Our Top 50 drivers of the year… (5th to 1st)

> Our Top 50 drivers of the year 2023… (50th to 41st)
> Our Top 50 drivers of the year 2023… (40th to 31st)
> Our Top 50 drivers of the year 2023… (30th to 21st)
> Our Top 50 drivers of the year 2023… (20th to 11st)
> Our Top 50 drivers of the year 2023… (10th to 6st)

5. Lando Norris

6th in the world championship Formula 1 2023, seven podiums

After a complicated start to the season – the fault of one McLaren MCL60 poorly born but also the need to digest this initial disappointment, the Briton gained momentum at the same time as his mount regained momentum. The arrival at his side ofOscar piastri, which gave him more trouble than his predecessor Daniel Ricciardo, is not for nothing in the performance of Norris. The troublemaker McLaren sometimes remains crumbly under pressure, especially at the very end of Q3, but his pace in the race made him one of the main “rivals” of Max Verstappen over the second half of the season. With seven podiums (including six 2nd places, two more than Sergio Pérez!), Lando often flirted with this first victory which still eludes him after more than 100 GPs. We would be tempted to tell him that it is only a matter of time but the patient Englishman knows the song only too well...

Seven new podiums for Lando Norris in 2023 but still no victory among the elite… / © DPPI

4. Kalle Rovanperä

2023 World Rally Champion, 3 victories

Only 23 years old, and already two world championship titles WRC for Kalle Rovanperä! Despite his very young age, especially in the middle of rally, the Finn has already left his mark on the history of the World Rally Championship. A 2023 season perhaps less impressive than in 2022, but the maturity and composure of this young prodigy – can we still call him that after two titles? – continue to captivate us. The results are striking: thirteen rounds, twelve Top 4s and three victories. The only downside: his accident (and his rollovers) on his national event, in Finland, a rally which still resists him. We can only regret Kalle Rovanperä's decision to withdraw from the WRC in 2024 with a simple partial program. The Finn will leave his world crown next year to come back stronger and in great shape in 2025, hopefully!

Kalle Rovanperä, the double title holder, will drive part-time in 2024. A snub for the WRC… / © DPPI

3. Alex Palou

Champion IndyCar 2023, five victories

Too bad for Álex Palou, the Spaniard could have claimed the status of “number 1”, but a driver did better than him in another discipline! However, taking a look at his 2023 results, the man who has abandoned his F1 hopes with McLaren for the moment has delivered an extraordinary performance: five victories, 13 finishes in the top 5, and an 8th place as worst result. Alex Palou has never suffered a retirement in 2023, a rare thing for a one-make discipline where contacts are legion among a field of 27 cars! Still not impressed by his performance? No problem. Alex Palou took the lead in the championship in… April, never to leave it again! A sign of his domination, the title was awarded to him at the penultimate meeting in Portland, something unprecedented in the United States since 2007 and the coronation of Sébastien Bourdais in Champ Car. Finally, Palou was the man of the month for May. Victorious at the Indianapolis Grand Prix, he followed up with a pole position at the Indianapolis 500 (a first for a Spanish driver since the creation of the event in 1911), with a record average speed (376,8552 km /h). The prospect of success at the Indy 500 was dashed by Rinus VeeKay in a collision in the pits. Rejected one lap behind the leader, the Spaniard didn't give up and moved up to 4th position, a model of recovery from a seemingly desperate situation!

Álex Palou left only crumbs for his competitors to capture a second IndyCar title at just 26 years old. All that's missing is the Indy 500 from its XXL track record across the Atlantic. / © IndyCar Media

2.Fernando Alonso

4th in the 1 F2023 world championship, eight podiums

He has often been criticized for his poor career choices, this time, the Asturian was not mistaken. Despite the risk represented by joining a team that was still growing, the double world champion succeeded in his bet and allowed his aficionados to go back a few years when he was fighting for the top places. There was certainly no 33rd career victory but Fernando did well. Alonso and stirred up the crowds. Podiums, daring overtakes, great battles, Homeric resistance... “Magic” knew how to put on a show to the greatest pleasure of the fans. The decline in speed of theAston Martin in the second half of the season did not allow him to secure the final podium. But the progress made by the English team only suggests a bright future, especially for the Spaniard still in search of a third world crown, at the age of 42. A longevity that commands respect! With a little luck, who knows…maybe 2024 will be the right year.

The years have no hold on the eternal Fernando Alonso, who is celebrating his 8th podium of the season here after a breathtaking end to the race in Brazil. / © DPPI

1.Max Verstappen

1 Formula 2023 world champion, record holder for the number of victories in a season (19), 21 podiums, 12 pole positions, nine fastest laps in a race

The suspense was almost non-existent as “Mad Max” is the greatest alchemist driver of the 21st century, converting Grands Prix into victories and victories into titles. Record for the most wins – 19 – in a season, record for the most wins – 10 – in a row, record for the most laps covered in the lead – 1003 – in a season, first driver in history to cross this mythical milestone of miles, the 2023 financial year will have been one of all triumphs for the Dutch pilot on his way to heights never before reached. The record of 100 victories that we thought was beyond the reach of any driver, Lewis Hamilton brought it down in 2021 and, at its frenetic pace, just a few seasons will be enough for the pilot Red Bull to join the British and overtake him. While it is highly unlikely that he will ever return to such a year of domination, it is on the other hand certain that Milton's stable will always be able to put in his hands a weapon allowing him to fight. That's all he cares about! Records and honors are not what motivate the now three-time world champion the most. What he wants can be summed up in one word: to win!

Superlatives are lacking to qualify the 2023 season of Max Verstappen, crowned F1 world champion for the 3rd consecutive time in the Qatar Sprint. / © DPPI