Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso amongst the drivers that have accrued the least car crash damage costs in the 2023 F1 season
Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso are amongst the drivers that have caused the least car crash damage expenditure to their teams. Zhou Guanyu currently leads the list, having not suffered an incident until now.
Verstappen has been in flying form - along with his fellow two-time world champion Fernando Alonso. He has exhibited Schumacher-esque car control; driving with immaculate precision even under tricky conditions.
As a result, the Dutchman has been involved in only one incident so far this year at the 2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP sprint race, where he collided with Mercedes' George Russell.
Alonso has been very well-behaved himself, having incurred only $225,000 in damages so far this year. The wily old fox has shown his championship-winning experience, avoiding damage with his lightning-quick reflexes despite his age.
While it can be said that Verstappen's minor crash bill is due to the fact that he always starts at the front of the grid, the same cannot be said about Alfa Romeo's Zhou Guanyu. The Chinese driver has miraculously avoided all kinds of damage, having impressed the F1 world with his precise driving.
Here's a list of the F1 drivers with the lowest estimated crash damage costs in 2023:
1) Zhou: $0
2) Verstappen: $95,000
3) Alonso: $225,000
4) Bottas: $225,000
5) Piastri: $322,000
6) Magnussen: $355,000
7) Russell: $380,000
8) Hulkenberg: $440,000
9) Sargeant: $485,000
10) Leclerc: $512,000
Max Verstappen dominated the 2023 F1 Austrian GP
Max Verstappen charged his way to victory at the 2023 F1 Austrian GP, gifting his team a win on their home track. The Dutchman has now won five races at the Red Bull Ring, making it his most successful track statistically.
This time around, however, the Dutchman momentarily lost the lead of the race to Charles Leclerc, who pit under the initial virtual safety car at the start of the race. The two-time world champion was confident enough to box in the penultimate lap of the race, winning one extra world championship point.
Speaking to former Red Bull driver David Coulthard in Parc Ferme after the race, Max Verstappen said:
"We opted not to box during the virtual safety car and just follow our normal strategy and that worked out really well because the tyre life was not that high around here and I think our stints were perfect."
With the two-time world champion en route to potentially making it three in a row, it will be interesting to see if anyone can dethrone Max Verstappen in the coming times.