Welcome Drivers!

With testing wrapped up and the Formula 1 2023 season right on our doorstep the excitement is through the roof! We can’t wait for the drivers to line up on the grid and go lights out.

Before that happens though, here are the driver profiles of the drivers on the starting grid. The profiles consist of some facts and stats on their F1 careers and their prospects for the 2023 season.

This is part 1 of a 2-part series where we will be covering the profiles of the drivers who we consider to be “Pretenders.” These are the guys who drive on teams we think are not capable of competing for a championship this season.

This doesn’t mean these aren’t extremely talented drivers. We truly believe there are some on this list that will win a championship one day. Unfortunately for them, they aren’t exactly title contenders at the moment. As talented as these guys are, their car just isn’t up to snuff.

Who knows, by the time the season shakes out one of these drivers could be sitting at the top!

The Pretenders: Driver Profiles

Lando Norris (McLaren)

Lando is one of the drivers we think is the most likely to win a championship out of any in this post. Unfortunately McLaren can’t seem to figure out how to put a competitive car on the track for him. He has spent his entire time in F1 with Mclaren and he has yet to win a race, the closest he got was the McLaren 1-2 at Monza in 2022. He was the only driver outside of the top 3 teams to score a podium last season and he has always outshone his machinery. We are convinced he will win both races and championships at some point, whether that is with McLaren or not is the main question.

Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

The Australian rookie will have a steep learning curve this season. He will have to get to grips with the car and learn how to score points with lessor machinery than other teams in the midfield. He has won both the F2 and F3 championships in his first year, giving him a iron clad resume. He was one of the more coveted drivers coming into F1 with Alpine and McLaren squabbling over him. Despite the drama, he is a very talented young driver and he will have success in F1 if McLaren can give him the right car.

Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)

Valtteri Bottas is a multiple race winner after spending 5 seasons with Mercedes. He was never able to beat Lewis Hamilton during his time there. Its hard for us to be convinced he could win a championship at Alfa when he had multiple chances to do so at Mercedes and couldn’t get it done. Albeit his teammate is one of the greatest drivers of all time. In his second year at Alfa Romeo he is clearly the lead guy. Alfa may be competitive in the midfield this year but we don’t see them getting a chance at winning races.

Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)

After a decent rookie season for Alfa Romeo, Zhou will be looking for more point scoring opportunities in 2023. He will need to prove that he can execute on these opportunities or Alfa may begin to look at other drivers to fill the role. Audi will be taking over as the title sponsor so Zhou will be looking to prove that he is the future of the team. For this season, he needs to focus on scoring more points than his experienced teammate.

Kevin Magnussen (Haas)

Kevin Magnussen was able to score Haas’s first points since 2020 last season. He was a breath of fresh air when they needed it most. Haas is just a step behind the midfield and won’t be competing for wins unless some serious chaos happens. K-Mag has been demoted off the Haas squad once before so he knows how critical it is for him to score points and help the team work their way into the midfield. He has the talent to do this but is handcuffed by the financial constraints of the Haas team.

Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)

Nico Hulkenberg has been F1’s resident journeyman. He has spent the last couple years as a reserve driver, only being able to participate in a race when primary drivers were unable to. Despite this, he is still one of the more experienced drivers on the grid and will be looking for many points opportunities for Haas. If they can keep their development up, we see Nico being able to finish in the P11-P13 range which would be a solid performance on a Haas squad that is essentially racing with one hand behind their back due to finances.

Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)

Of all the drivers in F1 this season, Yuki likely has the hottest seat in F1. He has not overly impressed in his first two seasons in F1. His first year he had to learn to grow up and become a professional and his second year he was consistently beat by his teammate in subpar machinery. It will be critical that Yuki beats his rookie teammate or his future in F1 looks like it may be at risk.

Nick de Vries (AlphaTauri)

Nyck de Vries is a seasoned rookie if you could call it that. The 28 year old was a Formula E champion with Mercedes and will be looking to translate that success into F1. AlphaTauri did not look very quick in testing so it may be a challenging year for him. Last year he was able to score points racing for Williams, who finished the season in last place. So we know he has it in him to pull out quality performances in cars that are not competitive. Its a question on how often he will be able to do it for AlphaTauri. +

Alex Albon (Williams Racing)

Alex Albon is the leader of a team that finished last in the standings last season. Safe to say that Williams will not be competing for wins this season. Albon will be looking to expand on his point scoring opportunities. Williams looks to have improved their car in testing but it will be hard to climb up into the midfield. Albon, the former Red Bull driver, will have to make the most of every opportunity he gets. There may not be that many of them.

Logan Sargeant (Williams Racing)

Logan Sargeant is arguably in one of the most difficult positions in F1, having to prove yourself in a car that is clearly not competitive. Similar to Albon, he will need to make any chance he gets count. His primary focus this season should be on beating his teammate to show other teams that he is talented enough to outperform a solid driver in Albon. There is a good chance that Williams will be fighting from the back of the pack again this season, which is hard for any driver, no less a rookie, to overcome.

Upcoming Posts and Reader Feedback

We will be back with part two of the driver profiles for the contenders! These are the guys who will be at the front of the pack and having opportunities to win races.

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