Five F1 drivers that desperately need to improve in 2023

Sergio Perez

He might be second-place in the drivers’ championship but Perez is in desperate need of a better second half of 2023.

Yes, his two wins in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan were fantastic.

While in fortuitous circumstances, once he took the lead of the race ahead of Max Verstappen, he had enough race pace to keep the Dutchman at bay.

Miami proved to be a crucial turning point in the season as Perez took pole, while Verstappen could only qualify ninth after getting caught out by an untimely red flag.

Despite the difference in grid position, Verstappen ultimately won with ease as Perez had to settle for second.

It would have been the first time in his F1 career that Perez led the championship standings, but it wasn’t meant to be.

From that point, Perez failed to make Q3 in the next five races, and in all of the races leading up to the summer break, finished second just once as Verstappen remained unbeaten.

Granted, Perez is up against one of the greatest drivers of all-time - that is a fact at this point - however given the incredible machinery he has at his disposal, finishing second on race day is a minimum requirement. 

The Mexican will be optimistic going into the second half of the season given that he suffered similar slumps midway through 2021 and 2022 respectively before turning it around in the flyaway races.

Red Bull are insistent that Perez’s future is not under threat, and while I believe Christian Horner and Helmut Marko, a repeat of his five-race streak of not making Q3 could make them change their mind.

Kevin Magnussen

2023 has been a rude awakening for Magnussen at Haas.

For the first time since 2014 - with no disrespect to the likes of Romain Grosjean and Mick Schumacher - Magnussen has a very speedy teammate in the form of Nico Hulkenberg.

Particularly on Saturdays, Hulkenberg has been incredible, progressing into Q3 on six occasions - as many as Perez!

Things are more even on race day as a combination of Hulkenberg’s rustiness in the opening stretch of races and Magnussen being more comfortable on heavier fuel are the reasons for that.

Magnussen isn’t performing poorly by any means, however, he is out of contract at the end of the year.

Team boss Guenther Steiner has already stated that Hulkenberg is “highly likely” to be rewarded with a new deal but there’s been no news on the Dane’s future.

Haas are reportedly interested in Antonio Giovinazzi, with the 29-year-old impressing for Ferrari in the World Endurance Championship.

Magnussen will need to up his game to secure another year with Haas in 2024.

Logan Sargeant

While Logan Sargeant has shown flashes of pace on occasion, the American rookie has generally been pretty poor this season.

In the teammate head-to-head, Alex Albon holds the most dominant advantage of anyone on the grid.

There’s no doubt that Albon has been performing at a high level but Sargeant hasn’t shown enough so far in his F1 career.

Progress should be expected from Sargeant, and so far at least, there’s been few signs of it.

Bahrain and Azerbaijan were promising, but since then, there’s been very few highs.

Sargeant’s seat is under threat, especially if Mick Schumacher is in serious contention for a return next year.

Lance Stroll

Lance Stroll is under zero pressure at Aston Martin so it’s probably no surprise to see him perform so lacklusterly in 2023.

Like Perez, Stroll does have an incredible teammate in Fernando Alonso but it’s fair to say the Canadian has disappointed too frequently in the first half of the season.

Ironically, his finest weekend came when he rushed back from his cycling accident.

With zero testing and limited time in the car, Stroll finished a superb sixth in Bahrain, a few seconds behind Lewis Hamilton.

Luck hasn’t been totally on his side but given that Alonso has finished on the podium six times compared to Stroll’s zero, that says enough.

Unlike most of the grid, Stroll faces no uncertainty about his F1 future given that his father - Lawrence - owns the team.

George Russell 

Completing our list is George Russell.

A surprise perhaps given that Russell is just 49 points behind seven-time world champion teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Taking into account Australia - where he was unfortunate to retire - the gap probably should be smaller.

However, notably since Monaco, Russell has struggled for form with Hamilton in the clear ascendancy. 

While Russell’s performances haven’t been poor by any means, there’s still room for improvement particularly in qualifying.

Many see - including Mercedes - Russell as the driver to lead the team post-Hamilton and he is the driver that is capable of beating Verstappen in a head-to-head duel.

Based on 2023 alone, it’s hard to agree with those statements given Hamilton’s superiority and consistency.

Russell was so impressive in his first year with Mercedes but was that down to the fact Hamilton hadn’t fully gotten over his defeat to Verstappen in Abu Dhabi? Or the fact Hamilton was prioritising testing setups rather than outright pace up until Canada?

It’s too premature to say - and we’re certainly not ruling out Russell.

Is he a fantastic driver? No doubt.

But is he the heir to Hamilton’s top spot at Mercedes and capable of taking it to Verstappen when the time comes?

The summer break came at a good time for Russell as he’s one of many who needs to refind his form in the second half of the year.