Top 10 drivers of the 2023 F1 season

The 2023 F1 season was a rollercoaster ride for everyone but most of all it was for the drivers. With as many as 22 races and 23 race weekends (Imola was canceled after the drivers had traveled), it took a toll. By the end of the season, one could see that the season had started to tire out the drivers.

Even Esteban Ocon in the very last race of the season in Abu Dhabi skipped Saturday because he was not feeling well.

Through all of this and in a season where everyone almost knew who was destined to win the title, drivers toiled and while a few shined bright, others fell by the wayside. In this piece, we take a look at the ones that were able to separate themselves from the rest. We take a look at the top 10 drivers of the 2023 F1 season.

Note: To understand the methodology for the rankings, we have rated the F1 drivers after every race this season. To find out where they rank, we've averaged the cumulative rating of the entire season. Hence when we are looking at these rankings, these are based on the performance of these drivers for the entire season.

#10 Pierre Gasly (Alpine F1)

Avg. Rating: 7.05

Pierre Gasly has had an impressive season as an Alpine driver. The first year with the French team meant that he started the season taking some time to get used to the car.

Once he had been able to accomplish that, Gasly expressed himself brilliantly. The podium in the sprint in Spa and the podium in Zandvoort were his highlights for the season as he did have a much better second half compared to the first.

#9 Esteban Ocon (Alpine F1)

Avg. Rating: 7.14

Esteban Ocon started the season well with Alpine and he was probably more comfortable with the car at the beginning of the yaer. As the season evolved and the team went through turmoil, it did appear to affect him a lot more than it did to Pierre.

His second half was not as strong as the first even though the performance in Vegas was impressive. He finds himself ninth in the rankings and ahead of Gasly but only because of a better start to the season.

#8 Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

Avg. Rating: 7.18

Carlos Sainz had a great season in spurts. There were some races where he was just magnificent. Then there were other races where the Spaniard was just nowhere.

The win in Singapore and the battle for the podium in Monza remains his highlight as he ends the season as the eighth-best driver of the season.

#7 George Russell (Mercedes)

Avg. Rating: 7.34

By George Russell's standards, the 2023 F1 season was poor. Far too many errors, far too many races where the pace deserted him, and far too many lost podiums.

Having said that, there were some very impressive races sprinkled in between all of this. He was unlucky in some and lost a possible podium. For instance, his race in Australia or the one in Silverstone had the potential to be something far more brilliant but that didn't happen.

The driver ends the season as the seventh-best driver of the F1 season and knowing his pedigree, he would be very disappointed.

#6 Alex Albon (Williams F1)

Avg. Rating: 7.41

Alex Albon surprised everyone with his team-leading capabilities at Williams this season and his ability to be the sole flagbearer and not let that affect your performance.

He was very consistent and got the results whenever the opportunity presented itself. With Williams on the path of ascension, things are looking up for the Thai driver.

#5 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes F1)

Avg. Rating: 7.43

This might come as a surprise for a few but Lewis Hamilton finds himself in P5 and it does come down to the variance in his performance over the year.

The Mercedes driver was excellent in several races this season but as was the case with the car, there were quite a few races where it was only one of the two drivers who was able to extract the most from the car.

In the long run and over the F1 season, that affected Hamilton's overall ratings.

#4 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

Avg. Rating: 7.64

At the start of the season, not many would have expected Fernando Alonso to have the kind of season that he did with Aston Martin. The Spaniard was on a roll at the start of the season, picking up podiums almost every F1 weekend.

Alonso lost some of his form when the Aston Martin had the opposite effect on the car but even then he was able to pick up a couple of podiums in Zandvoort and Brazil when the opportunity presented itself.

#3 Lando Norris (McLaren)

Avg. Rating: 7.66

Lando Norris had another impressive season and was truly able to express himself once the McLaren update kicked in.

The young driver got multiple podiums, scored a sprint pole position as well, and ended the season a whole lot happier than how he started it.

#2 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

Avg. Rating: 7.68

Another entry that might surprise a few is Charles Leclerc finding himself second in the championship standings. He had a lot of errors throughout the season but what worked for him was the ability to put together some extremely strong results as well.

Weekends like the one in Baku or Vegas or Abu Dhabi for that matter we're flawless and helped propel him to P2 in the championship even though there were races where Leclerc probably didn't have the best run.

#1 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

Avg. Rating: 9.34

At the top of the charts is Max Verstappen. No prizes for guessing that the F1 world champion finds himself in P1. If we look back at the season he put together, there were very few mistakes from the Red Bull driver.

Now, the inflated ratings do have something to do with the fact that the driver had the best car on the grid, and that made the job easier. Will it come down if there is a challenge from other F1 teams? Probably. But will it come down to such an extent that the driver won't still be the benchmark? That's highly debatable since such has been the level of his performance this season.