Formula 1 2023: all you need to know before the first race

Edd Straw No, not really. Actually, you could say that Hamilton was marginally the better performer on average, but they were very close. Last year was part one of this battle; it wasn’t decided either way. I suspect they will be close again. If they’re up there fighting for the title, it will get interesting. It always does, no matter how sensible the drivers involved are. If they have a sniff, Russell won’t sit there thinking of himself as the number two, hoping that Hamilton will win an eighth title so he can then pick up the baton. It doesn’t work like that. You can’t call it right now. Russell has the potential to be the better Mercedes driver, but there’s hardly any head room above the level at which Hamilton, at 38, is still operating.

Verstappen's hat-trick bid

Damien Smith The other fascinating driver dynamic is Hamilton versus Max Verstappen. We saw in Brazil last year that once Hamilton had a competitive car, they collided yet again. If the Mercedes is quick, we could end up with a repeat of 2021, and neither is prepared to cede.

Edd Straw It’s a very storied battle, that one. They duel in a different way to how they fight other drivers. Verstappen tends to be the more aggressive. That could be an advantage for Hamilton, but Verstappen will certainly have thought about that and has built up experience. Also, those around them will be aware of this potential flashpoint. If you’re Russell or Leclerc and we do have this three-way battle, it’s nice to know there are two drivers who might occasionally drive into each other. As a seven-time world champion, Hamilton is still the target for Verstappen. There’s a generational aspect to their rivalry, plus Hamilton will want revenge for the events of Abu Dhabi in 2021.

DS I don’t think you’re a betting man, Edd, but if you were, would you put money on a Verstappen hat-trick?

ES I wouldn’t get great odds, so the return would be small! He has to be favourite. He will still be outstanding, maybe fractionally better, and Red Bull will be very strong, despite the aerodynamic limitations imposed by the Aerodynamic Testing Restrictions and the penalty for breaching the cost cap

Breaking the glass ceiling 

Damien Smith There’s always a question whether either McLaren or Alpine can make it a four-way battle and become regular winners. McLaren has a world-class elite performer in Lando Norris, but I have a hunch that of the two teams, Alpine is likelier to produce the better car. Can either of them start winning races?

Edd Straw Only with a fair wind. I think you’re probably right about Alpine. There will still be a break between the top three and the rest, but I hope they’re closer. McLaren are still going through a transition. They have a new simulator and wind tunnel to come, plus they’ve had persistent aerodynamic problems, and I’m not sure they have quite got to the bottom of those, which is probably why they were downbeat at their car launch.

DS I think of Norris as the F1 equivalent of England footballer Jude Bellingham. He’s hot property and wasted at the team he’s on right now. What will be going through his mind?

ES He will probably be wanting to get this year over with, because it might well be like last year: big effort for modest results. The priority for him will be to see McLaren has a car that is more consistent in the way it behaves, less on a knife edge of unpredictability. They’ve talked about 2024 as a key year for quite a long time. He will be massively in demand if McLaren don’t deliver. His contract runs until 2025.

Alonso at Aston Martin

Damien Smith Should we expect fireworks? This could be a juicy storyline.

Edd Straw Well, there’s always fireworks with Fernando Alonso, whatever happens. Even at the Aston Martin car launch, he was making gentle digs at his former team, Alpine. It’s all smiles so far. It looks like Aston Martin could be in quite a nice position. It’s too early for them to become a front-runner, unless they pull off a miracle, but they seem to be confident and there are mutterings that their aero numbers are very good. It’s possible they could be the lead midfielder this year. But obviously there’s that great potential for combustion with Aston Martin chairman Lawrence Stroll, whose son is in the other car.

DS In the past, a driver was finished at 41. But Alonso looks like he could have another two or three years in him still.

ES Yes, certainly. If he has degraded in any way, it’s very marginal. He tends to bat away the age question but has admitted that his time isn’t unlimited. He is still operating at a very high level and is relentless in the races, great in wheel-to-wheel combat and on first laps. He’s very motivated to do well, too. That element of unfinished business is still there.

The rookie intake 

Damien Smith There are three newbies on the grid: Oscar Piastri at McLaren, Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri and Logan Sargeant at Williams. Who are you most intrigued by?

Edd Straw Piastri has all the history of how he ended up there, after walking away from Alpine. He has extra scrutiny, plus he replaces [a star of the past in] Daniel Ricciardo. But he has a very tough team-mate in Norris. He has a big reputation from Formula 3 and Formula 2, but he won’t be expecting to beat Norris. Still, of the three, he’s in the best position, because he’s in an upwardly mobile team. But if de Vries nails it at AlphaTauri, he could be in a Red Bull down the line. He’s a bit older, at 28, and took his unexpected opportunity at Monza with Williams last year very well. He’s the one who I’m most confident will be okay.

DS I worry for Piastri. He could be another Stoffel Vandoorne. He has a big reputation from the junior stuff, but that means nothing once you get to F1

Viva Las Vegas

Damien Smith There’s a big new race this year. Las Vegas is gaudy and not my cup of tea, but it’s massive for F1. What’s your feeling about it?

Edd Straw I suspect it might be the least grand prix type of event there has ever been at this level. It’s all about where F1 is positioning itself. In the US, the pure F1 race is Austin, last year Miami arrived as the place to be seen and now Las Vegas will take that to an extreme. I’m not sure how great it will be for the racing, despite that being kind of the point… Will it be sustainable or a monument of peak F1 in this era? Although I am going, it’s not top of my list for recommendations, especially with the hotel prices…