Autosport Top 50 of 2023: #21 George Russell
On qualifying performance, George Russell was 11-11 in the head-to-head against Lewis Hamilton, but the younger Briton was often outgunned by his more experienced Mercedes team-mate in the races. Overall, Russell termed 2023 as “one of the worst seasons of my career” as Mercedes failed to make the strides itContinue Reading
Autosport Top 50 of 2023: #20 Shane van Gisbergen
From the start of the year, Shane van Gisbergen made it crystal clear that he was no fan of the new Gen3 Supercar and, after disqualification from a season-opening win in Newcastle on a technicality, he was playing off the back foot all season.His third Bathurst 1000 win, while managingContinue Reading
Autosport Top 50 of 2023: #19 Laurens Vanthoor
GT specialist Laurens Vanthoor got his prototype chance with Porsche and Penske in the World Endurance Championship and grabbed it with both hands.He was consistently the quickest of the six drivers in the factory 963 LMDhs over the season. That’s all the more impressive given he’d only made three raceContinue Reading
Autosport Top 50 of 2023: #18 Scott Dixon
The ageless enigma was once again a force to be reckoned with to finish runner-up in the IndyCar standings and prove the closest – yet still distant – threat to Chip Ganassi Racing team-mate Alex Palou. The Kiwi waited until the 14th of 17 rounds to find Victory Lane, whichContinue Reading
Autosport Top 50 of 2023: #17 Mitch Evans
A case of so near yet so far once again for Mitch Evans in Formula E. He racked up the joint-most wins with four and, like the previous two campaigns, entered the final round with a shot at the title. The Jaguar driver took until the sixth race of theContinue Reading
Magazine: 140-page Christmas double issue
We’re not going to pretend it was difficult to decide on our number one slot in this year’s Top 50. But behind the obvious there was the usual mix of debate, frustration and moving people around until the final deadline meant the conversations had to stop.As ever, this year’s TopContinue Reading
Autosport Top 50 of 2023: #16 Brendon Hartley
This was another strong year for Brendon Hartley. He was up there among the fastest of the Toyota drivers – it was nip and tuck between him and Kamui Kobayashi for that honour in the WEC – in a year when he became a four-time world title winner.PLUS: Ranking the topContinue Reading
Autosport Top 50 of 2023: #15 Carlos Sainz
Carlos Sainz made the difference for Ferrari on its best chance to win all year in Singapore. His driving style – following front-end understeer naturally through a corner – was a boon for tyre preservation late in the lap there, and for Monza’s traction demands, where he was also brilliant.Continue Reading
Autosport Top 50 of 2023: #14 Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc proved largely inseparable from Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz in 2023 as their car’s characteristics swung from favouring one to the other. But his form in the last two races moved him ahead in the championship.His efforts in Las Vegas almost yielded victory, as the colder conditions and lowContinue Reading
Autosport Top 50 of 2023: #13 Josef Newgarden
It was a campaign of feast or famine for Team Penske’s Tennessee native. There were four wins – all on ovals and second-most overall to champion Alex Palou – but there were also five results of 15th or worse, including three of 21st or lower.But what made the year aContinue Reading