3 F1 Drivers who could be sacked next after Nyck de Vries

Modified Jul 11, 2023 18:29 GMT

Just 10 races into the 2023 F1 season, AlphaTauri driver Nyck de Vries lost his seat after a disastrous start to his rookie campaign. De Vries was axed by Red Bull's taskmaster Helmut Marko, who publicly criticized the Dutch driver's disappointing results on multiple occasions.

Red Bull reserve driver Daniel Ricciardo will be taking his seat, who will be back in action for the Hungarian GP on July 23. Ricciardo has made a comeback to the F1 grid after being sacked by McLaren last season after his struggles continued in the tricky car.

In the fast-paced world of F1, a driver is considered as good as his previous race result. Even an eight-time race winner like Ricciardo lost his seat despite a year left in his contract. Formula 1 teams are ruthless when evaluating a driver's performance and are quick to cut ties if the driver fails to make the best out of the provided machinery.

Following Nyck de Vries' exit, there are a few other drivers on the current grid, who are on the verge of being axed if they fail to step up in the remainder of the season. Let us take a look at three other drivers who find themselves in dangerous territories.

#3 Valtteri Bottas

Considering Valtteri Bottas' current form, it is hard to believe that he once challenged and outpaced Lewis Hamilton during his stint at Mercedes. An excellent qualifier and 10-time race winner, Bottas has failed to show any glimpse of his past so far this season.

The Finnish driver was off to a great start with Alfa Romeo last season but has failed to even consistently beat his teammate this season. In an underdelivering Alfa Romeo C43, Zhou Guanyu has had the better of his experienced teammate on many occasions.

While Bottas has expressed his wish to stay on the grid for the foreseeable future, such performances will hurt his stock in the F1 driver market.

#2 Logan Sargeant

Williams driver Logan Sargeant had a shaky start to his rookie F1 campaign as he has been considerably outpaced by teammate Alex Albon. Albon has spearheaded the team's rise to the midfield with his giant-killing qualifying performances, which are backed up by excellent race pace.

Sargeant has failed to replicate his teammate's pace along with a few clumsy incidents scarring his season. There is a lot of pressure on the driver with rumors of Mick Schumacher willing to replace him at a moment's notice.

However, all is not lost for the driver as he showed an upturn in form, which coincides with the new upgrades on his car. He finished a career-best 11th in the British GP.

#1 Sergio Perez

Sergio Perez had a stellar start to the season, securing two wins in the first four rounds, announcing himself as a title contender. Since then, Perez's season has spiraled downward as he managed two podium finishes in the next six races.

The Mexican driver is currently on a five-race streak of failing to qualify in the top 10 despite having the fastest car at his disposal. Helmut Marko has been openly critical of the Red Bull driver, asking him to step up and stop dreaming about the title.

After Nyck de Vries' exit, Sergio Perez will be on high alert as it signals Daniel Ricciardo could threaten his seat despite his contract being secured until 2024. If Perez's struggles continue, Marko will run out of patience sooner than later.

Edited by Ankush Das