What are your hopes for 2023?

[Born Racer]

Firstly, a happy new year to all of you.

What hopes do you harbour for this season?

I would love a Mercedes resurgence. I feel it's feasible and it means that both Hamilton and Russell should be in contention for the title, as Russell was a match for Hamilton at many points of the season last year.

I hope Las Vegas produces a good race, not just a spectacle. Dramatic backgrounds and bringing the races to the puntersand celebrities are clearly part of Liberty's intentions, so I hope we actually get a track that seems to produce good racing.

I hope Williams doesn't get left behind.

I hope we get more winners and not just unexpected upsets but more due to their being on the pace more regularly.

I hope Vasseur can give Ferrari the strategic kick up the butt it needs.

[Aysedasi]

I'd like to see RBR, Merc and Ferrari on an equal footing, slugging it out for victories, not just the crumbs from Max's table. I'd like to see Lando handed a McLaren in which we can really see how good he is.

[Richard C]

I would like...

1. More teams having performance levels that allows for more diversity in the top 1-5 positions. However I don't think there will be enough convergence of solutions in year number two of this formula to make this happen. But maybe I will be surprised.
2. Teams drag themselves off the very back of the grid and play in the midfield more consistently. I know someone has to be in last place, but like at the front I would like to see more performance parity. I am more hopeful that this might happen.
3. Team principles tone down the rhetoric.
4. A new "first F1 race winner". In particular, Lando. Of course this is dependent upon McLaren getting their act together.
5. No team overspending on their budget.
6. Revision of super points system so Indycar is not overly penalized like it is today.

Richard

[steve_r]

I agree with the previous suggestions. So nothing much new from me:-

I want to see a good battle for the championship fought hard but in good spirit. Realistically that means that Ferrari or Mercedes or hopefully both step up.

I hope to see other teams close the gap and be competitive as well. How disheartening is it to see a Merc' or RBR driver starting out of position being waved past by well over half the grid because they know full well that they are not realistically in the same race.

I would like to see Williams have a good year.

I would like to see some positive development about some new teams coming into the sport.

[GTRMagic]

I would like to see the 'Big 3' Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari competitive EVERY weekend... And equally, the other teams providing circuit specific competitiveness to mix up the race weekends. Different pole sitters, different race winners.. different fastest laps... McLaren, Alpine, Aston Martin, Haas, Alpha Tauri, Williams, Sauber all being all right on the night... (or day, but that doesnt rhyme)

Watching Mr Piastri get his first win in his first season, before Mr Norris manages it, would be something brilliant. In Australia would be sublime..

That Williams finds a parent that knows how to make an F1 team work. Whether than is an Andretti Global or a Penske or Briatore Motors, it doesnt matter.

That some lovely title sponsorship from conventional places washes back into the sport. None of this cryptobabble.. real bricks & mortar businesses that sell something, that make profit... that people actually know. Bring Back Fosters!

Test Shane Van Gisbergen in a Red Bull... and wonder not how his regular Supercar goes so bloody fast...

[Tourer]

Like others, I hope that we see more in the way of close competition week in & week out at the front. The midfield tends to be good that way, just need more of it at the pointy end - kinda like we had at the start of 2022 but continued through the year with maybe MB joining the fray.

Beyond that I’m pretty vanilla really - just want to see F1 run properly & less of the posturing (yeah I know, I know - most likely a forlorn hope). The FIA still shaking out its new governance & hopefully improvement is seen there - would be good for example to know whether or not all teams comply with cost cap earlier in the season than 2022 - maybe aim for July Mr FIA (with no leaking).

Will be really interesting to see how Ferrari go this year, big change there of course as very very different type of person now in charge - will it be more of the same, or a jump forward or engage reverse & accelerate?

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

I would like to see the 'Big 3' Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari competitive EVERY weekend... And equally, the other teams providing circuit specific competitiveness to mix up the race weekends. Different pole sitters, different race winners.. different fastest laps... McLaren, Alpine, Aston Martin, Haas, Alpha Tauri, Williams, Sauber all being all right on the night... (or day, but that doesnt rhyme)

Watching Mr Piastri get his first win in his first season, before Mr Norris manages it, would be something brilliant. In Australia would be sublime..

That Williams finds a parent that knows how to make an F1 team work. Whether than is an Andretti Global or a Penske or Briatore Motors, it doesnt matter.

That some lovely title sponsorship from conventional places washes back into the sport. None of this cryptobabble.. real bricks & mortar businesses that sell something, that make profit... that people actually know. Bring Back Fosters!

Test Shane Van Gisbergen in a Red Bull... and wonder not how his regular Supercar goes so bloody fast...

Love all of that!!

[S griffin]

Hopefully Merc and Ferrari build a car as good as RBR and hopefully Vasseur does strategy better than his predecessor. Would be nice to see a few more teams have their day in the sun too.

Sadly we still have things like DRS and the way the FIA is now silencing drivers doesn't fill me with much hope for better things to come

[morninggents]

Originally Posted by Tourer

Will be really interesting to see how Ferrari go this year, big change there of course as very very different type of person now in charge - will it be more of the same, or a jump forward or engage reverse & accelerate?

The latter, I fear, though being a Ferrari fan I hope I may be surprised. Binnoto had a bad year but I would like to have seen him have a chance of redemption in 2023.

[BTCC frog]

I would obviously like a closer championship battle, but I would like for Charles Leclerc to have a chance of being champion. I think he is by far the most exciting driver to watch on the current grid so found myself supporting him in 2022. I would also quite like Lewis Hamilton to win his eighth, to make up for 2021.

I think it is quite likely that we will get another Hamilton-Verstappen title battle in 2023 so I hope that the stewards and race directors are much more on top of it than they were two years ago, and that fans behave better than they did in the last title battle. But I do think it would be very controversial again as my prediction is that these two will start the season clearly the two dominant drivers, but will be so desperate to exert their dominance over each other in the first half of the season that we will see multiple incidents between the two and George Russell will briefly lead the championship, before Verstappen calms down in the second half of the season and comfortably wins his third championship.

I would also like McLaren and Alpine to be closer to the big three teams, and anyone else of course but I think these are the most likely and they both have very exciting driver lineups. I would like Bottas and Williams to have good seasons, and I would like Mick Schumacher back on the grid in 2024.

I would also like to hear news that DRS will be scrapped, that Andretti and hopefully two other teams will join the grid, that sprint races will be gone, and that the race calendar will be revised to include fewer street circuits and more traditional circuits with grass or gravel on the outside of the track, all by 2026. But I think these are unlikely.

I will also be going to Spa-Francorchamps for the first time ever this year (bypassing my usual aversion to the high ticket prices out of fear that it would be the final Grand Prix at perhaps the best F1 track left on the calendar), so hope that the cars are still spectacular to watch in person (I'm sure they are, particularly at Spa), and that it isn't the last Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.

[S griffin]

Yes, I too would like to see Andretti and another team join come 2024. And also see less GPs, but at better venues, with less tarmac runoff

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Watching Mr Piastri get his first win in his first season, before Mr Norris manages it, would be something brilliant. In Australia would be sublime..

I confess I wouldn't go to the bookies with too much of your hard-earned.... Then again, that comes from the person who expected Carlos to blow Charles away last season.....

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

That some lovely title sponsorship from conventional places washes back into the sport. None of this cryptobabble.. real bricks & mortar businesses that sell something, that make profit... that people actually know. Bring Back Fosters!

Underrated comment!

[coppice]

That in a spate of last minute , but long term deals, the races in Abu Dhabi , Bahrain , Saudi and Qatar are replaced by Kyalami , Brands Hatch , Buenos Aires and Anderstorp . And that the Miami and Las Vegas races are relocated to Watkins Glen and Road America .

Well, you did ask

[E.B]

Originally Posted by coppice

That in a spate of last minute , but long term deals, the races in Abu Dhabi , Bahrain , Saudi and Qatar are replaced by Kyalami , Brands Hatch , Buenos Aires and Anderstorp . And that the Miami and Las Vegas races are relocated to Watkins Glen and Road America .

Well, you did ask

I would settle for that.

Plus a Lando win and George Russell to continue his Lewis beating form. (Not meant in an anti Lewis way, just from the POV of a long time GR fan....)

[Teretonga]

I would like to see a change in the balance from front to back.
That four different teams and at least 6 drivers would score two wins.
And that 6 different teams would score at least four podiums each.
And that every team would score at least 12 points....
And that during this season we would get two additional teams lining up for 2024.
(24 in 2024....)

[Derwent]

An end to all the hyped up arguing amongst team managers that seems to fill the media.
Having watched F1 since a 3 year old at Silverstone, there are now too many many events in places that should not have races and I only watch the C4 coverage if there is nothing better to do.
Getting rid of that Welsh guy in C4 would help, his false enthusiasm grates.

[S griffin]

I do think it would make a nice change if Karen Horner could grow some humility, but that is maybe too much of a hope

[Sodemo]

I’d love to see Williams have a better year. I have a fear they may go the same way as Tyrrell, Minardi, MasterCard Lola unless they have a better year.

[Skam85]

It would be a nice change for petty nicknames such as Karen Horner nickname to get the boot as well.

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by Skam85

It would be a nice change for petty nicknames such as Karen Horner nickname to get the boot as well.

A change of behaviour could easily see that happen......until then, I doubt it will.

[S griffin]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

A change of behaviour could easily see that happen......until then, I doubt it will.

Yes, some people earn nicknames. Besides it's not the worst nickname a team boss has got

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

A change of behaviour could easily see that happen......until then, I doubt it will.

Nicknames are a feature of sport fandom, and we see many that are worse than 'Karen'. They will only change if the reason for the nickname also disappears.

For example - finger boy stopped being referred to in that way once he was no longer displaying the gesture at the majority of GPs.

[Greem]

Originally Posted by Derwent

An end to all the hyped up arguing amongst team managers that seems to fill the media.

This. Very much so.

Also, to the "Karen" nickname; I had a discussion with a female friend who asked me why I thought that name was funny. When I stopped to think about it, I realised that the nickname was probably coined by a man apparently satirising the stereotype of the Angry Woman in "I need to speak to The Manager!" mode. Except it isn't satire, really, it's just a typical man thing. I therefore stopped using it.

Not instructing anyone else to, but it may be worth pausing before saying it in future.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by Greem

Also, to the "Karen" nickname; I had a discussion with a female friend who asked me why I thought that name was funny. When I stopped to think about it, I realised that the nickname was probably coined by a man apparently satirising the stereotype of the Angry Woman in "I need to speak to The Manager!" mode.

Interesting - and noting the point made. I had always thought that it originated from the Tina Fey-written Mean Girls, featuring a character called Karen Smith.