THE SILLIEST SEASON

Suchis Red Bull Racing star Max Verstappen’s dominance of the 2023 Formula 1 season, I’m going in a different direction for my latest column. In honour of the upcoming ‘Silly Season,’ the nickname for that time of year where Formula 1 teams play their annual game of musical chairs, I’m introducing my own version, dubbed the ‘Silliest Season,’ where I pair the – in my opinion – top ten current Formula 1 drivers with international stars and place them on all ten teams.

Of course, this is ridiculous, but let’s stop and have some fun, because the 2023 Formula 1 season has been anything but that. This is obviously purely subjective, so I would love to hear your thoughts on who the top ten drivers in Formula 1 are, and who you would like to see get a full-season crack in a Formula 1 car, but let’s begin.

First off is Red Bull Racing, where Max Verstappen remains and whom I’ve paired with a fellow dynamic, young prodigy with a racing bloodline – 22-year-old reigning World Rally Champion Kalle Rovanperä. The young Finnish driver is the youngest World Rally Championship race winner, and learned the sport from his father, Harri, who raced for Seat, Skoda, Mitsubishi and Peugeot. Tremendously gifted, I’d love to see what Kalle could do in a Red Bull.

Next up is Mercedes, where Lewis Hamilton keeps his seat, and is joined by one of the hottest potential free agents in open-wheel racing, 2021 IndyCar champion Alex Palou. The Spaniard is back on top of the IndyCar standings this season, and is already a reserve driver for McLaren, so let’s pair him with arguably the greatest Formula 1 driver of all time.

Charles Leclerc keeps his seat at Ferrari, too, and I’ve paired him with two-time IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden. The affable IndyCar star is going toe-to-toe with Palou in this year’s IndyCar title race, so let’s see how they fare across the Atlantic in Formula 1 cars.

At McLaren, I’ve paired incumbent Lando Norris with veteran IndyCar star Scott Dixon. The six-time IndyCar champion has accomplished so much in the series, so for a career swansong I’d love to see what he could do in a Formula 1 car. Early in his career the New Zealand native was rumoured to have had interest from both the Toyota and Williams Formula 1 teams.

At Aston Martin, I’ve paired Fernando Alonso with another all-time great who has aged like fine wine, nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb. The Frenchman is still quick, winning the Monaco WRC round last year, and this would be a dream pairing.

Rounding out my list of current drivers sticking with their incumbent teams, I’ve placed Esteban Ocon at Alpine with reigning IMSA champion Tom Blomqvist. The Englishman is the son of retired rally star Stig Blomqvist, and made his lone IndyCar start at the Honda Indy Toronto this year.

I’m sending George Russell back to Williams, and pairing him with reigning Formula 2 champion Felipe Drugovich, who is currently a reserve driver for Aston Martin and McLaren. At Haas, I’m gifting them Carlos Sainz and given the team’s American roots, I’m putting reigning NASCAR Cup champion Joey Logano next to the Spaniard. Alex Albon moves to Alfa Romeo and is joined by 2022 European Le Mans champion Louis Delétraz. And rounding out my fantasy grid is Oscar Piastri moving to AlphaTauri alongside 2022 DTM champion Sheldon van der Linde. IT

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