Max Verstappen vs Charles Leclerc has grabbed all the major headlines, but there have been plenty of drivers which have impressed us.
We’ve looked through the F1® grid to determine which drivers have surpassed our pre-season expectations so far.
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George Russell
Mr Saturday has become Mr Consistent.
Despite driving a finicky Mercedes, George Russell has finished within the top five in every race so far this season.
Most impressive of all, he’s so far comfortably outperformed Lewis Hamilton with 21 more points than the seven-time world champion.
Russell will feel disappointed to not be walking into a championship calibre car, but he’s staking his claim to become Mercedes’ number one driver this season.
Sergio Perez
The perfect wingman for Verstappen.
Checo Perez could not have done a much better job for Red Bull Racing so far this season, residing third in the title standings.
He never gets in the way of his teammate and brings home plenty of points.
The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix marked Red Bull Racing’s first one-two finish for six years, that’s exactly the kind of result Perez was brought in to deliver.
Esteban Ocon
His drives might not bring box-office attention, however, Esteban Ocon has performed well for Alpine.
While his teammate Fernando Alonso has shown flashes of brilliance, Ocon has been the one to bring the points home.
The Frenchman raised plenty of eyebrows when he got a long-term contract from Alpine to 2024, however, he’s shown to be a steady hand when the team needs it most.
Kevin Magnussen
What a comeback season it’s been so far.
After thinking he’d never drive an F1® car ever again, he’s delivered in spades with a last-minute call up back to Haas.
He’s secured points in three out of four races and has shown why experience is so valuable, with Mick Schumacher failing to get on the scoreboard so far.
As a result, Haas has leapfrogged Williams and Aston Martin in the constructors’ championship after being miles off the pace last year.
Valtteri Bottas
Moving to Alfa Romeo has rejuvenated Valtteri Bottas’ career.
After being a rear gunner at Mercedes for five years, the Finn has finally emerged from Hamilton’s shadow to become a team leader.
In fact, he’s only four points off Hamilton in the standings.
