"Lewis the car is bad, we know. Please drive it": Top 5 F1 team radios of the 2023 season

When F1 drivers and teams race with each other, there are countless radio messages that are sent between the drivers and their respective teams. In some cases, teams also communicate with race stewards to discuss certain details of the race and incidents that happen on the track.

In 2023, there have been some great team radio conversations from both drivers and teams. Here are a few of the best radio messages from the 2023 F1 season.

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#1 "He's intimidating me" - Carlos Sainz at 2023 F1 Austrian GP

In the Austrian GP, Carlos Sainz was chased by Sergio Perez, who made a brilliant recovery drive after starting the race from 15th. Perez fought hard for the final podium spot in the race, and after a few laps of fighting, Checo overtook Sainz.

While defending his position, the Ferrari driver came on the radio and weirdly claimed that Sergio Perez was intimidating him. The official Formula 1 account on X (formerly Twitter) posted the radio message:

"LAP 61/71 📻: "HE'S INTIMIDATING ME" Sainz gets onto the radio about Perez's tactics.”

In the end, Sergio Perez secured third place in the race, while Carlos Sainz ended up in sixth place. However, this particular radio message is widely discussed in the F1 community and is often taken in jest.

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#2 "No! It cannot be!" - Carlos Sainz's emotional plea against penalty during the 2023 F1 Australian GP

Arguably the most emotional and heartbreaking team radio in 2023 was from Carlos Sainz in the Australian GP. During the race restart after a red flag, Carlos Sainz accidentally bumped into Fernando Alonso and turned his car around, causing yet another safety car and eventual red flag.

For this, Sainz was given a five-second penalty, which dropped him from P4 to P12 in the race. Since this was a first-lap incident after the race restart, Sainz came on the radio and pleaded with his team to ask the stewards to speak to him after the race before imposing the penalty.

"No, it cannot be, Ricky. It is unacceptable. Clearly the penalty is not deserved, it is too severe."

Sadly, the penalty still applied, and the Ferrari driver ended the race in 12th place.

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#3 "Lewis the car is bad, we know. Please drive it" - Toto Wolff's sharp response to Lewis Hamilton's complaints at the 2023 F1 Austrian GP

At the Austrian GP, many drivers were getting warnings and penalties for track limits violations. One of the drivers was Lewis Hamilton, who was struggling to control the Mercedes W14 and keep it within the white lines on the track. On several occasions in the race, Hamilton came on the radio and complained about the car.

After a few radio messages from the seven-time world champion, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff spoke to Hamilton and acknowledged that the car was bad but urged him to keep driving it.

"Lewis the car is bad, we know. Please drive it."

This radio message also made waves in the F1 community about how direct and sharp Toto Wolff was with Lewis Hamilton.

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#4 "Great move into 1!" - Fernando Alonso's hilarious praise for Lance Stroll during the 2023 F1 Miami GP

During the Miami GP, Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin were still considered the second-quickest cars on the grid. However, the Spaniard was having quite a lonely race in P3 in the latter half. Since there were multiple massive TV screens around the track for the spectators, the 42-year-old could not help but take a glance at it.

During that time, Alonso's new teammate, Lance Stroll, overtook someone before turning off the track. Alonso came on the radio to ask about his teammate and even praised him for the move. He said:

"Which position is Lance? Great move into 1!"

Even though Alonso was in the thick of the race, the veteran driver had enough time to look at a TV screen, watch the overtake, and hilariously appreciate it on the team radio.

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#5 "Viva Las Vegas" - Max Verstappen's chant after winning the 2023 F1 Las Vegas GP

Max Verstappen continued his dominant run in 2023 by winning the Las Vegas GP. After crossing the line first, Verstappen's pitwall crew hilariously played the 'Viva Las Vegas' song by Elvis Presley on the team radio.

The three-time world champion was seen bopping his head, enjoying the song, and even singing the lines:

"Viva Las Vegas! Viva Las Vegas!"

Though the Red Bull star did not like the fluff that surrounded the race weekend in Vegas and openly criticized the entertainment side of the sport multiple times, Verstappen bagged the race victory and enjoyed the post-race radio and the song.