Another year of motorsport has flown by, and 2023 was as action-packed as ever.
From Brazil to Brands Hatch, challengers in Formula 1, the World Rally Championship and the British Touring Car Championship fought to finish the year at the top of the standings, with many surprises along the way.
So: without further ado, read on for our top moments from this year's motorsport calendar.
Formula 1
World champion: Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing - Entitled and petulant but a seemingly unstoppable force
Was this a dull Formula 1 season, given the throttling domination displayed by Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing? It’s easy to write it off as such.
Yet while the relentless Dutchman set new records for the number of wins in a season, 10 of them consecutively, somehow each race threw up enough intrigue to keep F1’s balloon of hype inflated – and still rising: look no further than the glitz of the Las Vegas GP.
The best stories came from the unpredictable swings in form of those trailing in Verstappen’s wake, as the 26-year-old stroked all too easily to a third consecutive world crown. Behind him, predictions were often futile.
Early on, Sergio Pérez matched and even outscored his team-mate, snatching a couple of wins. But talk of the Mexican mounting a real challenge was just a mirage, and his subsequent spiral into mediocrity - driving a Honda-powered RB19 that should now be considered among the greatest F1 cars yet seen - accelerated questions about his future.
Partnering Verstappen is a thankless task, but Pérez too often proved unworthy of the seat. Behind Red Bull, Aston Martin exceeded expectations - not least its own - with a flying start, the evergreen Fernando Alonso relishing six podiums in the first eight races at the age of 42.
But the team slumped after the summer break as Alonso and Lance Stroll, who surely only remains in F1 because his father owns the team, slipped back into the midfield. Both Mercedes and Ferrari failed to find the key, in this sophomore year of the ground-effect technical regulations, to challenge Red Bull. But as Adrian Newey's elite band of engineers turned their attention to preparing for next season, both had their moments.
Carlos Sainz Jr ended the consecutive run, and what had looked like a possible unbeaten Invincibles' season for Red Bull, with a beautifully judged win in Singapore. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, batted away talk of retirement to show he's still got a record eighth world title in him - as long as his team can rediscover its mojo.
