Driver ratings: The best and worst performing drivers of the F1 2023 season so far

With three races in the books, the 2023 F1 season is well underway and the drivers and teams already have an idea of how their season might go.

For the regular visitors of PlanetF1.com, you will be well aware that following every race, we rate the drivers on a scale from 0 to 10.

With a small emphasis placed on qualifying, the main focus is on the race itself with a driver starting on 5.0 and going up or down as a result of their performance.

So after three races who has been the grid’s best driver? And, perhaps more worryingly, who has been the worst?

No shocks at the top as Red Bull and Fernando Alonso dominate

If before reading a word of this article, you had to pick the three drivers who sit at the top of the averages, we are betting you would have a pretty good chance of getting all three of them right.

Yes that’s right, it’s the trio that has so far accounted for 89% of the podiums this season: Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez.

The two Red Bull drivers are the only ones to have won a race this year with Verstappen’s average rating of 9.3 the highest of anyone on the 2023 grid. His rating could have even been higher as before the race at Melbourne, he was averaging an outstanding 9.8.

Verstappen is not too far ahead of Alonso though whose heroics so far have earned him an average 9.2 rating across the opening three grands prix. He started the season strongly with a perfect 10 in Bahrain followed by 8.5 in Jeddah and 9 in Australia.

Perez rounds out the top three although there is a drop off to the Mexican whose rating at this stage is 8.7. Unsurprisingly, the Red Bull man’s highest score came in Jeddah with a 9.5 for his first win of 2023 and the fifth in his career.

Struggling Sainz

Charles Leclerc may be the Ferrari driver who has finished just one race this season but it is his Ferrari team-mate who has the much poorer average rating.

Carlos Sainz is on 6 which puts him at joint second worst alongside Esteban Ocon and Logan Sargeant, which considering Ocon had a disaster of a race in Bahrain and Sargeant lost points for a heavy shunt on Nyck de Vries in Melbourne, it shows just how underwhelming Sainz has been so far.

At the very bottom of the table sits De Vries whose star debut in Monza last year has failed to translate into any early consistency in 2023. Granted he is in the AlphaTauri but has so far been shown up by team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.

Sargeant meanwhile is in possession of the lowest score so far given out with his performance in Melbourne earning him a 4.0.

PlanetF1.com recommends

Too close to call between plenty of team-mates

With so few races to have taken place, drivers are still getting accustomed to the cars they are driving. To that extent, it is unsurprising to see that four pairs of team-mates are separated by no more than 0.4 points.

The closest amongst them is the Haas duo of Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hülkenberg who have both averaged 6.7 after three races. Next is Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri who are just 0.2 apart on 6.5 and 6.3 respectively followed by the 6.5 and 6.2 of Zhou Guanyu and Valterri Bottas.

The biggest difference between a pair of drivers comes at AlphaTauri with Tsunoda having earned 7.2 while De Vries is on 5.3.

Usual suspect tops team ratings, iconic outfit brings up the rear

But it is not just the drivers who we have been rating this season, with the teams also being given a score after every race. It is again no surprise who leads the way.

Red Bull, the only team to have won a race this year, are on top with an average of 9.2 but they are closely followed by the 9 of Aston Martin.

There is some drop off next with Mercedes in third and their 7.7 while another team to have performed above expectations, Williams, are on 7.3.

In terms of expectations, the season has not been kind to McLaren who instead of fighting for a P4 spot have often been in a fight just to finish the race.

The MCL60 has looked far off the ideals of the man it is named in honour of and with an average rating of 5.2, they will be hoping to use this break between races to bring some much needed upgrades.

Driver ratings: Season averages so far

Max Verstappen – 9.3
Fernando Alonso – 9.2
Sergio Perez – 8.7
George Russell – 8.2
Lewis Hamilton – 7.8
Lance Stroll – 7.7
Pierre Gasly – 7.7
Yuki Tsunoda – 7.2
Alex Albon – 7
Charles Leclerc – 6.7
Kevin Magnussen – 6.7
Nico Hulkenberg – 6.7
Lando Norris – 6.5
Zhou Guanyu – 6.5
Oscar Piastri – 6.3
Valtteri Bottas – 6.2
Carlos Sainz – 6
Esteban Ocon – 6
Logan Sargeant – 6
Nyck de Vries – 5.3

Team ratings: Season averages so far

Red Bull – 9.2
Aston Martin – 9
Mercedes – 7.7
Williams – 7.3
Haas – 7
Alpine – 6.7
Ferrari – 6.3
Alfa Romeo – 6
AlphaTauri – 5.8
McLaren – 5.2