2023 F1 Spanish GP: Top 3 drivers that desperately need a strong result

The 2023 F1 Spanish GP comes a week after the race in Monaco and there are plenty of drivers on the grid who will be looking to make their mark in Barcelona. The race in Monaco was an overall fun experience, with a stunning qualifying session and a main race made more interesting by the late downpour.

As is often the case with races in Monaco, one mistake at the wrong moment means the entire weekend goes into the bin. That happened with quite a few drivers over the weekend. Coming into the 2023 F1 Spanish GP, there are drivers who will be desperate to set the record straight and get things moving in the right direction. Here's a look at three such drivers:

2023 F1 Spanish GP: Top 3 drivers desperate for a strong result

#1 Sergio Perez

Sergio Perez had a terrible weekend in Monaco. The Mexican committed the cardinal sin of crashing his car in Q1 and paid for it dearly. Checo was lapped twice in the race by his teammate Max Verstappen, who he is supposed to be in a title battle with. Looking at how things panned out, this certainly did not feel like a part of the script where Perez plays the role of a worthy competitor to Verstappen.

After the almost shocking high of Baku where Perez beat Verstappen, the last two races may have sucked the confidence out of the Mexican. He lost to Verstappen in Maimi even after starting the race on pole position while Verstappen was in P9. In Monaco, where he won last season, he was utterly destroyed by his teammate again.

Heading to the 2023 F1 Spanish GP, the situation seems quite clear for Perez. Either he beats Max Verstappen and starts closing down the gap at the top, or he loses to him again, lets the championship lead reach almost 50 points, and abandons any hope of the world championship.

Perez will be desperate to win the 2023 F1 Spanish GP and will be hoping for a strong outing this weekend.

#2 Lance Stroll

Lance Stroll has 27 points to his name after six races this season while his Aston Martin teammate Fernando Alonso has scored 93 points. While the last two races have seen the Spaniard start the race from the front row, Stroll has not even made it to Q3.

The Canadian has not had a single race where he has either outperformed Alonso or even put up a challenge against Alonso. Due to this series of underperforming races, pressure is mounting on Stroll. Given the massive investment that Lawrence Stroll, Lance Stroll's father, has made in the team in recent years, he will be hoping that his son can raise the level of his performances.

Questions have been raised about the huge disparity between the two Aston Martin drivers, and they will only intensify as the season progresses if Lance Stroll cannot get his act together.

Coming into the 2023 F1 Spanish GP, Stroll will be desperate to get some points on the board.

#3 Logan Sargeant

Logan Sargeant's season so far has been interesting, as the American driver has almost exactly lived up to his reputation. The Williams driver's patterns from his junior season are being replicated in his F1 career.

Sargeant was notorious for being stunning over a lap in the junior categories. He out-qualified Oscar Piastri as a teammate in F3 and then did the same to Red Bull junior Liam Lawson in F2. The raw pace is there, but heading into the 2023 F1 Spanish GP, questions have started to emerge over Sargeant's consistency.

With a not-so-subtle threat of Mick Schumacher lurking in the shadows and his own erratic performances, Logan Sargeant will be hoping to secure his first points of the season at the 2023 F1 Spanish GP.