02/12/2013
One familiar driver and team may have run away with the 2013 World Championships, but as ever in F1, things were rarely dull either on or off the circuit...
Race of the year: The Malaysian GP, when drama on the track and the rare event of a close battle for victory was still overshadowed by the fireworks off it; Runner-Up: For all the wrong reasons, the British GP when a spate of tyre blows plunged F1 to the level of farce.
Least accurate statement of the year: "This year's car is the best we've ever made" - Jenson Button, January 31, at the launch of the MP4-28; Runner-Up: "The one certainty is that Paddy will be part of the team for another year" - Martin Whitmarsh, January 31, six months before Lowe joined Mercedes.
Driver of the year: The relentlessly record-breaking Sebastian Vettel, who refused to slow up even after becoming the youngest four-times World Champion in the sport by breaking Michael Schumacher's record for most consecutive victories in a season; Runner-up: Nico Hulkenberg, who is now rightly considered a top-line driver without a top-line seat.
Team of the year: Red Bull, the number one outfit for the last four and a half years. The longevity of their superiority is as impressive as the superiority itself; Runner-up: Mercedes. After three years of knocking on the door, they finally gained admission to the big time. F1 has a new major force to contend with.
Team Principal of the year: Eric Boullier, who retained his dignity to keep Lotus afloat on the track even as the team struggled to stay afloat off it; Runner-up: Ross Brawn. He may not be at Mercedes next year, but in impressively holding his nerve during the Testgate storm and overseeing the team's best Constructors' finish, he underlined why he remains a major asset to any team.
Most improved driver of the year: Romain Grosjean, from first-lap nutcase to first-class performer - the Frenchman was the only driver who matched Sebastian Vettel's level of excellence in the second-half of the season; Runner-Up: Nico Hulkenberg. He was good, now he's better than very good.
Best news of the year: Honda's comeback for 2015 six years after joining the mass exodus of brand names from F1; Runner-up: The rulebook being ripped up after four years of Red Bull dominance.
Saddest news of the year: Maria de Villota's passing at the age of 33 one year after her testing accident with Marussia and the death of Canadian GP track marshal Mark Robinson.
Saga of the year: Testgate, from the bombshell news that Mercedes conducted a 'private test' to the subsequent punch and counter punch Tribunal in Paris, this was F1 at its baffling, bickering worst and its politicking, competitive best; Runner-up: Tyres, for one reason or another Pirelli have been in the headlines all year.
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