Top Seven Drivers Of 2023 F3 Season – Sport Grill

With the 2023 F3 season now over, here is a reflection of seven stand-out drivers across the campaign.

In a season which has seen 10 different drivers take at least one race victory and a total of 18 different drivers stood on the podium, there are plenty of stand-out drivers worthy of making this top-seven list.

From a runaway championship winner to overcoming inconsistency and progressive maturity, this top seven list is reflective of just how crazy this F3 season has been – starting with one stand-out champion.

Gabriel Bortoleto

(Image credit: @Formula3)

‘Consistency’ is the only word to sum up Gabriel Bortoleto because he has been incredibly consistent with just three non-points scoring finishes, which underlined his raw performance in a huge developmental step forward from his FRECA days.

Bortoleto however took just one pole position all season – which came in Australia, but he nevertheless claimed victories in the two opening Feature Races which ultimately proved to be that launchpad to a dominant cruise to the title with four further podium finishes.

The fact that he scored points in 15 of 18 races in total also showcased a maturity in Bortoleto’s racecraft because even when not fighting for wins or podiums, he cleverly managed his race pace to ensure top-ten finishes and further display his consistency.

F2 now surely has to be on the cards but given Trident’s general uncompetitiveness at the front in F2, Bortoleto now must think about switching to a stronger team if he wants to challenge for more success next season.

Zak O’Sullivan

(Image credit: @PREMA_Team)

Although the title was beyond his grasp, Zak O’Sullivan drove a fantastic season to be one of two drivers to equal the F3 all-time wins record of four victories and finish as vice-champion.

Inconsistency and genuine rotten luck however proved problematic at times across the season but considering that he failed to score points in nine races – more than any of the top seven drivers in the championship, he has done an incredible job when it mattered most.

Steward decisions also tended to go against the 18 year-old and especially harshly in the Belgian Sprint, when he was penalised for cutting Raidillon on Lap 4 when chasing Hugh Barter – who had done the same but wasn’t punished for the exact same corner-cutting move.

O’Sullivan however excelled when luck swung his way with a brilliantly controlled drive to victory in the Hungarian Feature Race, whilst he showed maturity in his tyre management in Spanish Sprint and Austrian Feature Races to take two hard-fought victories.

Ultimately, luck summed up O’Sullivan’s season because his first win of the campaign in Australia came about due to Franco Colapinto’s disqualification.

Now looking ahead to next season, F2 certainly looks set to be O’Sullivan’s next destination and if he sticks with PREMA, I fancy him to kick on and start showing more of his talent in a now-settled environment even if he found himself against fellow Brit – Oliver Bearman.

Pepe Marti 

(Image credit: @Formula3)

Having struggled to 26th in the standings last season with just two points for Campos, this season definitely saw Pepe Marti emerge as a surprise package backed by F1’s Fernando Alonso.

From a confident opening Sprint win in Bahrain to winning from pole in Monaco Sprint then his home Feature Race in Barcelona, Spain, Marti had been one of the most consistent drivers on the grid in terms of race pace this season with quality performances..

A run of 13 points in two top-ten finishes from the final three rounds however saw Marti finish fifth in the standings, yet this 18 year-old Spaniard has earnmarked himself as a future star in the making if he can continue to progress his racecraft next season.

Marti however wasn’t exactly consistent in Qualifying aside from pole positions in Spain and Belgium plus third place in Great Britain, so there is room for improvement in his one-lap pace but his drive from 30th to seventh in the Australian Feature Race was an outstanding result.

Now if Marti can iron out those single-lap issues and build upon his race performances with Alonso’s support, there is little doubt that he has the potential to reach F1 if he can secure a top drive in F2 next season.

Franco Colapinto

(Image credit: @Formula3)

After impressing with two wins in his rookie season in 2022 en-route to a ninth-placed finish, Franco Colapinto continued to grow in stature with another consistent season with two wins and three further podiums again.

Three of his non top-ten finishes also weren’t really his fault due to a disqualification of his Australian Sprint win due to MP Motorsport’s breach of technical rules, whilst he was unlucky to get caught up in collisions in Australian and Italian Feature Races.

Nevertheless, Colapinto had been considerably more consistent than last season and a fourth-placed finish reflected his progress, whilst his involvement with Williams’ Academy has been a huge help in terms of confidence and form and he will surely step up to F2 next season.

Dino Beganovic

(Image credit: PREMA)

Considering that ten of the top 13 drivers in the final drivers’ standings had won at least one race, Dino Beganovic certainly mounted a strong season to finish sixth as the highest-placed non race winner.

Beganovic suffered eight non top-ten finishes but he managed seven finishes in the opening ten races – including three podiums, which underlined his consistency when given the opportunities and luck but 21 points from the last eight races was a disappointing finish to the season.

In fact, he really should of been vice-champion if he had maintained his form across the whole season and not had that dip in form at the worst part of the campaign possible.

His performances at Silverstone in unpredictable conditions however stood out as one of Beganovic’s best as he fought back from 30th on the grid in both races, which culminated in top-half finishes and showed that he is capable of delivering strong performances with the right car.

Monza also was a strong highlight after a difficult Qualifying session as Beganovic recovered to 13th and 9th placed finishes in both races respectively, demonstrating his maturity and talent in being able to carve his way through the field from the back of the grid.

As for whether he sticks around in F3 for another season or step up to F2 is a tough question but Beganovic is a proven future talent, who can easily fight for the title in future if he avoids becoming the next Robert Shwartzman.

Paul Aron 

(Image credit: PREMA)

With Mercedes’ backing, Paul Aron has quietly driven a consistent season with just four non top-ten finishes, and he finished in the top five in 10 of the 14 races that he finished in the points in a strong rookie campaign for the Estonian.

A third-placed championship finish is consequently a brilliant reflection of Aron’s consistency, which even saw him achieve the best qualifying average compared to his teammates – O’Sullivan and Beganovic, having on average qualified sixth on the grid.

That top-three finish now surely means that F2 beckons for Aron but my bet would be that he leaves PREMA – who tend to promote their highest-placed F3 driver to their F2 roster which in this instance looks set to be O’Sullivan, and instead look to join another top F2 team.

Taylor Barnard 

(Image credit: FIA Formula 3)

Given Jenzer’s status as a low midfield team, Taylor Barnard has undoubtedly been one of the biggest surprises of the season to his and Jenzer’s credit.

Having arrived in F3 with Jenzer off the back of runner-up finishes in 2022 ADAC F4 and 2023 Formula Regional Middle East championships, nobody expected much from Barnard which looked to be the case after the first three races.

The 19 year-old Brit however drove a quiet if underrated race from 18th to 9th in the Australian Feature Race, which ultimately served as a launchpad as he went on to score top-nine finishes in both races in Monaco and Spain respectively.

Jenzer’s mid-season dip in competitiveness and some incidents however led Barnard to hit a rut of inconsistency, yet the Brit bounced back with a stunning pair of drives in Belgium to finish on the podium – including victory in the Feature Race with a brilliant wet tyre gamble.

Barnard went on to finish fourth and third in the season finale at Monza to finish 10th overall in the standings, which underlines what he is capable of next season with a competitive car and consistency, because he just grows and matures when momentum is behind him.

Just to further underline Barnard’s performance, he was the fastest qualifier out of the three Jenzer drivers in seven of nine rounds – including a stunning second-placed result in Spanish Qualifying, which also shows that he has the raw one lap speed within him aside from race pace.

In fact, I would be shocked if PREMA or Trident don’t look at him for a drive next season because if look at his Jenzer record, he has delivered more points in a single season than any other Jenzer driver since F3 relaunched in 2019.

In summary, Barnard surely has to be a driver to watch next season and hopefully a F1 team like Aston Martin,, McLaren or Williams will recruit him to their driver academy because he has earned a chance like that on merit.