The 2023 Formula One season concludes this weekend in Abu Dhabi, bringing the curtain down on a record-breaking yet massively underwhelming year.
Incredible as Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s near-perfect season has been, it’s not one that fans will look back fondly on – a shame, because if you removed those two from the equation we would have had a tight title battle between several drivers from different teams.
And while the grid will barely be changing going into 2024, the performances of some drivers have shown next year could be a real firecracker, while others will be left thanking the racing gods that they still have a seat.
With that in mind, Metro Sport has taken a look at all 22 drivers to grace the track this season and rated their efforts from Perfection to Back to Formula 2:
- 10 = Perfection
- 9 = Outstanding
- 8 = Great
- 7 = Good
- 6 = Decent
- 5 = Acceptable
- 4 = Underwhelming
- 3 = Poor
- 2 = Very Poor
- 1 = Back to Formula 2
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 10/10
Not a lot more can be said about Verstappen’s near-flawless season so let’s just read off some of his stats and records instead:
Most wins in a season (18), most podiums in a season (20), 12 poles, eight fastest laps, never finished outside the top five, most points in a season (549), four Sprint wins, highest percentage of wins in a season (86%), most consecutive wins (10) and most laps led in a season (951).
Sergio Perez (Red Bull) – 7/10
In comparison to his teammate, Perez has been made to look like an underachiever, constantly at threat of losing his seat. But at the end of the day Red Bull didn’t hire him to beat Verstappen but rather support him when things didn’t go to plan.
The Dutchman has only failed to win three times this season and Checo claimed victory on two of those occasions (Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan), and secured a career-best P2 in the standings, marking the first time Red Bull have pulled off a 1-2. It wasn’t pretty, but Perez has done exactly what was asked of him.
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) – 8/10
While he wasn’t able to end his winless run, Lewis Hamilton can take pride in finishing best of the rest behind the all-conquering Red Bulls. After a lacklustre 2022, this was a return to form for the seven-time champion.
Just don’t mention his crash with teammate George Russell.
Carlos Sainz Jr. (Ferrari) – 8/10
The man who prevented Red Bull from claiming a clean sweep in 2023, Sainz might be the most underrated driver of the year, with his victory in Singapore showing off what he can do when Ferrari get their act together.
While Charles Leclerc is heralded as the Scuderia’s best hope, Sainz has now finished ahead of his teammate in two of their three years together…
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – 8/10
Though the much anticipated 33rd win of his career didn’t materialise, this was still a fantastic year for Alonso, with eight podiums the most of any non-Red Bull driver.
Alas, Aston Martin’s dip in performance hampered his results in the second-half of the season but the 42-year-old is still one of the finest racers on the grid.
Lando Norris (McLaren) – 8/10
His talent may have been apparent since his debut, but 2023 will be remembered as the year Norris really arrived, with McLaren finally giving him a car capable of running at the front.
From Silverstone onwards, the young Brit frequently asserted himself as the fastest man on track not called Max, finishing on the podium seven times. If he and his team continue their upwards trajectory they could emerge as title challengers next season.
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 7/10
A deeply frustrating year for Leclerc who is quickly becoming the answer to the question: ‘Who is the most unluckiest driver in the history of F1?’
Five impressive pole positions shows that over one lap he might be the fastest on the gird, but it’s all for naught until results start going his way on a Sunday.
George Russell (Mercedes) – 6/10
After beating Hamilton in their first season together, Russell had the world at his feet but his sophomore year at Mercedes has been pretty underwhelming, with just one podium to his name.
He’s had some bad luck, but too often the Brit has made costly, sloppy mistakes, with his crash on the last lap in Singapore while battling for the win likely to haunt him for the rest of his career.
Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 8/10
Two podiums and a sprint race victory in Qatar were the highlights for a successful rookie year for Piastri, solidifying his status as the hottest young talent in F1 and vindicating his move from Alpine to McLaren.
Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 5/10
Bar the occasional great performance, this season has proven more than any other that Stroll just isn’t cut it out to be racing at the highest level – no matter how much his dad invests into Aston Martin.
The gulf in quality to Alonso has cost his team in the championship battle and his immaturity after yet another awful qualifying in Qatar has only worsened his reputation.
Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 6/10
A backwards step for Alpine this year as their car mostly seemed to exist in a huge void between the top five and the bottom four. Gasly remained pretty decent throughout though, recording an impressive podium in Holland and a top-three finish in the Belgian Sprint.
Esteban Ocon (Alpine) – 6/10
If there was a prize for the most inconsistent driver, Ocon would easily take the crown. A Monaco podium and terrific drive in Las Vegas were offset by weekends where he was largely nowhere to be seen, including seven where the Frenchman failed to finish.
Alex Albon (Williams) – 7/10
Albon is far too good a driver to be scrapping for the occasional point with Williams, so should be greatly commended for amassing 27 points and single handedly firing the British team to seventh in the constructors’ championship.
Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) – 6/10
A frustrating year for Tsunoda who showed considerable improvement, yet his car was barely capable of scoring points. But though he scored more than his three teammates combined, it is Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson who look more likely to get promoted to Red Bull.
Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) – 5/10
Alfa Romeo maintained their status as the grid’s most anonymous team, as the Italian car company prepares to bow out of F1. Rather fittingly, Bottas was neither here nor there in 2023.
Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) – 5/10
Some eye-catching qualifying performances from Hulkenberg were undone by the Haas car’s ability to destroy its tyres at an alarming rate, meaning they were all but useless on a race day. Still, the German proved his doubters wrong on his comeback year.
Daniel Ricciardo (AlphaTauri) – 5/10
He’ll be back on the grid full-time next season but Ricciardo has a lot to prove if he is to replace Perez at Red Bull. Most races (bar a stunning drive in Mexico) just passed him by, while a broken hand allowed his understudy Lawson time to outshine him.
Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo) – 5/10
Hard to tell how good (or bad) Zhou is given he’s never really had a competitive car to work with. Next year will be make or break for him.
Kevin Magnussen (Haas) – 4/10
Largely outshone by his teammate, Magnussen couldn’t quite find the same level of pace as Hulkenberg but can be forgiven somewhat due to his car’s weaknesses.
Liam Lawson (AlphaTauri) – 7/10
Lawson was snubbed twice for the AlphaTauri seat before Ricciardo’s broken hand finally gave him his F1 debut and boy did the Kiwi make the most of the opportunity. He won’t be racing in 2024, but this is not the last we’ve seen of him.
Logan Sargeant (Williams) – 3/10
At the time of writing, Sargeant is yet to secure his seat at Williams for 2024 andthings aren’t looking great for the American rookie, who has scored just one point and appears a bit out of his depth.
Nyck de Vries (AlphaTauri) – 1/10
Given the lack of pace of the AlphaTauri and the brutality of his sacking, we gave De Vries a 2/10 in mid-season. However, seeing how Lawson and Ricciardo both performed far better in the handful of races they were given, we’ve been left with no choice but to degrade the Dutchman.
MORE : ‘I wouldn’t mind’ – Max Verstappen reacts to claims Lewis Hamilton held talks with Red Bull
MORE : Lewis Hamilton hits back at Christian Horner over claims he held talks with Red Bull
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
