VOTE: Who was the best team principal in 2023?

Toto Wolff and Christian Horner — Photo: © LAT Images

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F1 AWARDS - VOTE: Who was the best team principal in 2023?

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Matthew Hobkinson Lead Editor

F1 Editor & Journalist

Friday 29 December 2023 22:57 Updated: 11:45

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In a season dominated by Max Verstappen on the track, there were plenty of other key figures playing pivotal roles away from it.

Team principals are ultimately the ones who have to be accountable for the team's performance come the end of the season, so it is only natural that a lot of praise and criticism is levelled their way.

We're currently in the process of our annual awards season as voted for by you, the GPFans, and here is our next award category we're getting you to vote on.

Assessing the candidates...

Who other to start with than Christian Horner. The Red Bull boss guided his team to their second successive constructors' championship – their sixth in total. Although the season may have appeared to be a walk in the park, courtesy of Max Verstappen and his RB19, there is no doubting Horner's role in this season's triumph.

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It's hard to mention Horner without bringing up Toto Wolff. Anything less than P1 for Mercedes will ultimately be seen as a disappointment, but the Austrian remained steadfast in what was often challenging times this season as the Silver Arrows held on to second place in the constructors'.

Mercedes ended up just three points ahead of Ferrari after Fred Vasseur wrapped up his first season with the team. In a similar vein to Mercedes, the F1 giants will only be interested in success, but the Frenchman stood up well to some intense pressure during his debut season at the helm.

Under Andrea Stella, McLaren enjoyed nothing short of a mid-season resurrection. A nightmare start to the year was turned around in some style as the MCL60 roared into life with a string of impressive upgrades. Lando Norris has publicly gone on record to laud Stella as the key to the team's change in fortunes – he's the only one who thinks that.

Aston Martin finished just 22 points off McLaren, with Mike Krack managing to get the very best out of Fernando Alonso. The emerald green team looked likely to finish second to Red Bull after the first eight races, yet despite ceding ground to their opposition as the season progressed, Krack enjoyed a fine year as team principal.

Now it feels somewhat odd to round off the list of nominees with a team principal whose team recorded a points haul of just 28 – yet James Vowles completes our shortlist. The Williams chief led the Grove-based outfit to a P7 finish, its highest in six years. The future looks bright for the team with Alex Albon in the cockpit and Vowles in charge.

But who do you think was the best team principal in 2023?