Best F1 moments of 2023 season - from crashes to comebacks

As yet another Formula 1 season came to an end at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last weekend, Max Verstappen capped off an incredible 2023 with his 19th victory of the season.

Whilst the dominant Dutchman has been the main headline for much of the year, there have been plenty of memorable moments both on and off the track surrounding drivers, team members and F1 pundits.

Here are some of GPFans' favourite moments from across the season.

Alonso's renaissance

Even at pre-season testing in Bahrain, it became increasingly evident that Red Bull had a very fast car, and the script for the season had almost been written already, with some pundits already suggesting they could be on their way to a record-breaking season.

What also became clear in Bahrain, however, was the improvement that Aston Martin had made throughout the winter.

After two seasons of running near the back of the field, Sebastian Vettel decided to retire from the sport at the end of 2022, leaving a space for now 42-year-old Fernando Alonso to get away from his seemingly dire stint at Alpine.

That may have been one of the best career moves the Spanish veteran has ever made, as the Silverstone-based team made giant steps forward with their car, allowing Alonso to claim eight podium finishes throughout the season.

Vettel may just be kicking himself that he didn't stick around a little longer.

Almost 15% of season's DNFs at Australian GP

The third race of the season provided us with one of the most dramatic races of the whole 2023 calendar.

There were two safety cars, three red flags and EIGHT drivers unable to finish the race (almost 15% of the overall number of DNF's in 2023), before Verstappen managed to claim victory in controversial circumstances.

Verstappen's record

It wouldn't be a 2023 recap without some mention of the phenomenal job that both Verstappen and his Red Bull team managed.

Both driver and team broke hatfuls of records on their way to a second consecutive world championship double, but it was the Dutchman's incredible streak between May and September that really caught the eye.

10 consecutive race victories, breaking Vettel's record from 2013 and cementing himself as an all-time great.

1200 Austrian GP track limits infringements

One of the things that F1 fans will be looking forward to the most about the winter break will be the lack of track limits in their lives.

The regulations have often provided unnecessary complexity to qualifying sessions and races, none less so than at the Austrian GP.

Stewards had a tricky weekend of trying to work out who had all four wheels over the white line around the circuit, with over 1200 incidents being investigated throughout the weekend.

Hamilton on pole

It had been while, but F1's all-time pole position record holder managed to get himself back to the front of the grid at the Hungarian GP.

His 104th pole came 595 days after his 103rd at the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP, as he beat Verstappen to top spot by 0.003 seconds.

Unfortunately for the seven-time world champion, his Mercedes car lacked pace during the race, and he could only finish fourth, 39.134 seconds behind eventual winner Verstappen.

READ MORE: Hamilton delivers Mercedes F1 title fight verdict amid Red Bull domination

Norris' trophy blunder

Whilst Lando Norris has produced some incredible performances throughout 2023 on the track, he has also given us some hilarious moments.

The Brit seemingly decided at the Hungarian GP that Verstappen had too many trophies at home, and kindly did him a favour.

His classic podium celebration of banging his champagne bottle on the ground caused the Dutchman's first-place trophy to topple over, breaking it into multiple pieces.

Norris was apologetic about the incident, however, and a new version of the trophy was made for the world champion.

Dazzling Las Vegas GP

Formula 1 headed to Vegas earlier in November for the inaugural event around the Las Vegas Street Circuit.

Whilst the opening evening of F1 action was marred by a loose drain cover and the controversial treatment of fans, the rest of the event was a brilliant spectacle, with a stunning backdrop, a star-studded paddock and, most importantly, a good race.

The race will be on the calendar until at least 2030, meaning we have plenty more opportunities to enjoy this special event.

Brundle's Machine Gun Kelly interview

As has become the norm in recent years, Martin Brundle's gridwalks provided us with plenty of memorable moments in 2023, from an awkward blank from Cara Delevingne to Sir Jackie Stewart attempting to get the broadcasting legend into a restricted area.

Perhaps the most unusual celebrity interaction, however, came in the form of an interview with US rapper Machine Gun Kelly at the Brazilian GP.

MGK became rather annoyed at Brundle's questions, before putting a thumbs down to the cameras after the former F1 driver had refused to play 'air keyboard'.

READ MORE: Official 2023 F1 Drivers’ and Constructors' Championship Final Standings

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