'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The 2023 F1 season ended with Max Verstappen being the champion for the third time in a row. With the year coming to an end, it is always interesting to look back at highlights from the season.
2023 arguably did not have much action on the track if one was focused on the battle at the front of the grid. There wasn't much controversy during silly season as well, as not many contracts were up for expiry this time around. There were however some wild rumors that popped up throughout the season that made headlines.
While the season was probably not as fun as it could ideally have been, there were some of these rumors that truly became talking points for the sport. What were these rumors and did they hit the mark? Let's take a look.
#5 The Toto Wolff-Susie Wolff conflict of interest
The most recent incident of the year was in essence the latest FIA debacle, as the governing body started a public investigation addressing a report from a less-than-reliable publication.
The report insinuated that Susie Wolff heading the F1 Academy and Toto Wolff being a team principal meant that there would be a conflict of interest between the husband-wife pair. It also claimed that multiple team principals had complained about this to the FIA.
As it turned out, the report had no basis and proved to be inconsequential in the larger scheme of things.
#4 Helmut Marko being fired
These were the rumors that first emerged from a Brazilian publication that reported a civil war of sorts between Red Bull's Helmut Marko and Christian Horner. The news stated that Horner was someone that the senior management was looking to put in charge in a bigger role while Helmut's comments about Sergio Perez had meant that his position was under threat.
These suggestions were quickly quashed by both Helmut Marko and Christian Horner as they continued to work together until the end of the F1 season.
#3 Fernando Alonso to Red Bull
This was arguably one rumor that left Fernando Alonso infuriated at the F1 media as he stated that there would be consequences for spreading fake news. As it turned out, towards the end of the season, Fernando was somehow linked as a possible replacement for Sergio Perez at Red Bull.
When questioned about these rumors, the Spaniard was noticeably angry and squashed any such suggestions.
#2 Fernando Alonso and Taylor Swift
This was arguably the most fun rumor we'd seen in a long time as Fernando Alonso was somehow linked with dating popstar Taylor Swift. There were many journalists trying to find a connection between the two and then there were many that even asked Fernando about it over the F1 race weekend as well. In the end, it was all just a hoax but still quite fun while it lasted.
#1 Lewis Hamilton's F1 contact rumors
Lewis Hamilton's contract extension and every news around it has a certain intrigue to it. The driver's negotiations took a long time to finalize and in fairness by the time it was announced it did appear to be nothing more than a formality. There were rumors of him becoming a lifetime ambassador for Mercedes after he retired from F1.
There were also rumours of the Brit joining Ferrari, and then there were even rumors of Hamilton looking to take a step back from the sport. In the end, he did announce his extension with Mercedes but for a while, it kept everyone intrigued.
