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The 2023 F1 season has mostly been a one-team dominance despite boasting some of the most prestigious talents in the sport's history. Max Verstappen and Red Bull have been heads and shoulders above the competition so far.
After last season's relatively competitive championship battle, it looks like Ferrari and Charles Leclerc have fallen away. They won't be able to stop Verstappen and Red Bull from claiming both titles.
However, despite only two different race winners this season, there have been some F1 drivers who have impressed the fans and pundits alike. The three drivers on the list below haven't been in the top five but have been standouts on the grid and in their respective teams.
Here are three drivers who have impressed so far this 2023 season:
Alex Albon - Williams F1 team
The Thai-British driver had already been a standout last season when he managed to score four of the team's six points last year. But Albon has come into his own as a driver and scored seven points in arguably one of the slowest cars on the grid.
His most recent performance at the Canadian GP has only gone and proven the point even more. He started the race from P9 and finished P7, holding much faster cars.
Albon is settled with the team and has a long contract. However, there is always a possibility that he might get another shot at a big team if he continues to outperform the car in the future.
Yuki Tsunoda - AlphaTauri
Another driver who has largely been driving at the back of the field because of his car's performance is Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese had a lot of questions surrounding him before the start of the season. He had largely underdelivered on his potential in his first two years in the sport.
But It looks like he has finally come into his own and embraced the role of the team leader. Tsunoda has been putting in some stellar performances thi season even if the points don't reflect so. The AlphaTauri F1 driver has only scored two points from eight completed races but they don't tell the full picture of his season.
Oscar Piastri - McLaren F1
There was an immense amount of attention on the rookie Australian driver as he made his debut with the iconic British team this season. Oscar Piastri made a startling decision to leave Alpine for McLaren last season in the whole contract saga around him. But thus far, he has proven his potential and talent as he has been able to compete with the established Lando Norris in the same car.
Piastri has finished behind his British teammate almost every single weekend. But he has been closer than many people give him credit for during the weekends.
Once he gets even more comfortable and settled within the team, he can possibly get ahead of his teammate's performances and results.
