20 things that made F1 great in 2013

2013 F1 season review

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The 2013 season was not a classic. But it wasn’t without a few highlights and memorable moments. Here are the 20 things which made 2013 great for me.

Rush

When I first heard about the plan to make a film based on the 1976 F1 season my hopes weren’t high. Of course I’d enjoyed Senna, but that was crafted with documentary footage. For Rush the material would had to be shot and I had doubts over how well that might be done.

I needn’t have worried: Ron Howard’s team did a first rate job and Daniel Bruhl was a revelation of Niki Lauda. It wasn’t perfect, but Rush was a huge amount of fun, and a welcome tonic during a season in which the real thing often failed to deliver.

After the un-watchable guff that was Driven (2001) and Talladega Nights (2006), it restored my faith that motor racing can be realised on the big screen.

Qualifying at Spa

Spa is appropriately named, for the challenge of this king of circuits is often heightened by the addition of water. Qualifying on the rain-hit track was, for my money, a more exciting session than any of this year’s races.

It began with three of Marussia and Caterham’s drivers taking a risk on slick tyres and ended with Paul di Resta almost taking a shock pole position – despite having blundered in several other wet qualifying sessions during 2013.

New cameras

As an avid fan of IndyCar racing I’ve been used to seeing rotating onboard cameras for several years. Until this season it seemed an innovation F1 was never going to get around to introducing, but we finally saw the first examples of it at the end of the season. Here’s hoping for more in 2014.

Another new view in 2013 was the infra-red onboard camera, which gave a fascinating look at how tyres cool and warm during a lap. Keep ’em coming, FOM!

Silly season surprise #1: Raikkonen to Ferrari

Two world champions at Ferrari for the first time in 60 years? This was without question the most exciting driver market news of 2013, and a mouthwatering prospect for next year’s championship.

Silly season surprise #2: Kvyat to Toro Rosso

You have to feel for Antonio Felix da Costa. Twelve months ago he looked a shoo-in for an F1 seat after his exceptional performance in Formula Renault 3.5.

But when an opportunity finally became available Da Costa’s form had dipped and Daniil Kvyat was snapped up by the team – though rumours persist that lucrative Russian backing played a role in his selection.

Alonso praising Hulkenberg

Nico Hulkenberg produced some superb performances for the mid-grid Sauber team in the second half of the year, taking fifth at Monza and holding off Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton for fourth in Korea.

Yet his talent continues to go unrecognised by the front-running teams. Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren all had vacancies to fill the year and all of them overlooked him.

But full credit to Alonso for drawing attention to Hulkenberg’s potential, calling him “one of the best drivers on the grid” following their Korea battle, adding “hopefully we [will] see him in a competitive car in the future”.

Singapore’s new turn ten

It’s rare to see circuits being changed for the better these days but the eradication of Singapore’s ugly, slow, Mickey Mouse chicane was long overdue. The new corner may not be much to shout about, but the eradication of what was the worst bend in F1 certainly is.

No Valencia

Did anyone miss this dreary, chicane-filled tour around a Spanish industrial estate? No? Good, then let’s never go back.

There’s no sign yet of Bahrian and Yas Marina succumbing to the same fate, but there’s no Korea on the 2014 F1 calendar so things are definitely looking up.

Greenpeace’s protest in Belgium

Regardless of your view on the substance of Greenpeace’s protest against arctic drilling, the effectiveness with which they hijacked the Belgian Grand Prix to get their point across deserved respect. Particularly the deployment – several weeks ahead of the race – of remote controlled banners which appeared during the podium ceremony.

The sight of podium organiser Alex Morina tackling the pop-up banners as if he were playing a giant Whac-A-Mole game must rank as the best comedy moment of the season.

Proper launches

The simple art of the F1 car launch – have the drivers pull the covers off, let everyone take a few pictures and ask a few questions – is being lost.

Mercedes decided to reveal their car online using Tweets to slowly open a virtual garage door. Predictably, they were deluged with Tweets and the website crashed for hours.

Red Bull, meanwhile, demonstrated their commitment to innovation by inviting dozens of journalists to see the new RB9, then refusing to let them take pictures of it…

So three cheers for the teams who still get it right, such as McLaren and Ferrari, who managed to have both proper launches and working online video streams.

P1 vs LaFerrari

The contest between two of F1’s great teams has its equal on the road once more as both revealed their latest range-topping hypercars during 2013. But will the McLaren P1 (great car, great name) and Ferrari LaFerrari (great car) ever face each other on-track?

Brundle hushing the Singapore boos

After a vocal minority of embittered Vettel-haters started jeering from beneath the podium at some races, it was heartening to Singapore podium interviewer Martin Brundle administer the schoolmasterly rebuke this infantile behaviour called for. “That’s not correct,” Brundle told them, and they haven’t been heard from since.

Vettel ignoring team orders

If this is what the booers objected to about Vettel then they get no sympathy from me. Red Bull’s attempt to tell him not to pass team mate Mark Webber home in Malaysia, proved just as effective as when Webber was given a similar message at Silverstone in 2011. I.e., not at all.

This pair are real racers both, and they proved it with a thrilling tussle for the lead of the race that was one of the season’s highlights. Hopefully a few other drivers have taken note of how a four-times world champion responds to team orders.

Tracks with only one DRS zone

DRS is gradually consigning real overtaking to the dustbin of history: this year almost every track had two DRS zones where drivers could jab the button and blast past their competitors without the inconvenience of having to think about it.

Fortunately two tracks – Monaco and Suzuka – proved incapable of accommodating two DRS zones and so had to make do with one. Know what would be even better? Tracks with none.

Kimi Raikkonen testing a GP3 car

I’d love to see more F1 drivers racing other cars – like Lewis Hamilton getting his elbows out in the BTCC or Fernando Alonso applying his remorselessly consistent race pace to the Le Mans 24 Hours. Kimi Raikkonen testing a GP3 car for Koiranen GP was the closest we came to seeing it happen this year.

Vergne’s Cevert helmet

Jean-Eric Vergne’s tribute to Francois Cevert, who died 40 years ago this season, was the pick of a large selection of one-off helmet designs that appeared during 2013.

Team radio

Yes it was on this list last year, but for me this remains one of the most entertaining and insightful additions to F1 coverage of recent years. And judging by the popularity of F1 Fanatic’s radio transcripts it seems many of you do too.

McLaren’s flat caps

There was little for McLaren to celebrate in 2013 but they marked their 50th anniversary in style at the Italian Grand Prix, sporting these natty retro flat caps.

Sauber’s new livery

Sauber’s livery last year looked like an afterthought which would have been out of place on anything that wasn’t a panda bear. They smartened up their style this year and with Caterham and Marussia sporting revised and improved new paint jobs the overall look of this year’s field was somewhat better than last year.

Lotus’s Tweets

The ‘funny’ hashtags could be wearisome but Lotus’s self-deprecating sense of humour gave then a winning social media presence which other teams have belatedly tried to imitate. But none have gone so far as Lotus’s amusingly cheeky reaction to losing Raikkonen to Ferrari.

Over to you

What made the 2013 season great for you? Have your say in the comments.

2013 F1 season review


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Images © Ferrari spa/Ercole Colombo, Lotus/LAT, Williams/LAT, McLaren/Hoch Zwei, Mercedes/Hoch Zwei, Daimler/Hoch Zwei, Red Bull/Getty, Force India, Sauber, Caterham/LAT, Marussia, Pirelli

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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77 comments on “20 things that made F1 great in 2013”

  1. Lotus’ humor tweet gonna suffer great blow without Kimi.

    1. I dunno, between Maldonado and Grosjean’s shenanigans, they’ll still have a lot to fuel their humour!

      1. First post they made after the announcement was a picture of GRO and MAL crashed into each other in GP2, so I don’t think that we’re going to be missing much without Kimi as long as the same team is running it.

        1. And then there’s this more recent tweet which goes even further than the bunnies: https://twitter.com/Lotus_F1Team/status/414313730130722816

          1. Maybe that’s too far. Bad taste, in my opinion…

          2. nothing wrong with it

          3. Not that funny really

          4. I really do hope they keep it up, while certainly not everybody’s taste, for me its the same as with drivers expressing themselves (sometimes cringe-worthy): Better an interesting remark, joke or faux-pas than the bland twitter feed most teams have, I am all with @repete86 and seeing their current line-up as a source of good material to make funny pictures, tweets and even hashtags from!
            Thanks for posting that one @us_peter, hadn’t seen that yet

        2. they should post something with this image.

          https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BaQW7M_IAAAPkmi.jpg

    2. I’m not sure I understand the significance of the rabbit tweet…

  2. So one of the highlights of the 2013 season is a film about another season. What a horrible year.

    1. @full-throttle-f1 indeed. Few things on this list are really relevant to racing…

      Appart from the new infrared cameras, Lotus’ tweets and Vettel ignoring team orders, and the Greenpeace protest, the rest is meaningless for me.

      2013 was dreadful everywhere in the world of F1.

    2. Yeah I think Keith was really clutching at straws with this article. 2013 was everything but an interesting/great year. Sure there were some great moments here and there but all in all it can’t fairly be described as anything other than dull.

      When you consider that some of the ‘best moments’ of the season area team’s livery, a driver’s helmet, a film about a different season as you say, or a pair of driver changes (which doesn’t even apply or make anything great until next year anyway), then seriously shoot me now!

      I was mildly offended/annoyed by Keith’s decision to slate Valencia so harshly too – and also to assert his view that nobody would miss it so freely. Consider that last year Valencia was one of the best races of the year (in a year that had many brilliant races). We praised Texas last year as being a future great when in fact it could end up being just as boring as any India in the next few years – it was boring as hell in 2013 after all. If 2012 had been Valencia’s debut imagine how much praise it would be getting. Over time, yes, it has shown that it is far from perfect but on the right day/when things fall into place then the race there (or anywhere) could be amazing (Abu Dahbi/Bahrain 2012 etc). Who is to say so definitely that it’s a good thing that Valencia is now gone. China’s races took a turn for the better after a few aweful races. Maybe Valencia was on the up… but I guess not according to Keith.

      Also a great moment being – tracks with one DRS zone… that’s great!? Didn’t you report how DRS is killing your interest in the sport not only a few months ago? But those tracks with one were great to you!? Did Bernie commission this article?

      In summary, 2013 was largely awful. I would have liked an article that highlighted that in 20 ways than this. At least then it would help add to the opinion that people don’t like F1 much now with all its gimmicks and could lead to a change. That article/pole on the double points was widely referred to in other publications which shows just how much this site is viewed. Paul Hembry even commented personally on an article concerning tyre rules a few years ago. You have a platform here Keith, you should exploit that!

      1. I’m sorry to be so negative, I do appreciate your article for what it is. I just found it hard to digest given the state of 2013 F1. Merry Christmas :)

        1. I think Keith made his point about the negatives of the season by stating from the get go that it was hard coming up with less than half of the positives that in his opinion last year carried.

          And his anti-DRS point is made by stating it was at least better to have only had one zone at a few venues.

          Personally I think we have grilled each other ad infinitum on the negatives of F1…that’s a constant in F1 these days so I see nothing wrong with accenting the positive.

          And I didn’t know about a few things, like the Greenpeace banner for example, or Mac wearing the retro caps.

          And while I was fine with Brundle reprimanding the booers I also had no real problem with the booing as I think it is an indication not just of one driver always dominating lately, but I think of the overall product. There’s always ‘one in every crowd’ and I’m concerned that F1 is dumbing itself down, and now wants to censor it’s paying audience as well, when booing has always been present in sport, and the one being booed took it all in stride. F1 puts a product out that Keith has a hard time mustering the positives for, yet we don’t dare tolerate a handful of booers at a few races. I remain of the opinion that they weren’t booing SV personally, but a combination of the product out there and a gadget filled one at that, which still hasn’t shaken up the usual order of things and have only affected the sport negatively. Everyone seems to agree that the sport is not F1’s concern, but entertainment and ‘the show’ is, so doesn’t that only invite booing from fans looking for entertainment and show who felt let down?

          And regarding SV ignoring a team order…I get that to some, like Keith for example, that is showing Championship form, and that more drivers should do that, and I don’t entirely disagree at all, but then imho SV didn’t own it right afterwards, like the type of WDC level driver that Keith admires. He looked sheepish and awkward, and took way too long and for the heat of the moment to die down, to claim he would not have done anything different. A pure, diehard WDC of the type that is admirable, would have owned his actions immediately and without wavering. I would have loved it if he told the world defiantly and immediately including his fellow drivers, and especially the one-rooster teams, hey this is supposed to be the pinnacle of racing and that’s what we’re out there to do. Instead imho, SV looked like a wimp and came off apologetic initially. And don’t get me wrong, I’m no fan of team orders.

  3. Sauber’s livery last year looked like an afterthought which would have been out of place on anything that wasn’t a panda bear.

    Hehe

    My personal highlights were Vettel’s celebrations in India – simply awesome. And of course the subsequent donuts he did following his race wins. :)

    1. Aye to that too for other highlights. Hopefully it conveys a message to the FIA that teams take a lot of care and responsible in their machinery, and that rule of returning straight to parc ferme is applied in a more relaxed manner.

      I think we can do with the drivers from other big teams (i.e. McLaren and Ferrari) doing donuts after every win; it’ll make the message bolder.

      1. Sure, I can agree with that. They just have to win first :P

    2. Yeah, I agree that Vettel actually celebrating winning it in India and doing so in front of the main grandstand was a highlight as well @andae23

  4. I also was very critical about Valencia, but to be honest the 2012 race was awesome with some spectacular performances, I really enjoyed the Schumacher-Webber duo fighting their way through the midfield with on-track overtakes together. of course this year there weren’t many tracks that could deliver what we expected, so maybe the 2012 Valencia race was a rare exception, and the 2008-2011 era showed its real face.

    Related to the “silly season surprises”, I believe that I never have enjoyed the events of the transfer market that much, but most of the transfers happened after the season ended. Most likely Mercedes will be the only team with an unchanged lineup, and combined with the rule changes, this might produce something special for 2014.

    1. I’ll always remember Valencia 2012. I had convinced a friend the previous weekend to come over to my house to watch his first F1 race. After qualifying I was a bit disappointed as it looked like it was going to be any easy Vettel cruise to victory (not the best way to introduce someone to a new sport). But come race day, me and my friend were watching in awe at Vettels car failure, Alonso doing one of the best performances of his career and Hamilton being taken out by Maldonado. It was nail-biting to the very end and we both loved it.

      He now comes over to watch the first race of the year, so I guess I didn’t do too bad. I think I am slowly getting him more and more interested. I think I am doing well as a couple of weeks ago he started telling me things he knew about F1.

      F1Fanatics, have I done a good job? :-)

    2. I will really miss Valencia. I went to the race in 2012 which was a milestone for me as it was my second ever race (first in 5 years), but importantly the first race I attended after I had started working and could pay to go to a race myself. The race was great but the atmosphere was fantastic on Sunday when Alonso won. Joining in with the crowd chanting “Alonso, Alonso” as he drove past slowly with the Spanish flag is my favourite Formula 1 memory. I’m very critical of DRS and the poor Pirelli tyres, but Valencia is one place where they really worked, and I could see work well again in the future. I’m not just sad that Valencia was not on the calendar for 2013, but that it is unlikely to be on the calendar ever again.

    3. Yeah that’s what I was thinking, too. It generally is not an interesting grand prix, but last year it was quite fun (and I think it was even rated highly by other F1 Fanatics).

      Oddly enough, this was one of my favourite tracks to drive in the Codemasters’ F1 games.

    4. Isn’t it great that this terrible GP-venue can now always be remembered for going out with a bang – like how we keep the Detroit races in mind because of drivers collapsing from the heat.

  5. I would have added Hamilton’s pit-stop blunder if I were you, hahaha

    Great website BTW! :D Your F1-Fanatic round-ups helped me survive the winter break so far! :D

    1. Never saw this back then.. BRILLIANT!!

      1. that’s class

  6. Great list.

    One thing you did miss was Alonso’s Monza selfie.

    The best selfie, tweet and F1 photo. Ever.

    1. I don’t like Alonso but I do agree with this comment. One of the nicer moments from this year!

    2. @tommyb89 I thought it was cringe-worthy.

  7. petebaldwin (@)
    24th December 2013, 11:21

    I do think that the including Kvatt to Toro Rosso, a new dull turn at Singapore, Sauber’s awful livery and Raikkonen testing a GP3 car rather proves that 2013 was a horrible year.

    I’m delighted we’ve come to another regulation change to shake things up. I couldn’t take another 2013…

    1. Sauber’s awful livery? Are you stuck in 2012 man?

      1. the black livery wasn’t the best in my opinion

  8. I still can’t believe that one of the best years in the history of F1 (2012) was followed by one of the worst (this year) even though there was hardly any rule changes.

    1. Because all the teams gave up to focus on next year.

    2. one word, tires.

  9. Steph (@stephanief1990)
    24th December 2013, 12:00

    “20 things that made F1 great in 2013” – it wasn’t the racing ;)

    1. Its easier to come up with the 50 things that made 2013 a terrible season.

  10. Such lame highlights shows how easy this season will be to forget. There’s nothing to really remember it by besides the Perreli tyre blowouts.

  11. I still think Sauber had the ugliest car on the grid. Here’s to hoping next year’s livery is better, ’cause the driver lineup sure isn’t…

    1. I thought it was the best at the beginning of the season. Wasn’t there a poll on here about which cars looked the best? I think Sauber or Marussia was the winner.

      1. Sauber with the white livery is the best

  12. Bottas and Hulkenberg getting top 3 qualifyings in cars not capable of it was good. How about Grosjean finally shining? That was nice. Also Webber helmetless was fantastic! Hamilton’s Brazil helmet was really nice as well!

    Okay the racing was awful at times but it’s nice to see some decent things about F1 happening this year. Also the idea of now being able to throw a Red Bull around Imola or Brands Hatch is nice!

  13. Highlight of the year?

    One word: doughnuts.

  14. Nico Hülkenberg’s battles in Korea were the racing highlight for me; can’t think of any others. And I’m hoping a current F1 driver races at Le Mans again soon – maybe as part of a Ferrari squad…

    It’s the great, thoughtful articles like this one that have kept me coming back here, particularly in the off-season. Thanks Keith and everyone else who’s contributed this year. Have a great Christmas. Remember to drink.

  15. Nice collection Keith. I would like to add Seb’s donuts and Mark’s lap without a helmet. Maybe even the Fernando/Mark incident at Singapore. Good stuff. The exploding tyres at Silverstone were exciting in their own way too.
    Hear, hear on your DRS comments too.

  16. Great article! I would also mention the news of the impending return of the Red Bull Ring as one of the best moments. I just love that track even in its truncated form: it’s short, fast, simple, low grip, has elevation changes and is extremely picturesque. I have my doubts about Sochi, but having the A1 back instead of something like Korea is a great trade-off. Now we only need the upgraded Imola back instead of Abu Dhabi. Yeah I know, ain’t gonna happen but one can dream!

    And as was mentioned above, Webber driving without helmet, and a few drivers performing doughnuts were also good things. Yep, when the racing is rubbish you have to resort to these things to get satisfaction

  17. I largely agree, but I think Vettel’s championship celebrations in India was worth a mention. For me, easily the most spectacular celebration in F1 for quite some time.
    Webber driving without a helmet back to the pits in Brazil is another incredibly memorable moment of the 2013 season.

  18. Great list @keithcollantine! I especially agree that McLaren and Ferrari seem like the last dinosaurs that do proper launching, therefore it was nice to see Sauber do it the proper way too.

    However Keith I think it is about time you take some days off don’t you think?

  19. Vettel ignoring parc fermé rules in India. Vettel doing donuts.

  20. Vettel’s celebrations in India are surely worth a mention. Surprising to see how contrasting people’s opinions are of the last two seasons, but 2014 should at least be a nice shake-up if anything else.

  21. Breaking the 60 year old record with 9 wins in a row i would say is worth a mention, may be boring for some but a truly remarkable thing to be witnessing. Also as some has mentioned Vettels celebrations in India should have been on the list.

  22. Hunt in Rush was completely fictional I didn’t like the movie and I liked Senna even less, there are many better Senna documentaries but there aren’t many Lauda Hunt films. Nevertheless this year we’ve had the re-release of “Weekend of a Champion” and that’s marks this year as a very good year for racing films.

    1. What are some of the better Senna documentaries, in your opinion? I would love to see more… I thought the Senna was a fun documentary, although it still left me with a lot of questions about his junior years, and left me wanting more about the spectacular races he had (I know many mention Donington ’93 not being included). Also, I don’t think it was right to antagonize Prost the way the movie did (that said, no matter what, the disqualification on the ’89 Japanese GP was not right).

      1. Senna was a brilliant documentary. I think a lot of people, even non-F1 fans, could not hold off tears at the end. I disagree with Prost being cast as this ruthless villain, as Senna could be just as ruthless.

  23. While I am a Vettel sceptic, for me, the doughnuts were my highlight of the season.

    I don’t rate Vettel much at all, and I am as sick of the hype heaped on him by the media as I am of DRS. But the doughnuts and that shot of him stood on the car, surrounded by smoke was the coolest image of F1 for decades. All this ** about him not suckiing up to the parasitic media being the reason for him not being popular, and a few doughnuts later and suddenly he became a genuine icon.

    I still dont rate him…..

    1. Yeah, 4 WDCs in a row against BUT HAM ALO SHU RAI WDCs in the field. What a loser. (sarcasm alert).

  24. Keith,
    Congratulations for providing such a fantastic site! Happy 2014
    Maybe a 2014 prediction game for first driver to run out of fuel…

  25. What I would put here on the list is webbers good bye, and him taking of the helmet while driving the lap of the circuit…one of the most emotional moments for me…

  26. @keithcollantine – There’s no sign yet of Bahrian and Yas Marina succumbing to the same fate, but there’s no Korea on the 2014 F1 calendar so things are definitely looking up.

    Yas Marina is a beautiful circuit in a truly magical oasis, and whilst the same can’t be said for Bahrain, the relentless anti-Middle_Eastern sentiment that infuses the commentary here borders on being racist at times, including now.

    1. That is really just nonsense, and you reading something into a line that absolutely is not there @joepa. Sure, Yas Marina is a beautiful place, just as Valencia is a beautiful city and well worth a visit. But that does not make it a great racetrack by a long shot. As for Bahrain, yes, I agree that the whole political situation does nothing positive for the track, even when the track itself is not too bad (apart from when they included that awkward bit in 2010), but it still is hardly a great venue that enhances the calendar a great deal (like Singapore for example – the circuit isn’t great either, but the whole atmosphere makes it feel like its something special)

  27. Sad season for actual racing huh?
    You missed Vettel’s donuts and record consecutive wins Keith.

  28. …..and Webber’s last race.

  29. Kimi in the parking lot at Abu Dahbi while the race was only a few laps old.

  30. My top 10 moments in no particular
    1. Webber without his helmet
    2. Raikkonen not getting paid
    3. Bottas (Montreal) and Hulkenburg (Monza) in qualifying
    4. Pirelli’s tyres at Silverstone
    5. The truck that came onto the track at Korea
    6. Greenpeace demonstration at Spa
    7. Vettel v Webber at Sepang
    8. Hamilton driving through Mclaren’s pitbox in Malaysia
    9. Vettel’s 9 race winning run.
    10. Vettel’s celebration at India and Interlagos.
    2013 after the summer break was awful boring. Before the break, It was reasonable.

  31. Well into Christmas Day here so Merry Christmas to everyone and thanks for your dedication @keithcollantine in producing this awesome site!
    I have not watched/followed F1 for AGES so there was a lot of stuff for me to experience and get my head around in 2013.
    Radio. It took me quite a few races before I could actually even understand what was being said (except for Webber who has no accent). The amount of instructions the drivers are given was an eye opener for me; it makes sense I suppose given the multitudinous amount of telemetry involved but it is rather disappointing that they are told what to do all the time.
    The stand out moments for me are when Lewis Hamilon replied to his engineer that he couldn’t go any slower and when Sergio Perez was trying to pass Jenson Button at Bahrain. Fascinating stuff.
    Tweets. Those Lotus guys are amusing but sometimes go to far and I expect most of you serious types find the tweets of drivers and their pets hideous but I absolutely adore them! My favourite are Valterri Bottas and cat. So adorable!!
    Engine Freeze. I know the financial situation is bad but this is supposed o be the pinnacle of motor sport! What’s more new aero updates are brought to just about every race. (I did not realise till about race 3 or 4 that this was the current situation in F1)
    Fernando Alonso. He does some amazing things on the track – inspiring stuff. But then I start reading up on precious stuff he was (or possibly was) involved in. Still, for me this sport will always be about the drivers, and characters like him are what will keep me watching.

    Before you reply rudely, I have been hiding under a rock for a number of years so sorry if I am irrelevant.

    1. Nothing to reply rudely to in your interesting comments coming off of a long absence from F1, imho.

  32. Oh and the best thing about Formula One in 2013 – no big, injury inducing crashes!

  33. Nice article and of course always cause for a lot of disagreement. :-) What I don’t understand is how a loaded rookie getting pay-seat in a low tier team is among the best things of the season while McLaren darng to hire an unsupported super talent doesn’t get a mention….

    1. Perhaps it is just that said super talent has yet to prove himself on an F1 track and so comment must be delayed until we see how he does, whereas this year Keith has commented on a driver’s actual actions.

      1. Granted from that perspective but that would go for Kvyat as well and my point was the positive of Mac daring to take the risk on a rookie again in the first place.

  34. I really didn’t like Rush. Of course I appreciated the history lesson (though somewhat jaded) on the Lauda/Hunt era, but I really couldn’t swallow how hollywood it was. Really took the life out of it for me and would of preferred something a more accurate portrayal.

  35. Maybe we should of had a vote or poll for this. I know 2013 wasn’t exactly the greatest season, but resorting to picking on Korea for not getting a race next year after all their investment and trouble as a personal highlight… That’s scraping the barrel.

  36. Forgot to mention Bottas making Maldonado look like a fool, Vettel’s burnouts/WDC celebration and the German GP. To me it had the best ending of all the races this year.

  37. A year of two halves (the ‘mid year break’ seems to imply that really :))

    The first half I thought pretty good and hoping Fernando could maybe squeeze some more from that horse- he could not. He was dissapointing in the last, say 8, races (mostly) that he seemed to give it up, yes has a slow car but this is the first time in a few years ALO was not my ‘driver of the year’ – very sad in my mate Marks last year!!

    Seb was awesome!! I have not seen that domination since 1992 with Nigel Mansell (with a car WAY faster than the pack than the Red Bull) or even my all time fav Ayrton, but no disrespect to Mark, Senna had Prost next to him at the time- no slought!! Ok maybe The Shu as well, but thats a given :)

    The lost of Maria really our first since 1994 with Senna- hard to say 18 months after her crash but it looks like sustained from her injuries- obviously the low light!!!!!!!

    Dan getting a top drive awesome!

    Nico not getting a top drive sux!!

    Kimi to the Horse really exciting for us F1 fans- gloves are off for the first time in a LONG time (Webber V Vettel the gloves never really come off did they??)

    Romain stepping up was great- I hope he keeps it up!

    Perez sacked was shocking! I think a bit hard considering the dog they made and I think he done ok against Jenson!!

    Sutil to stay and Paul to go a hard call- personally I think Adrian can feel a bit lucky there, but best of luck to him.

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