Johannesburg - The 2023 Formula One season starts this weekend with the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix as Red Bull look to continue their dominance, Ferrari hope to become true challengers while Mercedes will be keen to start on a better footing than last year.
The rest will follow.
Here, Morgan Bolton makes five predictions for the season.
5. Hamilton No 8? Forget about it ...
There can be no doubt that the Silver Arrows had a torrid start to the 2022 season.
Porpoising had Lewis Hamilton and teammate George Russell bobbing up and down like they were in the mosh pit at a rock concert, making the Mercedes W13 the comic relief during the early stages of the season.
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That problem seems to have been solved across the paddock, if pre-season testing is anything to go by. But even if Mercedes were sand-bagging, you would expect that they will still battle to challenge for the top-step initially.
Subsequently, Hamilton might have to wait a bit longer for that eighth world driver’s championship. Russell was far more comfortable last year in the car, and that might be Hamilton’s obstacle to overcome in 2023.
4. Fernando is ARM(ED)23
Aston Martin will arguably be the best of the rest this season, with the consensus that they were the most improved team in pre-season testing.
Spanish matador and former double-world champion Fernando Alonso was fast during the run, and there is a belief that the ARM23 will be competing against Mercedes this season.
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But I like to dream bigger. I like to imagine a world where the 41-year-old once again stands on the podium with the winner’s trophy in hand, beaming proudly, crying unabashedly.
There is a big caveat of course – Aston Martin’s showing might be a true reflection of their pace, but it is also more than possible that it was all a flash in the pan.
3. More McLaren misery
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will be the most unprepared drivers when the season starts after McLaren team boss Zak Brown admitted they had missed their 2023 development targets.
McLaren will, therefore, start on the back-foot again this year, with their aerodynamic efficiency a particular concern. They will begin the season in the bottom half of the grid.
There are plans for an upgrade at the fourth race in Azerbaijan, but the balancing and handling of the car is on a “knife-edge,” according to Norris. If you are a supporter of the Woking-based team, expect a lot of pain to come your way in 2023
2. An Italian dark horse ...
And that horse is not the red and black of the Ferrari.
No, it is the Italian car manufacturer but Swiss-based outfit of Alfa Romeo. They had a good pre-season, while their glory runs were a goodie to watch. Replicating that on raceday, however, is an entirely different matter.
Valtteri Bottas and teammate Zhou Guanyu looked comfortable and content in the C43. They should have a decent start, but whether they can maintain it will be the main point of contention as the season progresses.
Fingers-crossed there might even be a podium in their near future. Surely, they won’t be worse than McLaren? Surely?
1. Triple-threat Max - Resistance is futile
Max Verstappen will be crowned three-time world champion at the end of the season, and no Ferrari or Mercedes will be able to stop that.
It will be a matter of how many races are left in the season when that eventuality is confirmed. Ferrari have continued to advance under new team principal Frederic Vasseur; and you would expect that drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will threaten the podium, but Red Bull already looks too strong and powerful.
The RB19 blitzed pre-season testing, and while Ferrari also looked strong, the assimilation of Verstappen and his machine is Borg-like. He is again the driver to beat in 2023.
@FreemanZAR