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The F1 grid is full of achievers and champions. It boasts multiple world champions like Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, and Max Verstappen. There are champions from the junior categories as well like George Russell, Charles Leclerc, and Oscar Piastri (all F2 champions).
Having said that, just like everything else in life, the drivers on the current F1 grid are not perfect and have their flaws and weaknesses.
So what are these flaws and weaknesses of the drivers on the grid? Let's find out as we take a look at the key weaknesses of every driver on the F1 grid.
One key weakness for each F1 driver on the grid
Max Verstappen
It's hard to pick faults in a driver who won 19 races this season but if we have to, this would come down to Max Verstappen's tendency to just take unnecessary risks.
Some actions like the one where he overtook cars at the pitlane exit are just too risky and unnecessary. More importantly, he could damage a front wing while doing that.
Sergio Perez
It has to be his Qualifying pace. Sergio Perez has struggled with single-lap pace throughout his career and that continues to be the case even now as he's a Red Bull driver.
Lewis Hamilton
For Lewis Hamilton, it might just be a lack of focus if things don't go his way. Sometimes when things don't entirely go the Brit's way, he tends to drop his head and get distracted by things that should not occupy his mind in general.
George Russell
For George Russell, it might just be his eagerness to get a big result under his belt this season. The Mercedes driver knew just like everybody else that the 2023 F1 season was a wrap as soon as the first race was done. Hence his attempts to secure that one standout result hurt him.
Charles Leclerc
This might sound a bit leftfield but for Charles Leclerc, it has to be his love and desperation to win with Ferrari.
Leclerc wants to be successful with the Italian team and it does appear that he's willing to bet long-term on a seat with the team.
Carlos Sainz
For Carlos Sainz, it might just be how distracted he can get in case of a penalty he feels he should not have got. This was on evidence prominently in Australia and other races as well this season.
Lando Norris
In the case of Lando Norris, what works for him in general can also go against him.
The McLaren driver demands perfection from himself but when he's unable to achieve that, he beats himself up a little too much.
Oscar Piastri
It's tough to name too many things wrong about Oscar Piastri, especially since he's only completed one season in F1. But maybe he might need to focus on bringing a certain level of aggression to his demeanor.
Until now, Piastri has kept a very pliable demeanor and does not push back too much, it will be interesting to see if that is one area where he would be looking to work on.
Fernando Alonso
One that jumps off the top when we look at the fact that Fernando Alonso has not won a race for a decade is his ability to choose the right teams.
In general, the Spaniard does need to stop burning the bridges every time he leaves a team.
Lance Stroll
It might be a bit too harsh a criticism for Lance Stroll but the Canadian might just lack a level of seriousness needed to be successful in F1.
He's been part of the sport for a long time now and unfortunately, he's not had the kind of evolution that one sees with other drivers.
Esteban Ocon
For Esteban Ocon, the one thing that would stand out on the driving front is inconsistency. He just seems to lose the plot midway through the season and goes missing for a few races. This happened in 2021 and in 2023 as well.
Pierre Gasly
Pierre Gasly might have a few temperamental issues when things don't go his way. This has often been on evidence in races when somehow things don't go in his favor.
Alex Albon
For Alex Albon, it might just be his lack of punchy nature within a team. He has his demands, there's no doubt about that. But when it comes to asserting himself within a team, he seemed to lack that.
Logan Sargeant
Logan Sargeant needs to work on his temperament. The American was seen in tears multiple times this season, more notably during the American races, and for him, that's something that he might need to work on.
Yuki Tsunoda
Just like Logan Sargeant, Yuki Tsunoda still tends to have episodes of rage that are just not how he should be conducting himself during a race.
Daniel Ricciardo
For Daniel Ricciardo one major thing that seems to stand out is adaptability. The Australian driver has been unable to show that wrinkle and it led to his hiatus from F1 earlier in the season.
Valtteri Bottas
For Valtteri Bottas, arguably the biggest weakness has to be his race starts. While the Finnish driver has always been impressive in qualifying, his race starts have been underwhelming at best.
Guanyu Zhou
For Guanyu Zhou the biggest issue has been a lack of consistency in his career. It's evident even in his F1 career as well as he continues to just be a supporting cast to Bottas at Sauber.
Nico Hulkenberg
For Nico Hulkenberg, it has to be a lack of tire management. Although it's not as adverse as the Haas makes it appear, the German driver still has that weakness going back to almost a decade.
Kevin Magnussen
For Kevin Magnussen, it might just be the adaptability factor. The Dane has found it hard to adapt to a new car this F1 season while his teammate was able to.
