As the year draws to a close, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the past season of motorsport action; our writers gave us their best moments of 2023 across Formula E, FIA WEC, MotoGP, WRC and IndyCar.
Nick Golding – Formula E Reporter
FE’s first British champion crowned in London
My favourite motorsport moment of 2023 is without a shadow of a doubt the London E-Prix double-header. Yes, that’s not one specific moment per se but the drama that unfolded across the season finale weekend was unprecedented. Red flags, countless Safety Cars, intra-team collisions, radio arguments, monsoon-like conditions on the Sunday, multiple large shunts, stunning overtakes and Formula E’s first-ever British World Champion at the end of it. I think that’s just about everything!
It was the all-electric series at its very best and represented exactly why the sport now has the fourth biggest fanbase in motorsport. The weekend was full of intensity and nerves given that both titles had to be decided, resulting in an extraordinary spectacle for those in attendance. There was just something special about Formula E cars in the pouring rain alongside the DLR, with a British Airways flight taking off overhead!
Phil Oakley – Sportscar Editor
Ferrari winning at Le Mans
I don’t think anyone seriously thought it would happen. The 499P looked great, Ferrari build great cars, and AF Corse is a world-class team. But Le Mans is the hardest race in the world to win, and so much can go wrong in those 24 hours. And it’s especially hard to win against a competitor as formidable as Toyota, a team which had won the last five editions of the race and who had largely ironed out any reliability niggles in the GR010 Hybrid.
It was a fantastic race with all five major manufacturers leading at some point. Peugeot was stupendous in the rain, and Cadillac looked quick, as did Porsche. But the #8 Toyota and #51 Ferrari really stole the show, duelling and duking it out over the entire race.
When Alessandro Pier Guidi crossed the line in the scarlet Ferrari to take the Italian manufacturer’s first overall win in 58 years, in the first Ferrari to compete in the top class as a factory operation since 1973, 50 years previously, the atmosphere at the circuit was palpable. It was quite a moment and one I’ll never, ever forget.
Mo Rehman – Sportscar Reporter
Kevin Estre’s marvellous defence at Fuji
My standout moment of the year was when Kevin Estre defended his Porsche 963 against two Toyotas at Fuji en route to earning the team’s only WEC podium. Not only on Toyota’s home territory but Estre’s calculated and cunning positioning of his Porsche definitively showed why he belongs in their LMDh programme. I was also impressed by how he managed the lapped traffic, having spent his recent years being lapped as a GTE-Pro driver.
Dan Lawrence – Motorsport Reporter
Big brands battle at Le Mans
My motorsport moment of the year came courtesy of this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. As a lifelong motorsport and automotive enthusiast, there’s nothing better than the biggest names in the industry going to battle in the gladiatorial arena of motor racing.
This year’s World Endurance Championship set the stage for just that. As Toyota, Ferrari, Porsche, Cadillac, and Peugeot all lined up in this season’s FIA WEC and at the Centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans, I hopped aboard the Motorsport Monday team for the first time to cover the action. Settling down to cover my first event was a moment enough, but to witness Toyota, Ferrari, Porsche, Cadillac and Peugeot racing wheel-to-wheel down the Mulsanne straight on the opening laps was an emotional and euphoric moment. One that I definitely won’t forget.
Kyle Francis – MotoGP Editor
Three-way fight for victory in Thailand
My favourite moment of 2023 was the incredible battle for supremacy between Jorge Martin, Brad Binder and Francesco Bagnaia in the Thai Grand Prix. The tough but fair tussle between Martin and Binder meant so much more due to the stakes involved. The former desperately needing to cut Bagnaia’s points lead while the matter was determined to prevent KTM suffering a winless campaign.
Martin pulled off a defensive ride of the ages to secure the win, while Bagnaia nearly pulled off what would have been one of the greatest ever overtakes by diving around the outside at the final corner. This battle neatly summed up everything great about MotoGP.
David Ledbetter – Rally Editor
‘Sublime, supreme’ Elfyn Evans at Rally Japan
Day one of FORUM8 Rally Japan was miserable. Torrential rain, thick fog, damp leaves and pine needles underfoot, or should that be undertyre?
Elfyn Evans and his Gazoo Racing Yaris had the measure of three drivers with 11 WRC titles between them. He was sublime, supreme.
Evans was seeded second on the road on the first full day, not an ideal place to be, but he ended stage two with a 3.8-second lead. To put the state of affairs into perspective, newly crowned WRC Champion Kalle Rovanperä described the conditions as the worst he’s experienced all year.
Evans, though, didn’t put a wheel wrong and emerged with a 26-second lead in his pocket after SS3, which he increased to 44.4 seconds by lunchtime. Thierry Neuville was the Welshman’s nearest challenger, the Belgian on a short-lived charge after midday service. He cut Evans’ lead down to just 10.5 seconds, before crashing his Hyundai out of the event on the next stage.
Such was the rate of attrition that fourth overall was Andreas Mikkelsen in his Skoda Fabia WRC2 machine!
Three times the bridesmaid, 2024 could be Evans’ year to climb the top rung of the leaderboard.
Kevin Dejewski – IndyCar Editor
Newgarden’s ‘unique’ Indy 500 victory celebration
My top motorsports moment of 2023 came at the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500, although it took place after the chequered flags flew. Josef Newgarden pulled off a last lap pass for the win in a dramatic one-lap shootout with Marcus Ericsson and was finally able to claim victory in the most prestigious race of the year. After securing the win, Newgarden parked his car directly on top of the yard of bricks, leapt from his machine in celebration, and proceeded to duck under the catch fence to continue the celebration among his fans in the grandstands.
Simply witnessing hundreds of thousands of people cheering at once is an impressive sight, but the feeling of having them all roar for your accomplishment as you wade into the sea of humanity is one that very few people get to experience. Newgarden admitted that he had planned his unique celebration ahead of time, but it came as a delightful surprise to fans in attendance and around the world. The moment was a special one to witness and was even more special for the fans that gained memories that will last a lifetime.
