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Welcome to the 3rd segment of F1ntastic.com’s Guide To Formula 1! This segment is all about the 2023 Formula 1 Drivers. On this page, we will explain which teams have which drivers in 2023. So let’s begin with a short introduction.
In Formula 1, there are 20 drivers who take part in a race. Usually, these 20 drivers are the only drivers to take part in the Formula 1 World Championship. This page has some stats and basic information about each of the 20 drivers entering the 2023 Formula 1 World Championship. When you know this information, you can understand what each driver is achieving in Formula 1, and how that plays out with their past career in F1, and their future career in F1.
In Formula 1, each driver has a racing number. Since 2014, this number has become a permanent number for the entirety of the driver’s career. However, the reigning Drivers’ World Champion has a choice between the Number 1 or the driver number they chose. In our case, the reigning World Champion is Max Verstappen. He has chosen to keep the Number 1 after winning the Championship in 2023 as well. I wrote the driver numbers for each of the following drivers in this format: #(Number) – Driver Name – Team. Let’s take a look at the 2023 Formula 1 Drivers.
#1 – Max Verstappen – Red Bull
| Team | Red Bull Racing |
| Country (Nationality) | Netherlands |
| Podiums | 77 |
| Total F1 Career Points | 2011.5 |
| Grands Prix Entered | 163 |
| World Championships | 2 |
| Highest Race Finish | 1st (35 times) |
| Highest Grid Position | 1st (20 times) |
| Date Of Birth | 30th September 1997 |
| Place of Birth | Hasselt, Belgium |
| 2022 Championship Position | 1st |
On the 30th of September 1997, a star was born. Over 24 years later, in a shocking blockbuster ending to the season, Max Emilian Verstappen became an F1 World Champion and won the 2021 WDC. And less than a year after that, Verstappen stormed to win his 2nd title. He’s once again reigning champion and remains the fastest of the 2023 Formula 1 Drivers. Verstappen was born on 30 September 1997, in Hasselt, Belgium. His father, Jos Verstappen, is a Dutch former Formula 1 driver, and his Belgian mother, Sophie Kumpen, had raced in karting. Even though Max was born and grew up in Belgium, he feels more Dutch and races as a Dutch driver. He began his Formula 1 career in 2015 at the young age of 17, which isn’t even allowed anymore. He got his FIA Super License before he even got a regular drivers’ license!
In 2015, he made a giant leap from racing in European F3 to racing in Formula 1. It was a surprising move, but he kept getting better and better. He became the youngest race winner and podium finisher. And in 2021, he became the 4th youngest World Champion, winning the title at the age of 24 years and 73 days. But 2022 saw Max Verstappen have one of the strongest and most dominant seasons in Formula 1 history. He became the 2nd-youngest 2-time World Champion, with Vettel in 1st. Verstappen smashed the record for most wins in a season, claiming 15 wins and winning his 2nd drivers’ title in the process. Red Bull clinched the constructors’ title too after rectifying the issues they faced early in the season. Can Max make it 3 in a row in 2023? I can’t wait to see how the reigning champ performs!
#11 – Sergio Perez – Red Bull
| Team | Red Bull Racing |
| Country (Nationality) | Mexico |
| Podiums | 26 |
| Total F1 Career Points | 1201 |
| Grands Prix Entered | 236 |
| Highest Race Finish | 1st (4 times) |
| Highest Grid Position | 1st (1 time) |
| Date Of Birth | 26th January 1990 |
| Place of Birth | Guadalajara, Mexico |
| 2022 Championship Position | 3rd |
Sergio Pérez Mendoza, mainly known as Sergio Perez or Checo Perez, was born on January 26, 1990. He was born in the city of Guadalajara, Mexico. For him, it wasn’t an easy journey to the pinnacle of motorsport. Being from Mexico, it was very difficult to get to such a European-based sport. But the Mexican telecommunications company Telmex wanted to sponsor Mexican racing drivers. Now, Checo Perez is already a veteran in Formula 1 and has established himself as one of the most talented of the 2023 Formula 1 Drivers. In 2020, he achieved his first race win in F1. Against all odds, Checo Perez came through to win the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. He went on to secure another race win in 2021, before claiming 2 more victories in 2022.
At Red Bull, he has proved to be a good teammate to Verstappen and a great driver for Red Bull. He not only scored podiums and won a race, but he has provided vital support to Verstappen, who’s been fighting for titles. He did the same in 2022, but the relationship between them got rocky when Verstappen refused to do the same for Checo, and then a controversy surfaced about whether Perez crashed intentionally at the end of qualifying at the 2022 Monaco GP. Throughout his career, he’s pulled off some great drives, but in 2022, Perez elevated himself to fighting for 2nd in the Drivers’ Championship. However, he was far off Max Verstappen and lost out to Charles Leclerc despite having the faster car. In 2023, Perez would be hoping to close up to his teammate and fight Verstappen for the throne.
#16 – Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
| Team | Scuderia Ferrari |
| Country (Nationality) | Monaco |
| Podiums | 24 |
| Total F1 Career Points | 868 |
| Grands Prix Entered | 103 |
| Highest Race Finish | 1st (5 times) |
| Highest Grid Position | 1st (18 times) |
| Date Of Birth | 16th October 1997 |
| Place of Birth | Monte Carlo, Monaco |
| 2022 Championship Position | 2nd |
Born on the 16th of October 1997, Charles Leclerc’s F1 career has been pretty chaotic. Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc, known as Charles Leclerc, raced in F2 before reaching F1. He won the 2017 F2 Championship and displayed true talent. He was at the last step before F1 in 2017, and he was on a similar journey to the journey that his godfather, Jules Bianchi had been on. Bianchi was a French racing driver that raced in F1 for the Marussia F1 Team but died in 2015 due to injuries suffered from a crash at the 2014 Japanese GP. In 2017 when Leclerc was in F2, Charles’ father Hervé died 4 days before one of Leclerc’s greatest drives of his racing career. He dedicated that win to his father. He’s carrying their legacies in F1 now since both Bianchi and Hervé Leclerc were racing drivers.
In 2018, Leclerc raced for Sauber in F1, since Sauber noticed his talent when he won the F2 championship. After multiple points finishes and fantastic races in 2018, Ferrari signed Leclerc to replace Kimi Raikkonen for the 2019 season. At Ferrari in 2019, Leclerc achieved 2 wins and a total of 10 podiums. In 2020, despite having a shockingly terrible car, Leclerc managed to score 2 podiums. But in 2021, when Ferrari were at least back to the top of the midfield, Leclerc scored consistently. He struggled compared to his teammate, however. He only managed to score 1 podium. In 2022, Leclerc and Ferrari were back to race-winning ways, but suffered a hugely underwhelming season. With a mere 3 race wins and scraping 2nd in the championship 2022 despite the potential to win the title, Leclerc and Ferrari will be hoping to truly challenge Verstappen this year.
#55 – Carlos Sainz – Ferrari
| Team | Scuderia Ferrari |
| Country (Nationality) | Spain |
| Podiums | 15 |
| Total F1 Career Points | 782.5 |
| Grands Prix Entered | 163 |
| Highest Race Finish | 1st (1 time) |
| Highest Grid Position | 1st (3 times) |
| Date Of Birth | 1st September 1994 |
| Place of Birth | Madrid, Spain |
| 2022 Championship Position | 5th |
Carlos Sainz Vázquez de Castro, known as Carlos Sainz Jr. was born on the 1st of September 1994. Racing is in his genes since his father is a racing driver. Carlos Sainz Sr. won World Rally Championship titles in 1990 and 1992. Before reaching F1 in 2015, Sainz won the Formula Renault 3.5 Championship in 2014, racing against familiar names like Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon and Nicholas Latifi. Sainz made his F1 debut with Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) in 2015. For the first 2 years of his career, he stayed at Toro Rosso. He moved to Renault with 4 races to go in 2017 when Renault ruthlessly kicked Jolyon Palmer out to bring Sainz in early. In 2018, Renault struggled, which is why Sainz moved to McLaren for 2019. He was racing alongside rookie Lando Norris, which is how Carlando was created. That bromance is legendary.
Sainz succeeded at McLaren, establishing himself as a strong driver and helping bring McLaren to the top of the midfield. But after 2 seasons with McLaren, Sainz moved to Ferrari in 2021 to replace Sebastian Vettel. Ferrari made huge amends in 2021 after a disappointing 2020 season. Sainz had a fantastic first season at Ferrari, scoring 4 podiums and outperforming his teammate Charles Leclerc. he finished the season as the top driver in the midfield. And in 2022, Sainz and Ferrari achieved their goal of becoming a top team. In fact, Sainz secured his first pole positions and the first race first race win of his career! However, he was far off his teammate, who was a championship contender. Overall, it was a season with ups and downs. Hopefully the forthcoming season sees better performances and consistency from Sainz and Ferrari.
#63 – George Russell – Mercedes
| Team | Mercedes |
| Country (Nationality) | United Kingdom |
| Podiums | 9 |
| Total F1 Career Points | 294 |
| Grands Prix Entered | 82 |
| Highest Race Finish | 1st (1 time) |
| Highest Grid Position | 1st (1 time) |
| Date Of Birth | 15th February 1998 |
| Place of Birth | King’s Lynn, England |
| 2022 Championship Position | 4th |
George William Russell, known as Goerge Russell, is the most up-and-coming of the 2023 Formula 1 Drivers. Born on the 15th of February 1998, started karting at the age of 7. Russell was very successful in his junior career before F1. In 2017, 2 years before he raced in F1, Russell raced in GP3. He won the championship with one round remaining in the season. Keep in mind that that was his first and only season in GP3. The next year, Russell signed for ART in Formula 2, and Mercedes signed him as a reserve driver. In F2, it wasn’t so easy. It was a tougher season, but Russell still won the championship in his first and last season in F2. He had a championship battle with Lando Norris, and he won by a margin of 68 points after winning 7 races.
After that, Williams signed Russell for 2019-2021. While Russell struggled in 2019 because of a terribly slow car, he shone over the next 2 years. In 2020, Russell replaced Hamilton for the Sakhir GP, since Hamilton got COVID. He qualified in P2 and was on the way to win the race, but thanks to a botched pitstop and a puncture, Russell finished in P8. And in 2021, he qualified in P2 for the Belgian GP, despite racing in a Williams car. This insane talent and ability behind the wheel got Russell a seat at Mercedes for 2022. While a seat at a top team comes with immense pressure and expectations, Russell handled it perfectly. Mercedes were on the back foot in 2022, however, as they improved and gained on their opponents, Russell claimed a well-deserved maiden win. In 2023, can Merc mount a comeback studded with more wins?
#44 – Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes
| Team | Mercedes |
| Country (Nationality) | United Kingdom |
| Podiums | 191 |
| Total F1 Career Points | 4405.5 |
| Grands Prix Entered | 310 |
| World Championships | 7 |
| Highest Race Finish | 1st (103 times) |
| Highest Grid Position | 1st (103 times) |
| Date Of Birth | 7th January 1985 |
| Place of Birth | Stevenage, England |
| 2022 Championship Position | 6th |
Lewis Hamilton is one of the greatest drivers in F1 history. He was born on the 7th of January 1985 and made his F1 debut in 2007. Until 2021, Lewis Hamilton was the King of the Formula 1 drivers. He was the reigning champion, and although the young hotshot Max Verstappen beat him, that doesn’t take away from the 7 championships Lewis has already won. He’s had an incredibly successful career in Formula 1, and he’s still got the talent and the skills and the calibre that he had before. He proved that with outstanding performances in 2021, since he and Verstappen pushed each other to new levels. Lewis Hamilton remains the record holder for most race wins, most podiums and pole positions. It’s nothing short of incredible. But is Lewis Hamilton’s prime finally over? I don’t believe so.
In 2020, Lewis Hamilton equalled Michael Schumacher’s 7-time World Champion record. In 2021, he was looking to win that 8th title and beat Schumacher’s record. But the loss of the Championship and the way he lost the championship in that controversial ending hit him hard. In 2022, Hamilton suffered a difficult season, with the major regulation change hitting Mercedes hard. Mercedes were left 3rd-best to Ferrari and Red Bull. However, they made major progress over the course the season, which allowed George Russell to claim his maiden win. However, for the first time in his career, Hamilton had a winless season. Knowing the innovation and motivation at Mercedes, Hamilton and his team are more experienced with the new cars. Hopefully, they can take the fight to Ferrari and Red Bull like they did towards the end of the 2022 season.
#31 – Esteban Ocon – Alpine
| Team | Alpine |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Podiums | 2 |
| Total F1 Career Points | 364 |
| Grands Prix entered | 111 |
| Highest race finish | 1st (1 time) |
| Highest grid position | 3rd |
| Date of birth | 17th September 1996 |
| Place of birth | Normandy, France |
Esteban José Jean-Pierre Ocon-Khelfane, known as Esteban Ocon, hasn’t had it easy at all. He started racing at the age of 7. To fund his karting career, his parents sold their family home, meaning they lived in their caravan for a few years. He used that as a motor home as well, and he and his family travelled to races in that caravan. Ocon’s mother acted as a tutor for him. His parents sacrificed everything for him and his career, pursuing the dream and hoping it would pay off. Even after that, Ocon’s F1 career and journey has been far from easy. Ocon made his F1 debut for Manor Racing in the middle of the season. Manor was a back marker team, but Ocon performed enough to secure a seat at Force India for 2 seasons.
Despite performing well in 2017, tensions rose in 2018 as the team went into administration. The new ownership saw Lance Stroll take his seat at Racing Point in 2019. Ocon was brutally left with no seat. But after a year on the sidelines, he returned to F1 with Renault, and the rest is history. In 2020, at the Sakhir GP, Ocon finished in 2nd place and scored his first podium in F1. In 2021, Ocon achieved the dream of so many aspiring drivers and won an F1 race. In 2022, Ocon scored consistently and beat his teammate, 2-Time Champ Fernando Alonso, in the championship. He secured a P4 finish in Japan, and is the 2nd best midfield driver on the grid, second only to Lando Norris. This year, I can’t wait to see how Ocon fares against his new teammate. I wonder if they will work well together or clash…
#10 – Pierre Gasly – Alpine
| Team | Alpine |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Podiums | 3 |
| Total F1 Career Points | 332 |
| Grands Prix entered | 108 |
| Highest race finish | 1st (1 time) |
| Highest grid position | 2nd |
| Date of birth | 7th February 1996 |
| Place of birth | Rouen, France |
#4 – Lando Norris – McLaren
| Team | McLaren |
| Country (Nationality) | United Kingdom |
| Podiums | 6 |
| Total F1 Career Points | 428 |
| Grands Prix Entered | 82 |
| Highest Race Finish | 2nd (1 time) |
| Highest Grid Position | 1st (1 time) |
| Date Of Birth | 13th November 1999 |
| Place of Birth | Bristol, England |
Lando Norris remains of the most promising of the 2023 Formula 1 Drivers. He has shown incredible pace, determination, and skill in a Formula 1 car. Born on November 13, 1999, Lando Norris started racing in Formula 1 in 2019. He reached the top tier of motorsport at the young age of 19 and came to F1 after finishing 2nd in the F2 championship. McLaren noticed his talent and announced him as their driver for the 2019 F1 season. He’s raced at McLaren since then, and now Norris will stay with McLaren until 2025.
Norris started off strong, scoring in 11 races in his debut season of F1. In 2020, he had a phenomenal year, scoring a podium in an intense opening race. In 2021, he continued the trend of improving by scoring 4 podiums. He finished in 3rd place thrice, and he finished in 2nd place once. He was famously close to winning a race. It was a great year for him, but unfortunately, 2022 wasn’t as good. The McLaren car was far off the pace at the start, with the McLarens being backmarkers in the season opener. However, Norris started consistently scoring points and finished the year in P7, securely becoming the best driver outside of a top team. He scored a podium as well, paving the way for a hopefully better season in 2023.
#81 – Oscar Piastri – McLaren
| Team | McLaren |
| Country (Nationality) | Australia |
| Podiums | N/A |
| Total F1 Career Points | N/A |
| Grands Prix Entered | N/A |
| Highest Race Finish | N/A |
| Highest Grid Position | N/A |
| Date Of Birth | 6th April 2001 |
| Place of Birth | Melbourne, Australia |
#77 – Valtteri Bottas – Alfa Romeo
| Team | Alfa Romeo |
| Country (Nationality) | Finland |
| Podiums | 67 |
| Total F1 Career Points | 1787 |
| Grands Prix Entered | 200 |
| Highest Race Finish | 1st (10 times) |
| Highest Grid Position | 1st (20 times) |
| Date Of Birth | 28th August 1989 |
| Place of Birth | Nastola, Finland |
Valtteri Viktor Bottas is the 9th Flying Finn to have raced at the pinnacle of motorsport. Bottas was born on 28 August 1989 in Nastola, Finland. He began his journey through Formula 1 when he joined Williams-Renault in 2010 as a test driver. Bottas had just won the 2010 Masters of Formula 3, which was a huge achievement. He had actually won the 2009 event as well. After winning the 2011 GP3 Championship, Bottas got more opportunities in Formula 1. He completed 15 Friday Free Practice Sessions with Williams in 2011 and 2012. And in 2013, the Finn finally got his big break, and he joined Williams for the 2013 Season. When Bottas did arrive in Formula 1 in 2013, he got off to a slow start. Williams were a slow team in 2013. However, in 2014, Williams and Bottas did extremely well, finishing 4th in the drivers’ championship.
He showed a lot of talent at Williams, which is why Mercedes signed him in 2017. When he started racing for Mercedes, he showed his talent, especially when challenging his teammate Lewis Hamilton for the title in 2019 and 2020. However, in 2021, Bottas only won 1 race and was kind of sidelined thanks to Verstappen challenging Hamilton’s throne. In 2022, Bottas left Mercedes and started racing with Alfa Romeo. Unlike at Mercedes, he’s taken more of a leadership role at Alfa Romeo. In his first year with the team, he finished the championship in P10, making him the best of the lower midfield drivers. Alfa Romeo made improvements in 2022 compared to previous years, and Bottas and his young teammate Zhou Guanyu would be looking to build on that in 2023.
#24 – Zhou Guanyu – Alfa Romeo
| Team | Alfa Romeo |
| Country (Nationality) | China |
| Podiums | N/A |
| Total F1 Career Points | 6 |
| Grands Prix Entered | 22 |
| Highest Race Finish | 8th (1 time) |
| Highest Grid Position | 9th |
| Date Of Birth | 30th May 1999 |
| Place of Birth | Shanghai, China |
#14 – Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin
| Team | Aston Martin |
|---|---|
| Country | Spain |
| Podiums | 98 |
| Total F1 Career Points | 2061 |
| Grands Prix entered | 358 |
| World Championships | 2 |
| Highest race finish | 1st (32 times) |
| Highest grid position | 1st (22 times) |
| Date of birth | 29th July 1981 |
| Place of birth | Oviedo, Spain |
Fernando Alonso Díaz is up there with the greatest drivers in F1. The two-time World Champion was born on the 29th of July 1981, and despite his age, he proved he’s still more than capable behind the wheel. Alonso started driving karts at the age of 3, and got his kart racing license at the age of 5. His family had to struggle a lot to pay for his karting career. He was very successful in karting, and at the age of 17, he started racing in actual cars. Prior to his debut in 2001, Alonso won many junior championships. In March 2001, a month before Oscar Piastri was born, Alonso made his F1 debut with Minardi. In 2003, he signed for Renault, scoring podiums in his first 2 years with the team. But in 2005 and 2006, Alonso came through to win two consecutive Driver’s Championships.
In 2005, Alonso was on the podium for each of the first 5 races, including 3 race wins. In 2006, for the first 9 races of the season, Alonso finished either 1st or 2nd. The search for a 3rd championship was a lot harder. He was less than 5 points off the Champion in 2007, 2010 and 2012. In 2007, Alonso was racing for McLaren, and from 2010-2014, he was racing with Ferrari. In 2015 he went back to McLaren and stayed there until 2018. Those 4 years were terrible since their car was very slow. For 2019 and 2020, Alonso took a break from F1, before returning to F1 in 2021.
In 2021, he turned 40 years old. Yet he still scored a podium and achieved the best Championship result since he left Ferrari back in 2014. In 2022, Alonso lost out to his teammate in the championship. However, that was due to reliability issues with his car. In 2023, despite turning 42 years old, Alonso’s got more racing left in him. He begins a fresh start with Aston Martin alongside Lance Stroll, hoping to become the King of the Midfield.
#18 – Lance Stroll – Aston Martin
| Team | Aston Martin |
|---|---|
| Country | Canada |
| Podiums | 3 |
| Total F1 Career Points | 194 |
| Grands Prix entered | 122 |
| Highest race finish | 3rd (3 Times) |
| Highest grid position | 1st (1 time) |
| Date of birth | 29th October 1998 |
| Place of birth | Montreal, Canada |
Lance Strulovitch, known as Lance Stroll, is a polesitter and 3-time podium finisher that is the 2nd-youngest driver to start a race in F1. In his rookie season, he finished in 3rd place and scored the first podium of his career in his debut season. Stroll kept his cool during one of the most chaotic races in F1 and managed to bring home a podium. He became the 2nd-youngest podium finisher and the youngest driver to finish on the podium in their debut season. What many F1 fans don’t realise is that Stroll isn’t racing in the top tier of motorsport just because of his father’s money. Money doesn’t get you podiums, wins and championships. Before F1, Stroll won the Italian F4 Championship, the Toyota Racing Series, and the F3 European Championship.
In 2017, he made his debut with Williams, Racing Point and Aston Martin. Williams had a very slow car in the two years he was with them. Racing Point and Aston Martin are the same team (Racing Point rebranded to Aston Martin in 2021) and is owned by Stroll’s father. Racing Point only had a fast car in 2020, which is when Stroll did well by scoring 2 podiums and a pole position. If the team can’t provide Stroll with a competent car, he can’t succeed. And unfortunately, since 2020, Aston Martin haven’t made a car quick enough to compete for podiums. However, in 2023, their innovative car has chances to disrupt the midfield order, with Stroll and his 2-time Champion teammate behind the wheels.
#27 – Nico Hulkenberg – Haas
| Team | Haas |
| Country (Nationality) | Germany |
| Podiums | N/A |
| Total F1 Career Points | 521 |
| Grands Prix Entered | 184 |
| Highest Race Finish | 4 (3 times) |
| Highest Grid Position | 1st |
| Date Of Birth | 19th August 1987 |
| Place of Birth | Emmerich am Rhein, Germany |
#20 – Kevin Magnussen – Haas
| Team | Haas |
| Country (Nationality) | Denmark |
| Podiums | 1 |
| Total F1 Career Points | 183 |
| Grands Prix Entered | 142 |
| Highest Race Finish | 2 (1 time) |
| Highest Grid Position | 1st |
| Date Of Birth | 5th October 1992 |
| Place of Birth | Roskilde, Denmark |
#22 – Yuki Tsunoda – AlphaTauri
| Team | AlphaTauri |
|---|---|
| Country | Japan |
| Podiums | N/A |
| Total F1 Career Points | 44 |
| Grands Prix entered | 44 |
| Highest race finish | 4th (1 time) |
| Highest grid position | 7th |
| Date of birth | 11th May 2000 |
| Place of birth | Sagamihara, Japan |
#21 – Nyck De Vries – AlphaTauri
| Team | AlphaTauri |
|---|---|
| Country | Netherlands |
| Podiums | N/A |
| Total F1 Career Points | 2 |
| Grands Prix entered | 1 |
| Highest race finish | 9th (1 time) |
| Highest grid position | 8th |
| Date of birth | 6th February 1995 |
| Place of birth | Uitwellingerga, Netherlands |
#23 – Alex Albon – Williams
| Team | Williams |
|---|---|
| Country | Thailand |
| Podiums | 2 |
| Total F1 Career Points | 201 |
| Grands Prix entered | 59 |
| Highest race finish | 3rd (2 times) |
| Highest grid position | 4th |
| Date of birth | 23rd March 1996 |
| Place of birth | London, England |
#2 – Logan Sargeant – Williams
| Team | Williams |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Podiums | N/A |
| Total F1 Career Points | N/A |
| Grands Prix entered | N/A |
| Highest race finish | N/A |
| Highest grid position | N/A |
| Date of birth | December 31, 2000 |
| Place of birth | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States |