughout the season, but they’ve started to turn it around, particularly in qualifying. In the last 9 races, Ferrari have had more pole positions than Red Bull. Carlos Sainz is the only non-Red Bull driver to win a Grand Prix this season as well. They have the momentum behind them, and hopefully that will carry into 2024.

Carlos Sainz secured his second Grand Prix win in Singapore (Photo via fia.com)

Failed: Alpine

While both Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly had a podium finish, it’s been a fairly anonymous season for Alpine. They’ve had ten DNFs, with two double DNFs in a row in Great Britain and Hungary. Last season, they were ahead of both McLaren and Aston Martin in the Constructors’ Championship in 4th place. This season, they’ve finished far behind both of them in 6th place. There’s also been internal shake-ups, with Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane being let go after the summer break. It’s clear that Alpine needs consistency, both on and off track, in 2024.

Success: McLaren

McLaren drivers Piastri and Norris scored their second double podium in Qatar (Photo via formula1.com)

When McLaren started the season off with a 17th and a DNF in Bahrain, no one expected they would have nine podiums and a sprint race win by the end of the season. They completely turned their season around, being Red Bull’s closest competitors on more than a few occasions. With great results like Piastri’s sprint race win in Qatar and Norris’s five podiums in the last seven races alone, they’ve been able to secure fourth in the Constructors’ Championship, ahead of Aston Martin. 

Failed: Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo is another team that’s had an anonymous season. They’ve struggled to score points, and have gone from 6th in the Constructors’ Championship last year to 9th this year. Other teams like Williams and Aston Martin have taken steps forward while Alfa Romeo has gone backwards.

Success: Aston Martin 

Even though they’ve fallen back in the second half of the season, no one can deny the huge jump in performance Aston Martin have made this year. At the end of the 2022 season, Aston Martin finished 7th in the Constructors’ Championship with 55 points. At the end of the 2023 season, they are 5th with 280 points and eight podiums to their name, with Fernando Alonso securing 4th in the Driver’s Championship.

Fernando Alonso on the podium in Brazil (Photo via @F1 on Instagram)

Using what they’ve hopefully learned from their wrong turn in development over the course of the season, this year will be the key to taking another step forward in 2024. 

Failed: AlphaTauri

AlphaTauri has been resurgent in recent races, but they’ve still had a rocky season. They spent most of the season at the bottom of the Constructor standings, and they’ve had four different drivers this year. It’s been hard to score good points as a team with an inconsistent driver line-up, though there have been some great performances from Lawson, Ricciardo, and Tsunoda in particular. Overall, AlphaTauri is another team that just needs some consistency next season. 

Success: Williams 

Williams has taken a big step forward in performance this year. Last season, they finished 10th in the Constructors’ Championship, 27 points behind their nearest competitors. This season, they’ve finished 7th in a heated battle at the lower end of the standings. Alex Albon has arguably had the best season of his F1 career so far, and their car has been rapid in a straight line. Their focus on developing their 2024 car is a good sign they will continue to improve next season. 

Failed: Haas

Haas has had a rough season. While they’ve had some great qualifying results, they quickly drop down the order in the races. They have suffered from tyre wear more than anyone else on the grid. Since Miami, they’ve only scored one point in a Grand Prix, and they will be looking to take a much needed step forward next year.