With another Formula 1 season just over the horizon, there are ten other driver pairings aiming for success throughout 2023. Six teams will welcome a new driver to their ranks, four of which are intact from last season.
But which combination of drivers is the best on the 2023 F1 grid? Vote for which team has the best driver line-up and leave your comments in the comments.
2023 F1 team mates
TeamDriver 1Driver 2NotesRed BullMax VerstappenSergio Perez Reigning constructors’ champions Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez took a total of 17 wins for Red Bull last year. Verstappen enjoyed more success than Perez, despite helping Red Bull to their most successful season in 2022, with the more experienced driver adding just 2 more wins to Verstappen’s 15 on his way to the title. Resurgence took an early championship lead before pulling out of the title hunt. Carlos Sainz Jr won his first career win at Silverstone and was very close to his teammate at the end of the year. Both were locked up by Ferrari for years to come.Mercedes George Russell Lewis Hamilton In Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes has statistically the most successful driver ever. However, it was his new team-mate George Russell who finished ahead of Hamilton in the points at the end of the season, impressing with his consistent form throughout the year and taking Mercedes’ only victory of the season in Brazil, with Alpine Esteban O’Conpierre Gasly in 2015. The only French team for 2023 will now be seen running with a French driver line-up. Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly are the same age, each have one grand prix win to their name and both have more than 100 races of experience. With their rivalry stretching back to their karting days, both will be eager to beat the other this season.McLaren’s Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, the youngest duo on the grid, will once again see the first starter of the 2023 season. Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri finally gets the chance to race in F1 as McLaren’s first starter since Stoffel Vandoorne. He joins Lando Norris, who continues to blossom into one of the most formidable young talents on the grid with his only midfield podium in 2022.Alfa Romeo Valtteri BottasZhou GuanyuValtteri Bottas’ move from Mercedes to Alfa Romeo in 2022 looks encouraging. The team quickly racked up points that helped them finish sixth last year. Zhu Guanyu’s rookie year has been remarkably free of major mistakes and the two have worked well together so far. Both are eager to resolve the team’s reliability issues.Aston Martin Lance Stroll is now joined by F1 veteran Fernando Alonso in the garage after losing four-time champion Fernando Alonso’s team-mate. Alonso Hopefully, the pair will avoid each other on the track.HaasKevin MagnussenNico HulkenbergHaas are pinning their hopes on two experienced veterans in Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg. Magnuson’s His return to F1 in 2022 was more successful than predicted, taking many early points and a surprise podium in Brazil. Hulkenberg heads into his first full season since 2019, but has plenty of standout displays to ensure he stays fit for the foreseeable future.AlphaTauriYuki Tsunoda With Nyck de Vries leaving the team from Gasly, AlphaTauri has turned to Yuki Tsunoda to lead the team as its most experienced driver. Tsunoda improved in his second year but found himself in a bit of trouble on a regular basis. He is joined by F2 and Formula E champion Nick de Vries heading into 2023 with one of the best performances in recent memory. Williams Alexander Albon Logan Sergeant Williams’ fears of losing George Russell’s talent are allayed when Alexander Albon quickly gains the trust of those who remember him. Scored shows up to 2022. They also introduced junior driver Logan Sergeant to the team and gave the standout F2 rookie plenty of Friday practice to help him prepare for his debut season.
i say
Formula 1 is arguably one of the strongest fields in its history, with multiple champions and three surprising rookies joining the grid – including two Formula 2 title-winners. But with the talent in the field, it’s hard not to look to the front of the grid to find the best combination of drivers.
Last year, former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto hailed Leclerc and Sainz as the best driver pairing on the grid, but some significant mistakes from both in the 2022 season may have undermined that argument and contributed to Binotto’s eventual departure. While McLaren’s combination of Norris and Piastri is expected to be strong in the future with Norris’ established talent and Piastri’s impressive junior pedigree, there isn’t enough information to judge Piastri too highly.
That leaves Red Bull and Mercedes. Normally, the combination of Hamilton and Russell looks impressive, with Hamilton’s seven titles and Russell showing he has more than enough talent to compete at the top level in his first season with Mercedes. However, Hamilton failed to win or even secure pole in 2022, while Russell achieved both.
Then at Red Bull, Verstappen is the standout driver on the grid today as a two-time world champion, but while Perez is the best winger since Daniel Ricciardo, it’s debatable whether Perez’s contribution is enough to keep him and Verstappen together. The best duo of the grid.
But given the obvious brilliance of Verstappen and Hamilton, Mercedes will have to go head-to-head with Hamilton and Russell in judging which of their team-mates approaches them.
you say
Which F1 team has the best driver line-up for the 2023 season?
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