F1 Summer Break, 1st Half Recap
The F1 summer break marks the halfway point of the season. At current we are witnessing what is the most dominant car and performance the sport has come to see, with Max sitting on a staggering 314 points and winning 8 consecutive races. This weekend at his home race in Zandvoort, he has the opportunity to match the record set by Vettel during his time at RBR. After 12 races, Red Bull has won them all with Max winning 10 of the Grand Prix’s. His teammate, ‘Checo’ Perez is second in the driver standings with 189 points. The competition has been little to none for Christian Horner’s team, although Perez has had a number of issues in qualifying. The Mexican had 5 consecutive races, from Monaco to Silverstone, where he failed to make Q3 before breaking that by finishing 9th in qualifying in Hungary and standing on the podium by the end of the race weekend.
Mercedes are second in the constructors, having less than half the points of Red Bull showcasing just how dominant they are this season. In truth, it has not even been a contest this season, leaving many fans criticizing the sport for its predictability and lack of competition especially at the front of the grid, where it is entirely possible for Red Bull to win every single race this season. Lewis Hamilton sits just fourth in the driver standings with Russel 6th, yet that is still enough to keep them just ahead of Aston Martin. Russel is being outclassed this season by the 7-time world champion, who will be hoping to continue his hot streak in Zandvoort by claiming his 5th podium this year. Russel has been very consistent, yet isn’t managing to find the podium as much as he would like. Most of his race finishes are around 6th position and he is subject to competition from both the Ferrari and McLaren drivers who are beginning to put some pressure on the Brit.
One of the most historic teams in Formula - McLaren, had a very poor start and their season only began in Austria at the Red Bull Ring. Here, Lando Norris managed to qualify and finish in 4th position, gaining valuable points for his team whilst his rookie teammate lacked behind in just 16th. During the next week, it seemed likely that both McLarens would secure podium finishes behind Verstappen. However, Hamilton made a pit stop while a safety car was out and was able to overtake the Australian to claim third place. Their good fortune continued in Hungary where Norris stood on the podium with his teammate finishing in the top 5, yet in the last race before the summer break at Spa, their form dipped. Piastri had to retire the car on the first lap after failing to make it through a tight gap between Sainz and the barrier, whilst Lando still finished in the points in 7th.
Piastri however, is no longer the only Australian on the grid. Fan favourite Daniel Ricciardo joins Red Bull’s sister team Alpha Tauri, replacing De Vries who was the only other rookie driver. Although it's brilliant seeing the Honey Badger back out there, it feels very harsh on the Dutch driver to be dropped just 10 races into his first F1 season. On two occasions he registered a DNF and finished better than 14th just once, but still didn’t get into the points. His former teammate Tsunoda has just 3 points in 2 more races, showcasing how it might not have been De Vries at fault for his poor performances, but the car instead. They sit bottom of the constructor's championship when they were fighting for mid-table last year, Pierre Gasly will have been happy with his decision to pursue a new challenge.
Gasly has joined forces with Esteban Ocon, forming the French driver duo for the Alpine team. They are currently 6th in the constructor’s championship, with Ocon outscoring Gasly by just 13 points. Their best haul was at Monaco where Ocon surprised everyone by ending up on the podium joining world champions Alonso and Verstappen. He managed to navigate the tricky streets of Monte Carlo with pristine precision whilst the rain continued to pour, with Gasly finishing in a respectable 7th. Alonso managed to come 2nd to Max in that race as he made the switch from Alpine to Aston Martin.
Aston Martin has been this season's surprise package, improving immensely from last season. In the constructors, they sit in 3rd behind Mercedes and Red Bull but in the driver standings, Alonso is above both Mercedes drivers. He has 6 podiums to his name so far this season, with his teammate Lance Stroll having none. Fernando has 149 points compared to Lance’s 47. His best finish is 4th, but in his last 5 races has failed to finish better than 9th. The team is owned by Canadian Billionaire Lawrence Stroll, Lance’s father. We know that Alonso is one of the strongest drivers on the grid and can be a tough act to be up against, but Lance is not even putting up a fight having only beaten the Spaniard once and outqualifying him twice in 12 races. If his form continues to be off the level required at what is now a top team, it could be time for Lawrence to replace his son with a stronger driver to secure 2nd in the constructor's championship and put more pressure on an untouchable Red Bull.
Last year Ferrari finished 2nd in the constructors, yet this year they have fallen down to 4th. What seemed like a promising new project under the new regulations has quickly collapsed. Leclerc who was fighting for the driver's championship in the prior season has 3 podiums in 2023 whereas Sainz has 0. Charles has also outqualified him and beaten his teammate in 7 of the 12 races, yet there are just 7 points separating the two in the driver standings. Ferrari are currently just 5 points shy of Aston Martin and will be hoping they can gain the upper hand on them in the second half of the campaign. Leclerc will be hoping he can continue where he left off at Zandvoort, following up from his podium at Spa.
At just the halfway stage of the season, the constructors and drivers’ championships are already wrapped up. Once you look past Red Bull, the rest of the field is quite intriguing and makes for good entertainment, with lots of minor battles occurring all over the grid. However, what’s missing are those major battles. No Verstappen vs Hamilton. No Verstappen vs Alonso, or even Perez. He is out there in a league of his own, in an unimaginably phenomenal car. There is no fight for P1 and that is ultimately taking its toll on the sport.
