Before the Singapore GP : 2023 F1 season recap

Singapore - The countdown begins as the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix will be upon us in just over a month. From the 15th of 17th of September 2023, the Marina Bay Street Circuit will be illuminated in floodlights as 20 Formula 1 cars tear through the central business district in a dizzying array of colours and high-octane drama.

We’re now 12 races into the 2023 Formula 1 season with just 10 races to go, so let’s take a look back at the current standings during the mid-season break.

Max Verstappen, the winner of the 2021 and 2022 World Driver’s Championship is leading this year’s WDC with 314 points. He’s won 10 of the 12 races this year, with only two 2nd place finishes tarnishing his winning streak.

Lining up second in the WDC contention is Max’s fellow Red Bull teammate, Sergio Perez. Nicknamed the “Minister for Defence” by fans worldwide, the Mexican driver has amassed 189 points this year. While he doesn’t have quite the lead that Max has in the championship, Perez has proved himself to be an incredibly competent driver who excels on street circuits. This is a man who won the 2022 Monaco and Singapore GP last year - both of which were street circuits. It’s no wonder he’s also been called the “King of the streets”.

Coming in 3rd is Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso with 149. Despite placing themselves 7th in 2022’s constructor's championship, the British outfit has clearly sorted out their race car for the 2023 season. The Aston Martin AMR23 race car proved quick enough in the hands of the Spanish two-time world champion to net 6 podium finishes, enabling the team to sit 3rd in the championship standings.

Lower on the grid sits Lewis Hamilton, who has also shown an improvement over last year with 148 points to his name. The beginning of the season saw him miss out on podium finishes, but the seven-time world champion has bagged himself 3 podium finishes that enabled him to catch up to Alonso’s lead.

In 5th and 6th are Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’ George Russell with 99 points each, followed by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in 7th with 92 points. Down in 8th is McLaren’s Lando Norris with 69 points. In 9th and 10th are Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) and Esteban Ocon (Alpine) with 47 and 35 points respectively.

It’s been quite an interesting year in Formula 1 (apart from Max’s seemingly never-ending dominant streak), but as ever with Formula 1, the drama happens both on and off the track.

In recent news, there’s been a massive shakeup within the walls at the Alpine F1 Team. CEO Laurent Rossi has been shunned from his role and taking his place is Bruno Famin. In more shocking news, Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer has also been removed from his role.

And in driver-related news, AlphaTauri F1 driver Nyck De Vries has been kicked from his seat and taking his place is the honey badger himself, Daniel Ricciardo. As it stands, it's highly likely that we’ll see more driver changes before the 2024 season begins. All the more nail-biting drama for Netflix’s Drive To Survive documentary.

PHOTOS Singapore GP