Lewis Hamilton finished third in the 2023 championship (Photo: Getty)

Max Verstappen was voted Driver of the Year in a poll by his Formula One peers – with the notable exception of Sir Lewis Hamilton who once again abstained from voting.

In an annual poll run by F1 itself, drivers anonymously rank their top ten drivers of the season with the scoring based on the current F1 points system (25 for 1st all the way to 1 for 10th).

Unsurprisingly, it was Verstappen who claimed the top prize for the third year running after the Red Bull star cruised to a third consecutive title by winning 19 of 22 races.

Hamilton claimed second place after finishing as the best non-Red Bull driver in the actual championship, while Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso was third after an impressive year.

McLaren’s Lando Norris was fourth, but George Russell, the third Brit on the grid and Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate, did not make the top ten after a disappointing campaign.

However, only 19 of the 22 drivers who raced in 2023 took part in the vote, with Hamilton, Liam Lawson and Nyck de Vries missing.

It is understandable that the AlphaTauri duo would not be involved as the pair will not be racing next year.

F1 Drivers’ Driver of the Year 2023 results:

Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
Lando Norris (McLaren)
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
Alex Albon (Williams)
Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
Sergio Perez (Red Bull)

De Vries was axed by the Red Bull sister team after just 10 races of last season, while Lawson is back on the sidelines as the team’s test and reserve driver.

But it is strange that the seven-time champion wouldn’t take part, though he also missed last year’s vote.

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All drivers are currently enjoying the winter break as their teams ready next year’s cars, with Hamilton and co. hoping they’ll be given machinery capable of dethroning the all-conquering Verstappen and Red Bull.

The 2024 F1 season gets underway on 2nd March with the Bahrain Grand Prix.

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No prizes for guessing who won the vote…