5 drivers who have disappointed so far in the 2023 F1 season
The 2023 F1 season has seen many drivers show their class and skill behind the wheel, while some drivers struggle to make their mark on the grid.
Apart from the usual brilliance of drivers like Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso, and Lewis Hamilton, fans have seen some high-profile names underperform in the eight races so far this season.
Below is the list of 5 drivers who have disappointed the most so far during the 2023 F1 season:
#1 Nyck de Vries - AlphaTauri F1
The young Dutchman had huge expectations on his shoulders as he made his full-season debut in the sport with AlphaTauri. He had impressed everyone last season with his one-off performance in a Williams where he finished in the points at the Italian Grand Prix.
Helmut Marko hired De Vries to partner against Yuki Tsunoda as a replacement for Pierre Gasly. Unfortunately, De Vries has not been able to live up to the high expectations, struggling against his teammate so far and finding himself unable to figure out the car he was offered.
#2 Pierre Gasly - Alpine
The French driver made one of the high-profile moves in the transfer market last season when he finally left the Red Bull family to join the French manufacturer.
Partnering against fellow French driver Esteban Ocon, Gasly has struggled to match the performances of his teammate this year. Ocon has also gotten the worst end of the luck with his car struggling with reliability issues during multiple races so far.
#3 Valtteri Bottas - Alfa Romeo
The Finnish driver has been very inconsistent this season and has only shown glimpses of his true speed in some races.
Valtteri Bottas has only scored five points thus far and is only a point ahead of his inexperienced teammate Zhou Guanyu.
#4 Lance Stroll - Aston Martin
Lance Stroll put in some heroic performances during the early races of the season but has tapered out since. The Canadian has been nowhere close to his teammate Fernando Alonso, who has been in podium contention in every race.
Stroll has been the biggest weakness for the British F1 team and one of the main reasons that they are currently behind Mercedes in the constructor's battle for P2.
#5 Sergio Perez - Red Bull
Despite winning two races thus far and being second in the championship, it has been a disappointing season for Sergio Perez.
The Mexican was hopeful of challenging for his first F1 title this season, but has been making too many mistakes and has consistently been beaten by Max Verstappen in equal machinery.