2023 F1 driver line-ups: mid-season review and latest contract updates
F1
- Last updated: October 10th 2023
Formula 1's 2023 driver line-ups: here's a full run-down of the drivers racing in the current season, including AlphaTauri's mid-season changes that have brought a return for Daniel Ricciardo and debut for Liam Lawson
Nico Hülkenberg will make an F1 comeback with Haas in 2023; Pierre Gasly moves to Alpine
Three rookies filled the slots left by the retiring Vettel, the dropped Nicholas Latifi, and the frazzled Daniel Ricciardo, who ended his McLaren contract after two years of struggling with the car.
Only one seat remains in Formula 1's 2024 driver line-ups, after AlphaTauri confirmed it would keep Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo. Here's a full run-down of the contracts in place, and who could end up where
By
Cambridge Kisby
Along with Piastri, that saw F2 star Logan Sargeant join Williams and Nyck de Vries, an F2 and Formula E champion finally get an F1 shot with AlphaTauri. But not for long.
De Vries’s career lasted just 10 grands prix, where he failed to shine in a difficult car. Red Bull then displayed its familiar ruthlessness, dropping him from its junior team. Many thought the Dutchman should have been given more time to prove himself but it offered a route back to racing for Ricciardo, who had signed as its reserve driver.
That wasn’t the end of it, though. Two races into his return, Ricciardo had a crash in practice ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix and broke his hand. It offered a chance in the spotlight for Liam Lawson who seized the opportunity, performing strongly against team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, and looks to have secured his F1 future — although only in 2025.
Elsewhere, most teams appear satisfied with their choices for 2023 and have stuck with the same driver line-ups for 2024. Ricciardo retains his spot alongside Tsunoda next year. At the moment, the only potential change is at Williams, where Sergeant’s future is still uncertain.
2023 F1 driver and team line-ups
Click on any team for more details or scroll down for full commentary
Following on from the success of 2022, Valtteri Bottas looked to be leading Alfa Romeo to another midfield finish in 2023 after an eighth place finish in Bahrain. But nine pointless grand prix later, the team currently finds itself at the bottom in the constructors’ standings — just seven points above a struggling AlphaTauri.
There have been some impressive performances: Zhou Guanyu scored valuable points in Australia and Spain while Bottas has remained the teams most consistent performer, with an average finishing position of 13.07 compared to his team-mate’s 13.5.
AlphaTauri 2023 F1 driver line-up
Daniel Ricciardo
Yuki Tsunoda
Yuki Tsunoda confirmed for next year
Nyck de Vries replaced by Daniel Ricciardo
Liam Lawson stepping in while Ricciardo recovers from injury
AlphaTauri’s performance in 2023 has placed it in a state of decay, currently sat at the very bottom of the constructors’ standings. A name change is on its way for 2024 and all car development is being handed over to Red Bull.
The car has been tough to handle, but nevertheless Yuki Tsunoda has been able to string together good results — delivering points in Australia, Azerbaijan and Belgium. His results have been awarded with a sense of security: a contract guaranteed for the 2024 season.
Nyck de Vries was replaced by Daniel Ricciardo just ten races into his rookie campaign. The Aussie performed well during his first two races with the team after being replaced by Oscar Piastri at McLaren, but suffered a broken hand at Zandvoort.
Liam Lawson replaced him for five races and made a big impression, finishing ahead of Tsunoda for the first four races before an error saw him spin ou of the Qatar Grand Prix.
Ricciardo is due to return before the end of the season and will race alongside Tsunoda in 2024. Lawson is expected to be back on the grid in 2025.
Alpine 2023 F1 driver line-up
Esteban Ocon
Pierre Gasly
Esteban Ocon signed a three-year extension last season
While the drivers are continuing to perform on track, there have been major changes in behind-the-scenes management. Otmar Szafnauer has been released from his team principal position, with a replacement still pending, and Laurent Rossi has been replaced as Alpine’s chief executive.
It’s a backward step from the promise of 2022 and ’21, and the team’s mixed results don’t suggest that it will be among the teams in hot pursuit of Red Bull anytime soon.
It began the season as Red Bull’s closest challenger, and remains in contention near the front of the midfield — but only if you look at Fernando Alonso who has proven his class since leaving Alpine.
On the other side of the garage is a different story. Lance Stroll appears to be on a downward spiral, which reached its current nadir in Qatar, where he was seen shoving a team member after a disappointing qualifying session, giving a monosyllabic interview and falling way off the pace of his team-mate.
It’s a marked change to the start of the season when he finished a heroic sixth after suffering two broken arms ahead of the season opener in Bahrain. But fourth in Australia has been Stroll’s best result since. After Qatar, he has 47 points to his team-mate’s 183.
It’s difficult to see him remaining if his billionaire father wasn’t in charge. And even with this situation, there have been suggestions he may not continue beyond the end of the season. The tem is adamant, however, that Stroll is performing at an acceptable level and will be in the seat for 2024.
Ferrari 2023 F1 driver line-up
Charles Leclerc
Carlos Sainz
Charles Leclerc signed a five-year extension at the end of 2019
Carlos Sainz penned a new contract earlier this year which ends in 2024
Compared to its title-challenging performance in 2022, Ferrari has underdelivered on its promise to bring the fight to Red Bull in 2023.
With a new team principal, Frédéric Vasseur, at the helm it could be seen as a year of transition. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz had a difficult start to the season, but Sainz capitalised on Red Bull’s difficulties in Singapore to take victory.
Now in a fight for second in the constructors’ championship, Ferrari is in a fight with Mercedes for second place in the constructors’ championship, with an eye on the pacy McLarens which are rapidly racking up the points.
Both Leclerc and Sainz are contracted until the end of 2024, with the former committed toward a future with Ferrari and the later rumoured to looking elsewhere.
Haas 2023 F1 driver line-up
Kevin Magnussen
Nico Hülkenberg
Kevin Magnussen marked his return to F1 with a multi-year deal
Nico Hülkenberg returns to the grid and scores contract extension for 2024.
Haas sacrificed its 2021 season to start on the front foot in 2022, but has lost momentum in 2023, mired at the back of a grid with a car that has not delivered.
An experienced driver line-up composed of Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hülkenberg has helped it remain off the foot of the table; Hülkenberg has been able to maximise the car’s pace in qualifying, but Magnussen has the edge in race pace, with both unable to find a happy medium to perform strongly throughout a race weekend.
Hülkenberg’s performances has warranted a contract extension into 2024, and Magnussen’s seat remains safe after signing a multi-year deal upon his return to the paddock in 2022.
McLaren 2023 F1 driver line-up
Lando Norris
Oscar Piastri
Lando Norris signed new extension up to 2025
Oscar Piastri confirmed for 2023 with a multi-year deal
The pair have bounced back from early-season frustration that saw McLaren collect just 17 points in the first eight races. Two major car upgrades later, they now appear to be Max Verstappen’s closest challengers, having both stood on the podium alongside Max Verstappen in the last three races (Japanese and Qatar GPs, plus the Qatar sprint which was won by Piastri).
The team is closing fast on Aston Martin for fourth in the constructors’ championship, but its current form could see it enter the race for second if rivals continue to falter.
Norris is contracted until 2025 and Piastri is on a multi-year deal. He has lived up to the hype that prompted the silly season madness that occurred during 2022’s summer break. Piastri narrowly missing the podium at Silverstone and at the Hungaroring before claiming his first win in the Qatar sprint. Norris is still in pursuit of a long overdue win.
Mercedes 2023 F1 driver line-up
Lewis Hamilton
George Russell
Hamilton signs new contract to stay with team until 2025
Russell’s contract extended until 2025 also
Despite not quite being able to run at the very front of the field, Mercedes has remained a consistent threat for second in the constructors’ championship. Lewis Hamilton has led the charge and currently sits third in the drivers’ standings, but looks likely to end another year without a victory.
Hamilton’s consistency has been a tough act to follow for George Russell, who despite a positive start to the year — finishing fourth in Australia and Miami — trails his team-mate in race results.
There have been signs of a Mercedes resurgence, enough at least to convince Hamilton and Russell that the team can return to racing at the front within the next two seasons — the end of their latest contract extensions. While this ensures Hamilton will race into his 40s, Russell could be entering his prime years of performance.
Red Bull 2023 F1 driver line-up
Max Verstappen
Sergio Perez
Max Verstappen signed a five-year extension in March 2022
Sergio Perez was given a two-year extension following the 2022 Monaco GP
Red Bull has rarely been short of perfect in 2023, securing fourteen consecutive race victories so far this season and wrapping up the constructors’ championship with six races to spare.
After a positive campaign in 2022, Sergio Perez was handed a two-year contract extension, keeping him in Red Bull blue until 2024. But, with his form now beginning to fade, questions are now being asked as to whether the Mexican is the right man to sit beside the dominant Dutchman.
Qualifying outside the top ten for five successive races overshadowed his earlier race wins in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan, while his recent inconsistent form and poor results will leave the team concerned about maintaining its superiority if rivals continue to catch up.
Logan Sargeant’s seat at jeopardy — signed one-year deal ahead of 2023 season
Alex Albon has taken Williams back to familiar ground in 2023, with regular appearances inside the top ten and 23 championship points to show for it — more than the entire team total from 2022.
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On the other hand, Logan Sargeant has struggled to keep pace. The American was given a one-year deal at the start of 2023, with the expectation of proving himself as the season progressed. Admittedly, he has not disappointed as such, with a twelfth-place finish on debut in Bahrain and a career-best eleventh-place finish at Silverstone, but when compared to Albon, his results cast doubt over his place in the team.
The Thai-Anglo driver currently leads Sargeant overwhelmingly in qualifying and race results.
Team principal James Vowles has offered nothing but support for the American but has demanded that his results need to improve. “Formula 1 is the pinnacle,” he said. “It’s a meritocracy. Logan has to keep developing and moving forward. It needs improvements in consistency and the gap to Alex needs to remain the same and shrink over time.”
“We’ve put Logan in a situation where he came straight out of F2, had a day and a half of testing… and it’s ‘Good luck, you’re an F1 driver!’ When I reflect, this is probably more difficult than any other year I’ve been in the sport for throwing someone in at the deep end and allowing them the time to catch-up.”
