Lewis Hamilton decision made by F1 bosses as star upstaged by Lando Norris

09 January 2024 , 06:00

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F1 bosses put Lando Norris above Lewis Hamilton for his performances in 2023 (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Lewis Hamilton was voted as only the fifth-best driver of the 2023 season despite finishing the year as the top non-Red Bull racer.

All 10 Formula 1 team bosses took part in votes at the end of the season to name their top performers of the campaign. Their individual submissions were combined to create a top 10 of racers from the season.

Max Verstappen won the championship in record-breaking fashion, winning 19 of the 22 races throughout the season. Unsurprisingly, his achievements were recognised by team principals up and down the pit lane as the Red Bull star was voted as their driver of the year.

Team-mate Sergio Perez finished as runner-up in the championship but was miles off having won just two races. His struggles meant he was voted as only 10th best by the bosses.

Hamilton was next in the championship standings. To finish as the top driver of everyone not driving one of the fearsome RB19s was quite the achievement, given how far off Mercedes were from their main rivals having built another car incapable of a title challenge.

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But he was named as just the fifth-best driver of the year by team principals. They felt, on top of Verstappen, three other drivers had performed better throughout the campaign with the machinery at their disposal.

Fernando Alonso was the man who clinched the runner-up spot. The 42-year-old dazzled with his performances despite being the oldest driver on the grid and propelled Aston Martin up the standings with eight podiums in his first year with his new employer.

Lando Norris was third behind him having led McLaren's mid-season renaissance after a poor start for the team. And bosses felt Charles Leclerc was deserving of fourth spot ahead of Hamilton, having shown his prowess over one lap with five pole positions over the season, even if he failed to convert any of them into a race win.

His Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz was named sixth, sandwiching Hamilton. And Oscar Piastri was just below the Spaniard after producing one of the best rookie seasons F1 has seen since the seven-time world champion first burst onto the scene himself, also with McLaren.

Alex Albon was voted as the eighth-best performer of the year thanks to his stellar efforts for Williams, single-handedly propelling them to seventh in the constructors' championship. And Hamilton's team-mate George Russell was named ninth best ahead of Perez after a difficult sophomore season for Mercedes.

Daniel Moxon