Sebastian Vettel did much of the record-breaking in 2013 but McLaren, Ferrari and Renault also achieved some major milestones.
Here’s a look back on the year in stats and facts.
Australia
- Kimi Raikkonen’s 20th grand prix win, giving him as many as Mika Hakkinen
- F1 has its least-experienced field at the start of a year since 2004
- Also the youngest field ever entered for a grand prix, with an average age of 27 years and 61 days.
- Seven different drivers led the race: only the 1971 Italian Grand Prix had more with eight
- 2013 Australian Grand Prix stats and facts: Raikkonen matches Hakkinen’s race win tally
Malaysia
- Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber recorded their 200th race appearances (and 198th starts)
- Lewis Hamilton was on the podium for the 50th time in his career and first time with Mercedes
- 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix stats and facts: Vettel joins Stewart as sixth most successful driver
China
- Alonso took his 31st career win, giving him as many as Nigel Mansell
- Five world champions finished in the top five places for the second time in F1 history – the other was the 2011 Italian Grand Prix
- Daniel Ricciardo scored the best result of his career so far with seventh
- 2013 Chinese Grand Prix stats and facts: Alonso’s 31st victory puts him level with Mansell
Bahrain
- This race had the same podium as last year – Sebastian Vettel followed by Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean – which has only happened on three other occasions
- Red Bull’s 36th race win made them the fifth most successful team of all time in terms of victories
- Nico Rosberg scored his second career pole position
- It was the 200th race starts for Alonso and Webber, and the 150 thfor Red Bull
- 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix stats and facts: Bahrain’s repeat podium is a rare occurence for F1
Spain
- Alonso became the sixth driver in F1 history to win a race on home ground three times
- He was the first driver to win at the Circuit de Catalunya without starting on the front row since Michael Schumacher in 1996
- Esteban Gutierrez led a race for the first time in his career and also set his first fastest lap
- 2013 Spanish Grand Prix stats and facts: Alonso is sixth driver to score three wins at home
Monaco
- Rosberg won the Monaco Grand Prix 30 years since father Keke did the same
- Giedo van der Garde gave Caterham their best qualifying performance so far with 15th
- 2013 Monaco Grand Prix stats and facts: Like father, like son – Another Rosberg win in Monaco
Canada
- Vettel and Red Bull scored their first win at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
- McLaren’s record run of consecutive points finishes came to an end after 63 grands prix
- Valtteri Bottas set his best qualifying position so far with third
- And Jean-Eric Vergne Took a career-best sixth in the race – Toro Rosso’s best finish since Vettel’s fourth in the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix
- Force India made their 100th start
- 2013 Canadian Grand Prix stats and facts: McLaren’s points run ends as Raikkonen equals record
Britain
- Raikkonen set a new record for most consecutive points scores, taking it from Michael Schumacher, who set it before points were awarded to tenth place
- Hamilton lowered the quickest ever lap of the revised Silverstone circuit to 1’29.607
- It was Pirelli’s 250th F1 race as a tyre supplier
- 2013 British Grand Prix stats and facts: Raikkonen breaks Schumacher’s points streak record
Germany
- Vettel scored his first home win
- Alonso set fastest lap for the 20th time in his career
- 2013 German Grand Prix stats and facts: Vettel closes on clean sweep after first home win
Hungary
- Hamilton reached the same number of race victories as dDamon Hill with his 22nd career win
- Adrian Sutil logged his 100th career start
- Romain Grosjean picked up two penalties during the race
- 2013 Hungarian Grand Prix stats and facts: Hamilton equals Hill with 22nd F1 win
Belgium
- Raikkonen’s record streak of consecutive points finishes came to an end after 27 races
- Vettel became the fifth driver in F1 history to spend over 2,000 laps in the lead
- 2013 Belgian Grand Prix stats and facts: Vettel set to surpass Alonso as most successful active driver
Italy
- Vettel scored his 40th pole position and Red Bull’s 50th
- Vettel also took the 300th podium finish for a Germany driver
- Hamilton’s record streak of consecutive Q3 appearances ended after 67 races
- 2013 Italian Grand Prix stats and facts: Red Bull’s 40th win puts Vettel level with Alonso
Singapore
- Vettel overtook Alonso in terms of wins with his 33rd victory
- Vettel became the first driver to win three consecutive races at the same venue since Felipe Massa at Istanbul between 2006 and 2008
- Webber became the first driver to collect a ten-place grid penalty for three reprimands
- 2013 Singapore Grand Prix stats and facts: Vettel has more wins than Alonso after ‘grand slam’
Korea
- Vettel took his fourth ‘grand slam’ with pole position, fastest lap and leading every lap
- The stewards handed out six penalties – all of which went to Marussia and Caterham drivers
- 2013 Korean Grand Prix stats and facts: Vettel helps Renault equal Ferrari poles record
Japan
- Alonso became F1’s highest points scorer of all time, thanks in part to the 2010 points change
- Renault surpassed Ferrari as the engine builder to have taken the most pole positions in Formula One with their 209th
- Vettel took his fourth win in five appearances at Suzuka but failed to take pole position for the first time at the track
- Gutierrez scored the first points of his F1 career with seventh
- 2013 Japanese Grand Prix stats and facts: Vettel’s five in a row as Alonso breaks points record
India
- Vettel became the youngest driver ever to win four world championships, aged 26 years and 123 days
- Red Bull took their fourth constructors’ championship
- Vettel also took his third consecutive win in India
- Grosjean gained the most places of any driver in a race during 2013, climbing from 17th to finish third
- 2013 Indian Grand Prix stats and facts: Sixth win in a row gives Vettel fourth title at age 26
Abu Dhabi
- Ferrari broke McLaren’s record of points scores in consecutive races – this was their 65th in a row
- Webber claimed his 13th and final F1 pole position, putting him level with countryman and three-times world champion Jack Brabham
- Red Bull notched up their 100th podium appearance
- 2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix stats and facts: Ferrari and Chilton break records in Abu Dhabi
United States
- Vettel became the first ever driver to win eight consecutive world championship races
- Valtteri Bottas scored the first points of his F1 career with eighth
- 2013 United States Grand Prix stats and facts: Vettel breaks 60-year-old record with eighth win
Brazil
- Vettel matched Alberto Ascari record of nine race wins in a row
- Vettel also equalled Schumacher’s record of winning 13 races in a year
- Lotus failed to score for the first time in 38 races
- Heikki Kovalainen extended his record run of consecutive point-less starts to 62
- Renault scored the last win for a V8 F1 engine as they also did at the end of the V10 era (2005) and when 3.5-litre engines were scrapped (1994)
- 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix stats and facts: Vettel matches Ascari and Schumacher with ninth win
2013 F1 season review
- F1 Fanatic’s new year thanks and credits 2014
- The complete F1 Fanatic 2013 season review
- The drivers, teams and cars of 2013
- 2013 F1 season in stats: The year in context
- Essential reading: F1 Fanatic’s highlights of 2013
Browse all 2013 F1 season review articles
JackySteeg (@jackysteeg)
27th December 2013, 0:24
I suspect that with the arrival of Kevin Magnussen and Daniil Kvyat along with the retirement of Mark Webber, the 2014 Australian Grand Prix will break that record again.
Sauber (@mumito)
27th December 2013, 0:44
You are just seing half of it.
Its true Magnussen and Kyvyat are lowering the average, but if the driver drove in 2013…he will be a year older. So its just a question of doing the math…
Luth (@soulofaetherym)
27th December 2013, 2:07
If the new drivers stay as they are, this’d be the new average: I calculated everyone’s age on the 2014 Aus GP (I was bored), and if there are no changes to backmarkers, this is how it’d look by the Australian GP:
VET 26 255
RIC 24 257
HAM 29 67
ROS 28 262
ALO 32 230
RAI 34 150
GRO 27 333
MAL 29 6
BUT 34 56
MAG 21 162
HUL 26 209
PER 24 49
GUT 22 223
SUT 31 64
KVY 19 324
VER 23 325
BOT 24 200
MAS 32 325
BIA 24 225
CHI 22 329
PIC 24 29
VDG 28 325
AVG 27 18
All in Year/Days format. So the new avg. would be 27 years and 17.72 days, rounded up to 18.
aw123
27th December 2013, 9:00
Wow, there are 3 drivers were born on the same day :)
(JEV VDG MAS – 25th of april)
V. Chris (@vasschu)
27th December 2013, 9:50
lol, thats my birthday too :)
zimkazimka (@zimkazimka)
27th December 2013, 10:12
what are you still doing here?! get on the grid immediately.
Mashiat (@)
27th December 2013, 12:25
And Vergne’s teammate Kyvat’s birthday is on April 24th! At least Toro Rosso won’t have to spend money for 2 b’day cakes!
Mashiat (@)
27th December 2013, 12:26
April 26th my apologies
Canderous (@yoshif8tures)
27th December 2013, 0:51
I’m so over 2013, 2014 can’t come soon enough.
iAltair (@)
27th December 2013, 2:09
Korea:
Vettel fourth Grand Slam is also the 3rd driver in history to have done so twice consecutively.
Sam (@)
27th December 2013, 8:35
@ialtair Jim Clark and who, Senna or Schumacher or Prost?
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
27th December 2013, 10:00
@ardenflo probably either Ascari or Mansell and Schumacher, but I’m not sure
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
27th December 2013, 10:00
@ardenflo probably either Clark, Ascari or Mansell and Schumacher, but I’m not sure
Kirill (@)
27th December 2013, 12:27
Ascari and Clark were the two others
iAltair (@)
30th December 2013, 5:20
Jim Clark and Alberto Ascari
Diego (@ironcito)
27th December 2013, 8:31
With the same amount of pole positions and just five more wins than Webber (and one more than Coulthard), Brabham won three world championships. That’s efficiency! Shorter seasons back then, but still…
Sam (@)
27th December 2013, 9:02
I was looking at this video about the MP4/4 , the most succesful F1 car ever made. So many people writing down what a legacy it was, how good it drove and how fast it is. Wondering whether people will remember 2013 for the RB9 and Vettel dominance in the same way or whether it will always be ‘that boring season’.
Lucas Wilson (@full-throttle-f1)
27th December 2013, 9:26
I predict the that in ten years time, the years of Red Bull will be legendary.
Hyoko
27th December 2013, 11:57
The Prost-Senna rivalry kept it from being boring. It was a very different story in 2013 (or in 1992 with the FW14B, arguably even more dominant than the MP4/4) because Webber and Patrese never were serious challengers for Vettel’s and Mansell’s titles.
spoutnik (@spoutnik)
27th December 2013, 12:35
@ardenflo … a boring dominance? :)
Robbie
27th December 2013, 15:51
Personally I don’t think 2013, or the RBR run of success, will be remembered as legendary because F1 has harmed itself with gadgets to assist drivers to pass, and tires that have made it a lottery. Not to mention the mandated tires meant to create the story for 2013 rather than letting the drivers do that on the track, needed replacing mid-season and created a change in the order of things. I just don’t think limiting the drivers from pushing on the track by making them passengers there to do as they are told by the engineers, is the stuff of legends.
BJ (@beejis60)
27th December 2013, 16:55
I think the RB9 will be on par with the F2004, FW14B, and FW15C cars and a step behind the MP4/4 due to the inter-team battle comparison. 15 of 18 wins for the F2004 with Schumi taking 13 of them, 10 of 18 wins for the FW14B with Mansell taking 9 wins, and 10 of 18 wins for the FW15C with Prost taking 7. Those three cars look about as dominating as 13 of 19 wins with Vettel taking all 13 whereas the MP4/4 took 15 of 16 wins with Prost taking 7 of the wins and Senna with 8.
mnmracer (@mnmracer)
27th December 2013, 23:19
You should check how many “gadgets” were on the cars of the late ’80s/early ’90s.
Funkyf1 (@funkyf1)
27th December 2013, 9:57
Australain Grand Prix qualifying was suspended until Sunday morning due to the weather. Oh how I’ll never forget how wet I was that day!
nackavich (@nackavich)
27th December 2013, 21:25
@funkyf1 It was pretty horrible wasn’t it? I left the track just after they suspended qualifying the first time and managed to find a nice warm pub with a hot meal to watch the rest. I left a puddle of water under the table I was that soaked!
f199player (@f199player)
27th December 2013, 22:28
This season only 18 drivers scored points which is a long way behind the 1989 season in which 29 drivers scored points despite only the top 6 car scoring points each race then. Amazing that really.
Sam (@)
28th December 2013, 9:06
@f199player, I guess that is the reliability Abiteboul is talking of.
timi (@timi)
28th December 2013, 18:14
Is there a record for the most fines for the same offence in a season? Vettel and his doughnuts?
mnmracer (@mnmracer)
28th December 2013, 23:23
He actually only got one fine, in India.