Meet This Year's Hottest F1 Drivers

Born in Melbourne in 2001, the 22-year-old Australian driver is one of the two new rookie drivers that have joined the lineup for this year’s season. Taking over Daniel Ricciardo’s seat in McLaren, Oscar first began his racing career in remote control cars where he became a champion at the age of 9. He soon moved over to go-karts, where he made his conventional path to Formula 1.

Yuki Tsunoda went from racing in Japanese F4 to a Formula 1 seat with AlphaTauri in just over three years, having arrived in Europe in 2019 with no knowledge of the circuits. But after a slow start in F3, followed by a hugely impressive debut F2 campaign that saw him finish third in the championship and pick up three wins along the way, Yuki proved he had the speed and the race craft to force his way on to the F1 grid. The racing driver and his previous AlphaTauri teammate, Piere Gasly were lauded for their strong relationship as teammates. However, the two were separated when Piere left the team to join Alpine in 2023. Now, Yuki races alongside his new teammate, Nick De Vries.

Kevin Magnussen is officially back on the grid! While he may be a second-generation F1 driver – following his father, Jan, onto the grid – the talented driver, who is now racing for Haas, has shown his promising abilities on the track with his meaty manoeuvres and elbows-out approach have earned him a bad-boy reputation on track.

Logan Sargeant has become F1’s first American driver in almost eight years as he takes to the grid for the 2023 season. Finishing runner-up in F4 UAE, third in British F4 and third in F3, the rookie has plenty of potential still to be untapped. This also convinced Williams to add the youngster to their books as he reached F2.

Previously a reserve driver for Mercedes, Nyck De Vries has finally secured a seat as a driver for AlphaTauri. He impressed many at the paddock when he was unexpectedly called by Williams to replace the unwell Alex Albon at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix, of which he out-qualified and out-raced regular driver Nicholas Latifi to take the chequered flag in a highly-impressive ninth place. At 27, Nyck proves that he’s still passionate for the sport and that he’s looking to ensure that the sport becomes home for the peak phase of his motor racing career.

Nico Hulkenberg might not be the newest driver on the lineup but he’s back and he’s ready to conquer the grid this season. Now driving for Haas, Nico was previously a reserve driver for Aston Martin F1 Team for the year 2022. While he may not be the youngest in the team, he has shown incredible strength and stamina as a midfield marauder for Williams, Force India, Sauber, Renault, Racing Point and Aston Martin during a career spanning back to 2010.

Fernando Alonso needs no introduction. A force to be reckoned with, the legend himself progressed to car racing at the age of 17, winning the Euro Open by Nissan in 1999 and was fourth in the International Formula 3000 Championship of 2000. He debuted in Formula One with Minardi in 2001 before joining Renault as a test driver in 2002. Fiercely competitive, the Spaniard has been dominating the grid in 2023 in his new Aston Martin seat, after he left his previous team, Alpine in 2022.

What’s not to love about Lando Norris? He’s talented, good looking and is one of the few drivers you should look out for this season. Having started his Formula One racing career in 2019 for McLaren, the soon-to-be 24-year-old has also signed a new £80 million contract with McLaren for four more years.

But aside from being an amazing driver, the young lad also has his own gaming and lifestyle brand, Quadrant, that combines his love for gaming, lifestyle, content and apparel. In an interview with BBC Sport, Lando shares, “Quadrant is something I’ve wanted to do for a long while. And while racing will be a focus and be a bigger passion than almost any other esports, Quadrant is hopefully going to be expanding into many other different categories of esports and games.”

But it doesn’t end there. In fact, Lando has also dipped his toes into the racing kart industry of which he has opened LN Racing Kart by OTK Kart Group in 2021.

Hailing from the land down under, it’s pretty fair to describe Daniel Ricciardo as the funniest guy in Formula One. If you’ve been keeping track of Netflix’s series, ‘Drive To Survive’, then you would probably know what we’re talking about.

And while he does know how to crack a few jokes, Daniel Ricciardo is also widely recognised for his impressive track record. The 33-year-old first made his debut in 2011 British Grand Prix with the HRT team, before he moved on to Toro Rosso, Red Bull, and his current team McLaren.

But what’s Daniel famously known for you might ask? Well, it would have to be his infamous shoey podium celebration. Starting in 2016, the driver introduced the trend in Formula One in which he celebrated a podium finish at the German Grand Prix by drinking champagne from his shoe. Yes, you read that right. It’s pretty gross, but Daniel Ricciardo has kept the tradition alive ever since, and has also convinced many drivers who have stood beside him on the podium to participate in his shoey celebration including Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton and his teammate, Lando Norris.

This year, the Australian driver lost his seat in McLaren, but he still managed to find a spot as a reserved driver for the Redbull racing team — so we’re keeping our eyes peeled for when he needs to fill the spot for Max or Checo this season.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton needs no introduction. The 38-year-old who is still racing for Mercedes, is best known for dominating the race track. However, he did lose out in the Driver championship standings last year, where he came in sixth behind the Red Bull and Ferrari drivers as well as his own teammate, George Russell.

And while he is one of the most recognisable F1 drivers of all time, Lewis has also made a name for himself in the fashion industry after being seen in multiple fashion events including Paris Fashion Week, where he was spotted rubbing shoulders with other A-listers including celebs like Zendaya in 2022.

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The British Formula 1 driver first started racing for F1 when he made his debut for Williams in 2019. However, George soon rose to success and recently joined Mercedes last year. Now he drives alongside his teammate, seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton.

A dream come true for him and many of his supporters, George Russell took the world by storm after making a name for himself with his phenomenal performance at the Formula 1 Rolex Sakhir Grand Prix 2020 in a Mercedes car, when he replaced Lewis Hamilton when he tested positive for Covid-19. While the driver did not win the race due to unforeseen circumstances, he definitely made quite the impression and won the title of ‘Driver of the Day’ for the race. Though he was gutted to be placed in the ninth position, George Russell has definitely garnered the respect of many fans with his undying strive to fight to score some points for the team.

George Russell was also the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Champion for ART and the 2017 GP3 Series Champion.

Max Verstappen made waves in 2021 after winning his first World Driver Championship in Formula One, and he continued to dominate the charts in 2022 when he claimed took home the same title in his second year running. The 25-year-old, who is also known as the son of former Formula One driver Jos Verstappen, has shown his promising skills over the years and is expected to take on more podiums this season for the Red Bull Racing team. Aside from his impressive racing record, the Belgian-Dutch driver also scores in the looks department with his chiselled feature and glistening blue eyes.

And did we mention that he’s also together with the ever-so-gorgeous Kelly Piquet? The two started dating at the end of 2020, and their relationship has continued to bloom ever since.

Sergio Perez, also nicknamed “Checo”, is one of the few fearless drivers on the track. Having moved to Red Bull Racing in 2021, the Mexican driver is hardworking and knows how to scale up the grid even when he’s under immense pressure. In 2021, Sergio also managed to take his podium in Mexico delighting his home fans. He celebrated the momentous occasion alongside his teammate Max Verstappen and his family members.

The Mexican driver started with the Force India team in 2014 after a year with McLaren in 2013 and two years at Sauber from 2011 to 2012. In his Formula One career, Sergio has had multiple podium finishes, with a major win at the Formula 1 Rolex Sakhir Grand Prix 2020 where he came in first on the podium.

Charles Leclerc first made his F1 debut in 2016, but his good looks and charm easily win him a place in our hearts for every race. In an interview during Netflix’s Drive To Survive, the racing driver shared that it was his dream to drive for the Scuderia Ferrari team. After driving for Sauber in 2016, winning GP3 Series championship and the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2017, Charles Leclerc joined Ferrari in 2019 where he now races alongside his teammate, Carlos Sainz, and has been excelling in the grid, having won second position in the 2022 Driver Standings.

The Spanish driver is a metador when it comes to racing. After having raced for McLaren where he replaced his childhood hero, Fernando Alonso, he moved on to the Scuderia Ferrari team, replacing Sebastian Vettel, and is now still racing for the team. With some tenacity, drive and passion, Carlos Sainz definitely owns the game with his undying fighting spirit. Last year, the driver came in fifth in Driver Standings and has generously contributed to the team’s 2022 Constructor Standings where they came in second behind Red Bull Racing.

After making a name for himself as the “TikTok Legend” on Mercedes’ socials in 2021, Valtteri Bottas has acquired a loyal following for his hilarious content on the team’s socials. While he does seem shy and reserved, Valtteri is fearless and isn’t afraid to push his limits on the track.

The driver who drove for Mercedes from 2017 to 2021, is now leading Alfa Romeo for this 2023 season, where he drives alongside his teammate Zhou Guanyu, who had made his debut last year as the first Chinese F1 driver.

Shanghai-born racer, Zhou Guanyu attended his home city’s inaugural Grand Prix in 2004 at the age of five, but it wasn’t long before he realised his passion for driving in a race car. With Fernando Alonso being his main inspiration, Zhou took on the challenge and set himself the ambitious goal of becoming his country’s first-ever F1 racer. At the age of 12, he took his first step and moved to England with his family to pursue his motorsport ambitions. After multiple wins in Formula 2, Alfa Romeo Team Principal Fred Vasseur put his faith in Zhou and placed him in the Alfa Romeo team in 2022, where he is now driving alongside his teammate Valteri Bottas.

Pierre might only be 27, but we know it wouldn’t take long before he starts winning our hearts at every track across the globe. While the French racing driver’s journey to Formula One was bumpy and sometimes tragic, especially during his time at Red Bull Racing, he did pick himself up after returning to Toro Rosso, where he scored almost as many points as his teammate Kvyat managed over the entire year in 2019. Pierre then continued to stay driven and delivered more success to the renamed Scuderia AlphaTauri team in 2020 and was back on the podium and scored 110 of the squad’s 142 points in 2021. After spending the bulk of his career with Red Bull’s sister team, AlphaTauri, the racing diver recently switched teams to join Alpine for the 2023 season, where he now races alongside his fellow Franch teammate, Esteban Ocon.

The Canadian born driver certainly makes hearts race with his captivating brown eyes and rockin’ racing abilities. The Aston Martin team driver achieved his first podium finish, a third place, at the 2017 Azerbajian Grand Prix, and claimed another podium at the Formula 1 Rolex Sakhir Grand Prix 2020. But if there’s one thing that this driver doesn’t have in common with the other drivers on the grid, it would have to be the fact that he has a wet weather predilection. The 24-year-old shares that he believes the wet weather conditions allow him to show more of his natural talent and he feels comfortable driving under such conditions. And while many might disagree, he has definitely proven to be a strong contender to keep an eye out for.

After competing for Toro Rosso and Red Bull Racing, Alexander Albon Ansusinha is back on the grid with Williams. The British-Thai racing driver first started racing at the age of eight, and have continuously participated in multiple races over the years before earning his seat in Toro Rosso, alongside Daniil Kvyat. During the second half of the season in 2020, Alex Albon then replaced Pierre Gasly in the Red Bull Racing Team, where he took his first podium finish at the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix.

However, after two seasons in Formula One, Alex was then demoted to a test and reserve driver role with Red Bull for 2021, of which his previous seat was taken over by Sergio Perez.

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Esteban Ocon first made his Formula One debut for Manor Racing in the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix, replacing Rio Haryanto. After proving his impressive driving skills, the French racing driver was then offered a seat for Force India the following year where he drove alongside his teammate Sergio Perez. However, after Lawrence Stroll, took over Force India midway in 2018, the team replaced him with Lance Stroll, of which Esteban then ended up as a reserve driver for Mercedes.

After a year of being on the sidelines, Esteban Ocon then managed to grab a race seat for 2020 with Renault, which has been renamed to Alpine in 2021.

This article originally appeared in Her World.