It was said that Frank Williams only cared about winning the Constructors’ title. After all this is how the teams are paid and it can affect a team’s valuation. Those payouts are significant too and every position matters. It is estimated that there is a $10 million difference between each position. So yes, the Constructors Championship means a lot!
Here’s how the teams finished this year.
| 1 | RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT | 860 |
| 2 | MERCEDES | 409 |
| 3 | FERRARI | 406 |
| 4 | MCLAREN MERCEDES | 302 |
| 5 | ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES | 280 |
| 6 | ALPINE RENAULTÂ | 120 |
| 7 | WILLIAMS MERCEDES | 28 |
| 8 | ALPHATAURI HONDA RBPT | 25 |
| 9 | ALFA ROMEO FERRARI | 16 |
| 10 | HAAS FERRARI | 12 |
Let’s take a brief look at all the finishers in order…
Red Bull Racing
RBR dominated the season in all aspects, there’s no doubt about it. While some teams became more competitive at various tracks throughout the season, Red Bull reigned supreme. Not much else needs to be said.
Mercedes
The Silver Arrows had another lackluster season but consistency and late season improvements ensured they finished second. They were fortunate though because several of the teams behind them got more competitive.
Ferrari
While Ferrari only scored one win, they didn’t make as many mistakes as they did in 2022. This meant they finished a fighting third and had a chance to be second. They are a better team, no doubt about it.
McLaren
For the papaya colored team, it was a season of two halves. Until Austria, they struggled; then their upgrades made the car much faster. At times it looked like they could take the fight to Red Bull on merit.
Aston-Martin
Like a hockey game, Aston-Martin played three periods. The first one was amazing, they looked to be second fastest ahead of Mercedes and Ferrari. The second one was…blah. The the third one was competitive once again as some of their upgrades were discarded. A vastly improved team for sure despite the mid-season dip.
Alpine
Chaos reigned in Enstone and Viry-Châtillon for most of the season and the results reflected this. However, there were flashes of competitiveness sprinkled throughout the season. Alpine certainly under-performed but given their circumstances, this could be expected.
Williams
All the changes that have taken place at Williams over the past few seasons are beginning to pay off. They made the most of what they had and showed legitimate pace at times. What will be fascinating to see is how well the team does with new talent coming on-board as well as upgraded facilities and systems.
AlphaTauri
The little team from Faenza certainly struggled for most of the year with the slowest car on the grid. Then after the break, they got better in all respects. Adding Daniel Ricciardo helped but Tsunoda upped his game as well. The fact the team brought upgrades at the end of the season showed that AlphaTauri could improve.
Alfa Romeo
The Sauber team (running as Alfa Romeo) was just kinda there for most of the season. Once in a while they qualified well but sometimes they were at the very back. It was an inconsistent season in most respects, one thing that was consistent was tepid performances and a corresponding low points tally.
Haas
It’s not unusual for Haas to finish near the back, but in 2018 they were 5th so they can be competitive. Despite good qualifying on many Saturdays, on Sundays the cars dropped though the field. They never figured out how to consistently translate their latent speed into results, therefore they are last this year.
I might take a look at a few teams in more details (looking at you Alpine) in upcoming posts because they warrant additional analysis. Overall though you have one dominant team, two consistent teams, two inconsistent yet competitive outfits, an under-performer beset by chaos, then the rest. While RBR dominated, there was movement behind them which will shape the 2024 season.
