The 2013 season was dominated by one team, but the battles further back were pretty close. We had the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and Lotus all vying for second place and the midfield fight intensified too.
Unfortunately the conclusion wasn’t as exciting as first thought, with Force India’s challenge on McLaren fading, Sauber eventually dropping back from the Silverstone-based outfit and Lotus failing to make progress. Here’s Formula1Blog’s review of all 11 team’s from the 2013 championship.
Red Bull Racing
After their past success and the relatively stable regulations for 2013, Red Bull was always going to be at the front of the field. However, we didn’t see their dominance at the start of the season. We merely saw flashes of what was to come, which really kick-started when the tire compounds changed mid-season. The team also continued to bring developments to the car despite switching focus to 2014, unlike their rivals, which helped contribute to their stunning end to the year.
Sebastian Vettel was an unstoppable force and drove beautifully in every race from Belgium to Brazil, scoring nine consecutive race wins and 13 altogether. It was an incredible display but it was far from easy for the German. His team-mate Mark Webber had a much harder time, suffering from reliability issues and struggling to match the pace of Vettel. He scored a number of podiums but couldn’t take a win in his final F1 season.
Mercedes
The Brackley-based outfit were by far the most improved team of 2013, moving from fifth to second in the constructors’ standings. Hiring Lewis Hamilton was a very smart move and the Brit settled in well. The team showed blistering one lap speed in the early stages but they couldn’t maintain position in the race, largely due to high tire wear.
This was no more evident than in Spain where Rosberg and Hamilton locked out the front row but eventually finished sixth and 12th. They had sorted out the issue by the end of the season but it wasn’t enough to make a dent in Red Bull Racing’s lead.
Ferrari
F1’s most successful team couldn’t keep up with the development of Red Bull as the 2013 season progressed, causing them to slip behind Mercedes as well. This was partly due to Felipe Massa’s struggles which ultimately caused him to be dropped and replaced for 2014 by Kimi Raikkonen to make arguably the most exciting line-up on the grid.
Unlike 2012, Ferrari’s season started off well with two early victories and several podium finishes. However, the team took the wrong development path with the F138 and the mid-season tire changes by Pirelli didn’t help matters. They eventually decided to put more of their resources into the 2014 car.
Lotus
On track, it was a successful season for the Enstone-based outfit. They won the first race of the year and continued to battle at the front, although they failed to reach the top step once more. However, off track it was a different story with financial issues and the messy deal with Quantum Motorsports which is still raging on.
Kimi Raikkonen was his usual consistent self, struggling slightly in qualifying but often thriving on race day. It is just a shame that his relationship with the team soured, which may have contributed to his abrupt exit to undergo back surgery prior to the final two races. The E21 was easier on its tires, enabling different strategies to be used. Meanwhile Romain Grosjean transformed into a real frontrunner, scoring six podiums.
McLaren
2013 was a dismal year for McLaren. Expectations were high pre-season but it proved to be the team’s worst campaign since 1980. They failed to score a single podium, largely due to the revolutionary MP4-28 which was a tricky beast to tame.
The team’s best finish was fourth at the season finale in Brazil, ending their terrible season in a slight positive. Jenson Button drove well early on but several uncharacteristic first lap errors crept in by the end of the year. Meanwhile his team-mate Sergio Perez joined the team at the worst possible time. After just one season and some impressive results he was dropped for 2014. He will be replaced by Danish rookie Kevin Magnussen.
Mid-Field
The midfield battle was hotly contested in 2013, but by the seasons end the constructors’ standings had spread out with no real movement in the order. There was also the battle of the backmarkers, with Marussia finally finishing ahead of Caterham.
Force India
It was a tale of two halves for the Silverstone-based outfit. They had a positive start and end to the year but suffered a difficult middle-stint. This was down to the change in tire construction following the dramatic tyre failures at Silverstone. It hit the team hard and instead of challenging the teams ahead in the constructors’ standings, they had to keep an eye out for those behind.
Fortunately a series of points finishes towards the end of the year helped them secure sixth in the championship. It was a decent year overall despite scoring less points in comparison to 2012. Next season looks even more promising with a highly-rated driver line-up and plenty of regulation changes.
Sauber
Unlike rivals Force India, Sauber has a difficult start to their 2013 campaign but managed to claw back the gap by the season’s end. Hiring Nico Hulkenberg proved to be a very good decision, even if they only held on to him for one year. Once the tire compounds were changed mid-season and the team’s major upgrade was fitted in Hungary, their pace was transformed.
Several impressive performances from their star lead driver helped the team to score 50 points in the final eight races. Stand-out drives in Italy and Korea cemented Hulkenberg’s reputation as one of the stars of the future. Rookie Esteban Gutierrez had a difficult debut season but did improve as the year progressed and scored his only points at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Toro Rosso
The Italian team retained their driver line-up for the 2013 season, but the STR8 failed to be a consistent match for rivals Force India and Sauber. On occasion Vergne and Ricciardo finished ahead, but it wasn’t enough to mount a real challenge in the constructors’.
Ricciardo dominated the inter-team qualifying battle but it was slightly more even in the races. The Aussie had some strong performances which helped him secure the second Red Bull seat alongside four-time champion Sebastian Vettel. Finishing ahead of his replacement Daniil Kvyat will be crucial for Vergne’s long-term F1 future.
Williams
After returning to the top step of the podium in 2012, Williams were hoping to continue with their upward progression this season. However, the FW35 was a tricky car to handle with both Pastor Maldonado and Valtteri Bottas struggling early on.
The former was handed a top 10 result in Hungary thanks to several retirements, but he was consistently matched by his rookie team-mate. Bottas starred in the wet qualifying session in Canada but couldn’t translate it into a strong result due to the cars lack of dry weather pace. However, he eventually scored his first points at the United States Grand Prix after an impressive late-season performance.
Marussia
After three years of trying, Marussia finally managed to squeeze into the top 10 in the constructors’ standings this year. This was largely thanks to Jules Bianchi’s impressive performances in the early stages despite being a late addition to the team. The MR02 had the edge over their nearest rivals in the first three races but a lack of development dropped them back.
However, with improved reliability and lack of wet weather races, Caterham couldn’t find the opportunity to get a 13th place finish under their belt. Max Chilton had a steady rookie season and finished every race which proved just how reliable Marussia’s little car was.
Caterham
Despite having the faster car for much of the 2013 season, the ‘green machines’ couldn’t finish the year in the top 10. The CT03 was an evolution of their 2012 car, with much of their resources going into next year. However, they were able to bring updates more often than their rivals and this helped them move ahead of them in the performance stakes.
Giedo van der Garde had several stand-out moments in his rookie year, including two Q2 appearances, but team-mate Charles Pic failed to do the same after a rather underwhelming and anonymous campaign.