I pick my five favorite drives of the 2013 motorsport season, be it local or international. With the many championship I follow throughout the year, it’s truly hard to keep track of every spectacular drive, so I’m sure there are many that deserve to be on this list. If you remember any performances that are worth mentioning, please share them in the comments section below!
#5. Romain Grosjean at the Indian Formula 1 Grand Prix
Starting from P17 on Sunday’s grid after a strategy blunder during Saturday’s qualifying session, a top 10 finish at the Indian Grand Prix was all Romain Grosjean could hope for. However, Sunday was hiding an unexpected result for the Frenchman. Using a one-stop strategy, the Lotus driver fought his way up from 17th to 3rd; a brilliant 46-lap second stint on the harder tyres saw him steal P3 from teammate Kimi Raikkonen near the end of the race. Not bad for a “first-lap nutcase”, eh?
#4. Marc Marquez at the US MotoGP in Laguna Seca
Marc Marquez in Laguna Seca was a delight to watch; the Spaniard had qualified in P2, but a slow start during the race saw him drop to P4 behind Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo. Marquez, nevertheless, was having none of it; he quickly moved past Lorenzo and on lap 4, overtook Valentino Rossi in an outstanding move around the famous Corkscrew corner. 15 laps later, the Spaniard snatched P1 from Stefan Bradl and went on to win the race, becoming the youngest rider with back-to-back victories in MotoGP history.
#3. Roger Feghali at the 36th Rally of Lebanon
With Nasser Al-Attiyah confirming his participation in the 36th Rally of Lebanon, everyone thought it was going to be an exciting battle between him and local hero Roger Feghali. The latter proved everyone wrong. Feghali dominated the event, pulling a 1 minute gap to Al-Attiyah on the first two days of competition, before taking a more “relaxed” approach on the third and final day to ultimately clinch victory, 30 seconds clear of his Qatari rival.
#2. Sebastian Vettel at the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix
Four-time Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel produced one of his most dominant victories during this year’s Singapore Grand Prix. He qualified on pole and managed to pull away easily on Sunday’s start, but a mid-race safety car period erased his advantage. Unlike his rivals who had already pitted for fresh tyres, Vettel had one more scheduled stop, so he needed a gap good enough to pit and re-join the race without losing the lead, which is what he exactly did, pulling away at an unbelievable rate to successfully stop for new tyres, maintain the lead, and finish the race more than 30 seconds ahead of Fernando Alonso.
#1. Sebastien Ogier in Rally de Espana
Although some of you might not agree, the drive of the year for me was Sebastien Ogier’s at the Rally Spain. The Frenchman took command in the early parts of the rally, but a puncture on SS6 saw him tumble down the order to P6, leaving him more than 45 seconds behind leading teammate Jari-Matti Latvala. Ogier struck back, moving up to P4 just a stage later. On the final day, the World Champion was fast, super fast, re-taking P2 from Dani Sordo on SS13 and the rally lead from teammate Jari-Matti Latvala on the penultimate stage (SS14) before claiming victory and adding the manufacturers’ world title for Volkswagen to the drivers’ crown he won in France. Ogier showed a true mark of a champion.