The best of the best
In the year 2023 the world of motorsport, on four and two wheels, has given us great emotions. Clearly it was the records broken by Max Verstappen in Formula 1 that made the most noise, but how can we forget Pecco Bagnaia's world championship triumph in MotoGP, or Ferrari's victory at the 24 hours of Le Mans. And not only.
20 different candidates
Every category of motorsport deserves due respect and the necessary attention. For this reason in the editorial team we have selected i 20 names that have impressed us the most over the past 12 months among all the championships to let you decide who is deserving of the award of best driver of the year.
Three possible preferences
Below you will find the list of contenders, with a short motivation accompanying the choice of their candidacy. Of course there were, by necessity, excellent exclusions, but the goal of the list was to include the greatest variety of championships possible on an international level.
There are established champions but also young promises. Title winners and drivers who, despite not managing to lift any trophies, impressed us with their talent and dedication. Given the large variety of options each of you readers will have three preferences availableuseful to allow you to compose your very personal ideal podium for 2023. Never like in this case, may the best win!
| Candidate | Motivation |
| Pedro Acosta (SPA) (KTM Ajo Kalex – Moto2) |
Moto2 world champion with 7 victories and 14 podiums. Second title in 3 years of MotoGP. |
| Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) (Toyota – W2RC) |
W2RC World Champion for the second consecutive year. Dakar rally winner: second consecutive victory, fifth overall. |
| Fernando Alonso (SPA) (Aston Martin – F1) |
4th place in the F1 World Championship. 8 podiums in the season. |
| Andrea Kimi Antonelli (ITA) (Prema / Mumbai Falcons – Formula Regional) |
European Formula Regional Champion with 5 victories and 11 podiums in the season. Middle East Formula Regional Champion with 3 wins and 7 podiums this season. |
| Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) (Ducati – MotoGP) |
MotoGP world champion for the second consecutive year. 11 victories and 28 podiums overall in the season (GP+Sprint). |
| Alvaro Bautista (SPA) (Ducati – WSBK) |
WSBK world champion for the second consecutive year. 27 victories and 31 podiums overall in the season. |
| Ryan Blaney (USA) (Team Penske Ford – NASCAR) |
NASCAR Cup Series champion, 3 wins and 17 top-10s in the season. |
| Toni Bou (SPA) (Honda – Trial) |
Outdoor and indoor Trial world champion. 17th consecutive title won in both disciplines. 34 world titles won in 17 seasons. |
| Sebastien Buemi (SVI) (Toyota – WEC) |
WEC World Champion with crew #8; 2 victories and 6 podiums in the season. Fourth endurance world title in his career, second in a row. |
| Jake Dennis (GBR) (Andretti Porsche – Formula E) |
Formula E world champion. 2 victories in the season and 11 podiums. |
| Lewis Hamilton (GBR) (Mercedes – F1) |
3rd place in the F1 World Championship. 6 podiums in the season and 1 pole position. |
| Charles Leclerc (MON) (Ferrari – F1) |
5th place in the F1 World Championship. 6 podiums in the season and 5 pole positions. |
| Raffaele Marciello (SVI) (AKKodis Mercedes – GT World Challenge) |
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Champion with crew #88, second consecutive title. GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup runner-up. |
| Jorge Martin (SPA) (Ducati Prima Pramac – MotoGP) |
2nd in the MotoGP World Championship. 13 victories and 23 podiums overall in the season (GP+Sprint). |
| Josef Newgarden (USA) (Team Penske Chevrolet – IndyCar) |
Indy 500 winner, 5th place in the IndyCar championship with 4 victories in the season. |
| Alex Palou (SPA) (Chip Ganassi Honda – IndyCar) |
IndyCar champion with 5 wins and 10 podiums this season. Second title in three years. |
| Alessandro Pier Guidi (ITA) (Ferrari – WEC) |
Le Mans 24 Hours winner with crew #51, 4th place in the WEC championship. |
| Jorge Prado (SPA) (Gas Gas – MXGP) |
MXGP world champion with 14 victories and 26 podiums in the season. |
| Kalle Rovanperä (END) (Toyota – WRC) |
WRC world champion for the second consecutive year. 3 victories and 8 podiums in the season. |
| Max Verstappen (OLA) (Red Bull – F1) |
F1 World Champion for the third consecutive year. 19 GPs won in the season, of which 10 consecutive. |
#Award #choose #driver
