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Max Verstappen has become the benchmark in F1 in the last couple of years.
Ever since the driver won his first world championship in 2021, he's taken things to another level in terms of his performance and has been in a league of his own. So much so that the last two seasons have seen Verstappen voted as the best driver of the season by team principals and drivers alike.
Even in 2023, the Red Bull driver has the best car on the grid and because of that, it's hard to see him facing much of a challenge from everyone else. Having said that, while Verstappen has clearly shown the ability to be the best on the grid, there are still drivers that could potentially beat him in competitive machinery.
It is fair to say that no driver is perfect and that holds true for Max Verstappen as well. He can be beaten, just like anyone else.
In this feature, we'll rank five drivers on the current F1 grid that could beat Max Verstappen. So without further ado, let's get straight to it.
#5 Fernando Alonso
It would be so unfair not to put the Spaniard on this list. Fernando Alonso has been a remarkable addition to the F1 grid over the last two seasons. The Aston Martin driver has gone out of his way to prove that age is just a number and he's still capable of fighting at the front of the grid.
His guile, racecraft, and experience (two decades of racing) will help him challenge and maybe even get one up on Verstappen should he get the opportunity in a competitive car.
There are some question marks over Alonso's qualifying pace, so that's one area that goes against him. Other than that, however, he will prove to be a worthy adversary for Max Verstappen.
#4 Lando Norris
The 2021 F1 season should be enough of an indicator of the caliber of driver that Lando Norris is. The McLaren driver scored multiple podiums, almost won a race in Sochi, and secured his first-ever pole position as well. Norris did all of this in a car that finished fourth in the championship standings.
He is rapid over a single lap and this is something that he's starting to turn into a trademark. Norris is also consistent, he does not make mistakes and most importantly, he's shown that he can hang with the best of the bunch on the grid.
The reason he's not higher on this list is the fact that he's not had the opportunity to fight at the front regularly. Once that happens, we could possibly see Norris record another mini jump in these rankings.
#3 Lewis Hamilton
The last benchmark on the F1 grid before Max Verstappen took the crown, Lewis Hamilton has not lost any of his speed. He's still brilliant in qualifying and races.
There has been a dip in motivation here and there and that has helped his teammates fare favorably at times. It's hard to deny, however, that the pace is still there.
Put Hamilton in a competitive car and watch a recreation of what happened in 2021.
#2 George Russell
The only reason George Russell ranks this high on this list is because he was arguably the last driver to go head-to-head against Max Verstappen in a competitive car and beat him.
Russell did that last season in Brazil and won the race. By doing so, he showed that he's capable enough to not only fight at the front of the grid but consistently turn up every weekend and put in an impressive performance.
The young Mercedes driver has been very impressive and one just hopes he gets the car to fight at the front.
#1 Charles Leclerc
The first five races last season were a bit of a false dawn for F1 fans.
We saw an epic battle in 2021 between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. That was a battle between the old guard and the new one. The first five races in 2022 showed Verstappen and Charles Leclerc locking horns in cars that were as comparable as they could get.
The eye-watering part of it was the fact that there was hardly anything to choose between the two drivers.
Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen both performed at such a high level that it was going to be an epic battle until the end. Of course, we all saw the wheels fall off as Ferrari did what Ferrari always do, but one thing was clear.
Leclerc was a worthy adversary for Verstappen and could hang with him in the heat of the battle.
At the moment, if there is one driver that many would pick to go against Verstappen in a battle and even beat him, then it's going to be Leclerc.
