Podiums: Behind Max Verstappen, is it more open?
In Zandvoort, Pierre Gasly allowed Alpine to become the sixth team to achieve at least two podium finishes this season in F1. A figure that hasn't been observed in the past two seasons, but does this mean there are more opportunities?
100% victory rate after the Dutch Grand Prix, 13 out of 13, 20 podiums out of 26 possible. Red Bull’s season is one for the record books. So yes, the race for victory may have become boring. Yes, Max Verstappen won’t even surprise anyone if he wins the remaining nine races of the season, but behind him, the game is still open.
Torrential rain, slips of all kinds, and injuries, after this eventful weekend in Zandvoort, one statistic stands out. In the 2023 season, six teams have experienced the joys of the podium in a Grand Prix at least twice, following Pierre Gasly’s third-place finish on Sunday, while Esteban Ocon had already made it to the podium in Monaco for Alpine. This number was last reached in 2020 and, going back further, in 2012.
Of course, this does not mean that the race for the podium is completely open. Red Bull dominates with more than 50% with their 20 out of 39 possible places. Behind the ogre, Mercedes and Aston Martin, respectively 2nd and 3rd in the constructors’ championship, have five (four for Hamilton, one for Russell) and seven podiums (Alonso, seven times), totaling a little over 30% combined.
However, with Ferrari’s certain hindsight, McLaren and Alpine see an opening that was unthinkable last year. The Scuderia only stepped on the podium three times in 2023, all three with the help of Charles Leclerc, who is having a very lackluster season, as evidenced once again by his failed weekend at Zandvoort. The smaller teams of this top 6 each made it to the podium twice, McLaren thanks to Norris and Alpine with Ocon and Gasly, respectively.
Six real contenders on the podium is already a huge change compared to last season. The 2022 season was dominated by Red Bull with 28 podium finishes, but Mercedes and Ferrari also secured the top three spots. Sainz, Leclerc, Perez, Verstappen, Hamilton, and Russell, the drivers from the three dominant teams, simply occupied all the podium positions in 2022, except one.
Lando Norris had finished third at Imola. 98.5% of podium finishes, that’s obviously huge and spectators are certainly happy to see other contenders joining the battle, but how do we explain this change in the numbers in 2023?
Red Bull maintains a crazy pace. Max already has 13 podiums to his name and Checo has seven. The Mexican is in no way competing with his teammate, but he is already just four points away from surpassing his own total from last season.
Behind this duo, Ferrari and Mercedes have experienced a significant setback and a decrease in consistency, leaving the opportunity for others to sneak onto the podium, with Aston Martin being the biggest surprise. Furthermore, the English team could aim for better results if Lance Stroll extracted as much from the AMR23 as Fernando Alonso. Similarly, at the Maranello team, Carlos Sainz is not helping to boost the numbers, despite having reached the podium nine times (including one victory) in 2022. As for Mercedes, George Russell is struggling much more with his car than last year, and even though he has popped the champagne once, he is far behind his fourth-place finish in the World Championship last year.
So, behind Red Bull and Aston Martin who are the most consistent teams, who can increase their number of podium finishes? Can Carlos Sainz climb up there for Ferrari? Can the impressive rookie Oscar Piastri emulate Norris? Or can a seventh team, like Williams with Albon, create a surprise?
