Three predictions for the rest of the F1 2023 season

The Formula 1 summer break is over and the business end of the season quickly approaches, here are some predictions for the second half of the 2023 campaign.

F1 is set to return with the Dutch Grand Prix this week and 10 races remain. Verstappen leads the championship well-clear of his teammate, Sergio Perez while the rest fight over the best of the rest positions.

Red Bull should start to feel the pain, or at least showcase it visually, of their reduction of wind-tunnel time after they breached the cost cap in 2021. As such it poses a risk to Red Bull’s unbeaten run and Perez’s second-placed position in the drivers standings.

At the same time, their closest rivals will welcome the ability to beat the dominant RB19 and secure their first race win of the season.

Here are three predictions for the rest of the 2023 F1 season:

Red Bull feel pain of wind tunnel reduction, but still win championships 

It’s been a long time coming throughout the 2023 season. Red Bull’s rivals would have wanted it to come sooner so then they had more of a fighting chance at the title. However, the likelihood is that Red Bull will feel the wrath of breaching the 2021 cost cap regulations but it will come too late and both the driver and constructors championships will be secured.

Although the 10% reduction in wind tunnel time has hung over Red Bull’s head throughout the course of the 2023 season, the team remained in dominant form. The team based in Milton Keynes has won all the races before the summer break – mainly at the hands of Verstappen, with Perez picking up a couple. 

They stand nearly 250 points ahead of second-placed Mercedes heading into the Dutch Grand Prix, next weekend. 

Red Bull will likely feel the restraint of the reduction in wind tunnel time but they will remain competitive at the front of the field, fighting for race wins and pole positions. However, by the time they fall into the clutches of Mercedes, Ferrari and Aston Martin it will be all too late as both the drivers and constructors championships will be secured.

Ferrari, Aston Martin, McLaren and Mercedes find themselves in the fight for wins

In addition to the previous point, it’s a high possibility Red Bull will not be able to win every race this season. Granted, they have completed the full sweep of the first half of the season – securing 12 of 12 but all good things will come to an end at some point. 

It’s likely, once their closest rivals close in on their race pace, Red Bull will shift over to their entire focus on their 2024 championship contender. In turn this will allow the closer teams to close in even further and battle it out for race wins at the latter stages of the season. 

Mercedes will be the likely contenders to be the first ones to fight for race wins.

After they finally came to the conclusion that their innovative idea of running zero-side pods had a zero-percent chance of winning championships, they have been on the backburner playing catch up. Their pole position, at the hands of Sir Lewis Hamilton, in Hungary will give the Brackley team some hope that it is only a matter of time before they taste another race win. 

We should not count out the likes of Ferrari, Aston Martin or McLaren who have been up there in the first half of the season and have been closing in on Red Bull. The four teams have had their share of podiums across the 2023 season and it only takes one crazy race…

Perez drops out of second in drivers standings

As Max Verstappen walks away with the championship, on course for his third consecutive title, Perez looks to be falling backwards. If Perez falls back enough, Red Bull will have another year where they fail to secure a 1-2 finish for the team in the drivers championship. 

Perez had a good start to the 2023 season, as did the team following on from their double DNF in the Bahrain season opener a year earlier. The Mexican picked up a second place finish, behind Verstappen in the opening race of the season and secured his own win a week later, in Saudi Arabia. However, under the pressure of a potential world championship, Perez seemed to crumble. 

After the Miami Grand Prix, Perez failed to get into Q3 five times – from Monaco to Great Britain – which put him in a hard position to advance his place in the drivers championship standings. His races in Hungary and Belgium were better than the previous five but his recent run in form has still cut the deficit down. 

The Mexican driver is within reach of those below him despite the superior machinery. Going into the second half of the season, Perez only holds a 40-point gap over third-placed Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, who is only 41 points behind in fourth. A repeat of earlier misfortunes – which could happen – will cost the Red Bull driver second in the drivers championship.

That’s all for the article: Three predictions for the rest of the F1 2023 season!

Read more Formula 1 here:

• Verstappen taught how to drift by ‘Mad’ Mike Whiddett amid F1 summer break
• Vesti set to drive Mercedes W14 at Mexican GP
• Verstappen clinches 8th consecutive win at Belgian GP after sixth-place start
• Fans still prefer Martin Brundle’s Grid Walk over the new Fan Walk
• Sainz states Piastri ‘was too optimistic’ after Belgian GP opening lap collision
• F1 Belgian GP: LIVE

Give us a follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with the latest news from the world of Motorsport! You can also support us on Patreon or on our website!

Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.