Ranking F1 drivers who changed teams before 2021 season

Changing teams in F1 is a massive challenge for drivers. Settling in with a new team in a new car can take a while. In some cases, drivers are unable to find their rhythm with their new team, like in the case of Pierre Gasly who coundn't keep up with Red Bull's expectations in 2019 and was moved back to the sister team.

Some drivers, on the other hand, are quick to adapt to a new environment and thrive.

Here's a look at drivers who changed teams before the 2021 season:

#5 Daniel Ricciardo (Renault to McLaren)

With Carlos Sainz moving to Ferrari, a seat opened up at McLaren for 2021 and after two years at Renault, Daniel Ricciardo decided to join the British team to partner Lando Norris. The young and fresh pairing of Ricciardo and Norris breathed life into a team that was consistently finding itself at the bottom of the standings and the Australian was expected to take the team to a whole new level. However, Norris essentially carried the team on his shoulders and went on to have the most impressive season of the career, finishing ahead of Ricciardo to everyone's surprise.

Despite a glorious maiden win for the team at the Italian Grand Prix, it is safe to say that 32-year-old Ricciardo had a very rocky year with disappointing consistency and pace. Ricciardo took longer than he should have to find a grip on his car and should have played a significant role in beating Ferrari in the fight for third place in the constructors' standings. Instead, he finished behind his team-mate as well as both Ferraris. Keeping his performance on track aside, the Honey Badger does seem to have found a home for himself at McLaren and could come back stronger in 2022.

#4 Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari to Aston Martin)

Sebastian Vettel had a very difficult 2020 with Ferrari, finishing 13th while former team-mate Charles Leclerc was eighth, as the Maranello-based team ended sixth in the constructors' standings. Vettel announced his move to Aston Martin, where he had a very poor start to the 2021 season.The German finished the first four races outside the points and finally began to pick up the momentum in Monaco with a strong P5 finish. In the subsequent race at Baku, he clinched his first podium for the team, but then continued to deliver inconsistent drives, having scored only two points in the next five races.

Vettel took another sensational podium at the Hungarian Grand Prix, but was devastatingly disqualified from the race because the FIA was unable to extract sufficient fuel from his car as a sample. Out of the remaining races, he finished outside the points in seven and ended the F1 season in twelfth, ahead of team-mate Lance Stroll. It is fair to say that the four-time world champion was given a less competitive car and that for the majority of the time, did the best with what he had.

#3 Sergio Perez (Racing Point to Red Bull)

Sergio Perez had a sensational final year at Racing Point (now Aston Martin), having clinched his maiden F1 race victory at the Sakhir Grand Prix in 2020. However, the Mexican spent all of the second half of the season in complete uncertainty after losing his seat to Sebastian Vettel, who joined the team in 2021 to partner Lance Stroll. After the season, it was announced that Perez would be joining Max Verstappen at Red Bull for 2021. The Austrian team had struggled to find the right driver to partner Verstappen ever since the departure of Daniel Ricciardo at the end of the 2018 season.

Despite some disappointing performances in qualifying and inconsistency in scoring points, the team ultimately seems to have found the right person to support their star driver in becoming world champion. Perez played a significant role in holding off Lewis Hamilton to benefit his team-mate in Turkey and Abu Dhabi and is largely credited with Verstappen's ultimate championship victory. However, the inconsistency on several occasions cost the team points that would have made them capable of putting up a real fight for the constructors' championship against Mercedes.

#2 Fernando Alonso (Alpine)

Fernando Alonso made an epic return to F1 with Alpine after having retired from the sport at the end of the 2018 season with McLaren. As with the rest of the drivers who joined new teams for the season, Alonso, too, struggled in the first half of the year. The Spaniard started to pick up the pace and find comfort with the car with a solid P6 in Baku. The Hungarian Grand Prix became a massive highlight for Alpine as a team where, in an iconic battle, Alonso defended against Lewis Hamilton to help his team-mate clinch his first race victory in F1.

Esteban Ocon returned the favor at the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix by defending "like a lion" against Sergio Perez. Alpine was in a close battle with Alpha Tauri for fifth in the constructors' championship and the solid partnership between the two drivers of the team allowed the French constructor to finish the season 13 points ahead of their rival. While Alonso did have some weak races throughout the season, his contribution to the team and the compatibility they demonstrated together was impressive to say the least. While some may find it completely unrealistic, die-hard Alonso fans hope to see the two-time world champion fight for his third victory in 2022.

#1 Carlos Sainz (McLaren to Ferrari)

Carlos Sainz has been on an impressive upward trend since joining McLaren with Lando Norris in 2019 and his move to Ferrari for the 2021 season could not have gone any better for the Spaniard. There is a certain kind of pressure that comes from joining the iconic Italian team that cannot be compared with any other constructor. On top of this, Sainz partnered with one of the most promising young talents in F1, Charles Leclerc, and most expected him to play a supporting role of sorts in the team. To everyone's surprise, not only did he manage to meet the standards and expectations set for 27-year-old, Sainz optimized nearly every opportunity to prove the potential he has and finished the season ahead of his team-mate.

Sainz even moved closer to the factory to be more involved with the team and the engineers, which beautifully reflected in his on-track performance. The Spaniard did take some time to get comfortable with the car. At the Monaco Grand Prix specifically, Ferrari demonstrated extraordinary pace and Sainz had a real opportunity to take his much-awaited maiden race win. While he ended up on the podium, he was disappointed at not having exploited the pace to the fullest. Despite a few letdowns, he ended the year on a 14-consecutive points finish and a surprise podium in the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Sainz is expected to return in 2022, determined to take race wins in a more competitive Ferrari.