The 2023 F1 season is about to hold its 8th round in mere hours. The Crown Jewel, the Monaco Grand Prix is right around the corner after the sudden cancellation of the Emilia-Romagna GP fue to the tremendous floods the Italian region is experiencing. All eyes are on both the reigning World Champion Max Verstappen and his childhood rival-turned-friend, hometown hero, Charles Leclerc. Who will take the win? Let us know in the comments!
While we wait for the race, let's do a little recap of the season so far, shall we?
Bahrein was the kickstarter of the 2023 Formula 1 season, and it was considered by many as a mood setter for what was about to come for the rest of the following races. That is, of course, absolute domination from Red Bull. Max Verstappen won comfortably after Charles Leclerc, who was rapidly approaching from P2, suffered a battery failure and had a DNF. To round out the podium, an incredibly fast Lando Norris and his McLaren came in P2, and a surprising yet delightful performance from no other than F1 legend Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin left him in the podium for the first time since 2021.
Bahrein Top 10:
1- Max Verstappen +FL
2- Lando Norris
3- Fernando Alonso
4- Sergio Pérez
5- Carlos Sainz
6- Pierre Gasly
7- Lewis Hamilton
8- George Russell
9- Lance Stroll
10- Oscar Piastri
Jeddah was round 2 and another opportunity for Red Bull to show what they've got. However, it didn't come in the form of a win from our two time champ, but from his team mate Sergio Pérez, appropriately named the new King of the Streets. However Verstappen did what he's used to doing, stunning with an outstanding recovery from P15 to P2 to storm the podium in a display of skill that reminded us exactly why he's the man on top. To finish off the podium, yet another flawless performance from McLaren driver Lando Norris has him spraying champagne in the desert.
Jeddah Top 10:
1- Sergio Pérez
2- Max Verstappen
3- Lando Norris +FL
4- Carlos Sainz
5- Fernando Alonso
6- Lewis Hamilton
7- Charles Leclerc
8- George Russell
9- Esteban Ocon
10- Yuki Tsunoda
Melbourne was another sweep from Red Bull, with both drivers taking a 1-2 finish, the scale tipping in favor of Max Verstappen this time. His second win of the season and his third podium. A race to forget for Charles Leclerc who was caught in a racing incident with Lance Stroll and suffered yet another DNF after a great recovery from P12 to P7 in Jeddah. In Melbourne the last step of the podium was once again claimed by the spaniard Fernando Alonso who is definitely here to show us he's still got some fight left in him.
Melbourne Top 10:
1- Max Verstappen +FL
2- Sergio Pérez
3- Fernando Alonso
4- Lando Norris
5- George Russell
6- Lewis Hamilton
7- Carlos Sainz
8- Esteban Ocon
9- Lance Stroll
10- Pierre Gasly
Baku was our first sprint weekend, and although it saw the return of Ferrari to the F1 podium after a rough start to the season in the form of two Charles Leclerc poles, a P2 on the Sprint and a P3 on the main race, it was also deemed one of the most boring races of the season so far. Pérez dominated the streets yet again to take two wins. And while reigning World Champion Max Verstappen managed to secure a P3 in the Sprint and a P2 in the main race, his performance wasn't what everyone talked about that week but his surprising split from long term girlfriend Kelly Piquet. Many speculated that the driver had been so blindsided by the crumbling of the relationship that it had affected his performance that weekend.
Baku Sprint Top 8:
1- Sergio Pérez
2- Charles Leclerc +FL
3- Max Verstappen
4- George Russell
5- Fernando Alonso
6- Carlos Sainz
7- Lando Norris
8- Lewis Hamilton
Baku Top 10:
1- Sergio Pérez +FL
2- Max Verstappen
3- Charles Leclerc
4- Lando Norris
5- Carlos Sainz
6- Lewis Hamilton
7- George Russell
8- Fernando Alonso
9- Alex Albon
10- Yuki Tsunoda
That brings us to the last race we've had, due to the cancellation of Imola last week: Miami. The first American Grand Prix of the season didn't disappoint... unless you're a Ferrari fan, that is. With Charles Leclerc struggling to find his footing on the track and crashing during FP2 and Qualifying, leaving him at a clear disadvantage, the podium was open for the taking. And if Max Verstappen had been affected by his split from Kelly Piquet, then he sure as hell recovered quickly from it, winning from pole and leading every lap, achieving a Grand Slam in American soil. Lando Norris returned to the podium for P2 and was joined by a long awaited Lewis Hamilton in P3.
Miami Top 10:
1- Max Verstappen +FL
2- Lando Norris
3- Lewis Hamilton
4- Fernando Alonso
5- Sergio Pérez
6- Carlos Sainz
7- Pierre Gasly
8- Charles Leclerc
9- Oscar Piastri
10- George Russell
Now, after these results the current standings of the Driver's Championship are the following:
1- Max Verstappen (120pts)
2- Sergio Pérez (99pts)
3- Lando Norris (78pts)
4- Fernando Alonso (60pts)
5- Carlos Sainz (49pts)
6- Lewis Hamilton (46pts)
7- Charles Leclerc (33pts)
8- George Russell (30pts)
9- Pierre Gasly (15pts)
10- Esteban Ocon (6pts)
11- Lance Stroll (4pts)
12- Oscar Piastri (3pts)
13- Yuki Tsunoda (2pts)
14- Alex Albon (2pts)
15- Nico Hulkenberg (0pts)
16- Kevin Magnussen (0pts)
17- Guanyu Zhou (0pts)
18- Valtteri Bottas (0pts)
19- Nyck De Vries (0pts)
20- Logan Sergeant (0pts)
Monaco is bound to be exciting, with Max Verstappen starting from pole, home town hero Charles Leclerc taking the second spot on the grid, and the King of the Streets and last year's winner Sergio Pérez being all the way down to P20 due to an unfortunate crash during qualifying. Who is going to take the win tomorrow? Let us know in the comments!
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FanfictionThe higher you rise, the lower you fall. Max Verstappen had it all. The world in the palm of his hand. All of his goals accomplished. Until one major discovery proves he had been living a lie. Facing the world after such public humiliation ends up b...
