F1 2023 mid-season driver ratings: Max Verstappen perfect & Lewis Hamilton great

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Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso have been F1’s best drivers in 2023 (Photo: Getty)

We may only halfway through, but it’s safe to say the 2023 Formula One season won’t be going down in history as one of the sport’s best.

12 races have produced 12 easy wins for Red Bull with all hope of an exciting title battle disappearing by the end of May.

Nevertheless, there have been some intriguing developments further down the grid, with some drivers exceeding expectations while one performed so poorly he’s already been kicked to the kerb.

Metro Sport takes a look at all 21 drivers to grace the track so far this season, rating their performances – bearing in mind the machinery they’re racing:

  • 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

Total perfection is impossible to achieve but Max Verstappen is doing his very best to prove that isn’t the case. 10 wins, seven poles, six fastest laps and a third straight world-title all but wrapped up.

As the Dutchman would say: Simply Lovely.

Sergio Perez (Red Bull) – 7/10

It may seem harsh to give someone with two wins to their name just a ‘good’ rating but given how incredibly quick the RB19 is, Sergio Perez has underwhelmed so far in 2023.

Failing to reach Q3 on six occasions is simply unacceptable and it is no surprise that Red Bull are evaluating their options for their second seat.

F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan

Sergio Perez won in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan (Photo: Getty)

Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – 8/10

Vindicating his shock decision to leave Alpine, 42-year-old Fernando Alonso is showing that age is just a number as he continues to deliver at the highest level.

Six podiums in the opening eight races established him as Red Bull’s nearest challenger, but with Aston Martin’s pace beginning to flounder the chances of ending his decade-long wait for a win are starting to slip.

Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) – 8/10

Sir Lewis Hamilton may not have the car he wants but unlike last year he’s been able to get every last ounce of pace out of it, recording four podiums and a sensational pole in Hungary.

Whether he will end his own win drought remains to be seen, but the British sporting legend is now in a much better position to do so.

Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 7/10

Two poles and three podiums, show that Charles Leclerc and Ferrari can thrive when the stars align – something that just hasn’t happened much this year.

Retirements in Bahrain and Australia – neither of which were his fault – derailed the Monegasque’s season before it had barely begun, and the man who looked like a title contender 12 months ago will be wondering when his luck will change.

F1 Grand Prix of Spain

George Russell has finished on the podium just once in 2023 (Photo: Getty)

George Russell (Mercedes) – 7/10

After a superb maiden year at Mercedes, George Russell has fallen behind his teammate this time round, with a solitary podium in Spain his only real highlight.

A couple of sloppy mistakes, most notably in Canada, and multiple failures to reach Q3 haven’t helped, with the young Brit 49 points off Hamilton.

Carlos Sainz Jr. (Ferrari) – 6/10

Up until the last race, Carlos Sainz had led his teammate in the standings from the opening round, but it’s hard to argue that he’s been better than Leclerc.

No podiums isn’t entirely his fault given how underwhelming Ferrari’s SF-23 has proved to be, but the Spaniard has failed to deliver a memorable performance so far in 2023.

Lando Norris (McLaren) – 7/10

If we were basing these ratings off the last four grand prix, Lando Norris would score an easy eight or nine. Alas his remarkable podiums at Silverstone and Hungary are off set by horrific results in the opening rounds.

That can be put down to his car though and with the MCL60 looking reborn as a frontrunner, there’s every chance a maiden win is around the corner.

F1 Grand Prix of Austria

Charles Leclerc has just overtaken Carlos Sainz in the standings (Photo: Getty)

Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 5/10

Lance Stroll is not a bad driver per say but having Alonso as his teammate has underlined the yawning chasm of quality between them – with the two-time champion having scored over three times as many points.

If his dad didn’t own the team the Canadian would’ve been out ages ago, but now more than ever Lawrence Stroll is learning the harsh truth that his son just doesn’t quite have what it takes to race alongside the very best.

Esteban Ocon (Alpine) – 6/10

Esteban Ocon’s outstanding podium in Monaco underlies that on his and Alpine’s day they can run near the front of the grid.

Those days haven’t come often though with eighth his next best finishing position and the Frenchman has failed to finish four races so far – more than any other driver.

Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 6/10

Same as his teammate, Oscar Piastri has only been able to strut his stuff in the last few races, and following a sterling drive in the Belgium Sprint a maiden podium is certainly on the cards for the rookie.

F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain

Oscar Piastri is by far the best performing rookie in 2023 (Photo: Getty)

Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 5/10

Alpine are in no man’s land in the middle of the grid and Pierre Gasly’s results perfectly sum that up with a string of finishes just in or out of the points the best he can manage – though he does get a little bonus for his third-place in the Belgium Sprint.

Alex Albon (Williams) – 7/10

The FW45 is not the slowest Williams we’ve ever seen but nor is one that can challenge for points too often, which makes Alex Albon’s consistently quick performances all the more special.

Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) – 6/10

2023’s ‘Mr Saturday’, Nico Hulkenberg has marked his return to full-time F1 by frequently qualifying within the top 10. Just one points finish however.

Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) – 5/10

Alfa Romeo’s C43 is woefully slow and as a result there’s not much Valtteri Bottas can do. The Finn will be hoping to stick around for when Audi takeover the team.

F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain - Qualifying

Alex Albon is driving the wheels off his Williams (Photo: Getty)

Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo) – 5/10

He may trail Bottas by a point, but Zhou Guanyu has arguably been marginally more impressive than his far more experienced teammate, though his disappointing race in Hungary after qualifying fifth shows he still has much to learn.

Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) – 6/10

As his former Formula 2 boss perfectly put it: ‘Unfortunately, Yuki Tsunoda’s improvement in pace has coincided with the deterioration of the speed of AlphaTauri, so he’s got better as the car’s got worse.’

Kevin Magnussen (Haas) – 4/10

The Haas VF-23 ain’t quick, but even so Kevin Magnussen has scarcely shown the pace we know he’s capable of and could be at risk of losing his seat.

Logan Sargeant (Williams) – 4/10

Yet to score his first points in F1, we can cut Logan Sargeant some slack given he is a rookie, but signs of improvement need to be shown in the second-half of the season.

Nyck de Vries (AlphaTauri) – 2/10

Given that he lost his seat after just 10 races, Nyck de Vries is certainly eligible for a rare 1/10 rating, but even though performances were pretty awful it should be acknowledged that he was driving the worst car on the grid and was hardly given a fair shot to prove himself.

Daniel Ricciardo (AlphaTauri) – 5/10

We only have two races to judge Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 comeback on and in both he looked better than De Vries though still cannot get near the points. With some more time to get back in the swing of things, the Aussie should be alright.


MORE : Max Verstappen in disbelief after breaking another trophy following Belgian Grand Prix victory


MORE : When history-making Max Verstappen can be crowned F1 champion this season

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