Last week, we gave you the chance to vote for the driver pairing that excites you the most heading into the new F1 season, with no fewer than six teams making changes to their line-ups over the winter break…
After tens of thousands of entries, we can reveal that the duo you’re particularly looking forward to watching through 2023 is… McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who collectively secured a 24% slice of the voting action.
OSCAR’S AWARDS: The stunning stats behind Piastri’s stellar junior career as he gets set for F1 debut
McLaren boss Zak Brown has already described F3 and F2 champion Piastri as an “immense talent” to look out for, while he expects Norris – set for his fifth season with the team – to get “better and better”. That sounds like game on at Woking…
Second in the list with 20% of the votes were Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, as their master and apprentice relationship gets set to enter its second season – both drivers vying to lead the Silver Arrows’ charge if they return to fully competitive ways after their tricky 2022.
Next up were Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz on 12%, with Ferrari – under new team boss Frederic Vasseur – looking to deliver a sustained title challenge this time out, followed by the Red Bull and Alpine driver pairings on 11% apiece.
Breaking down the votes, P4 went to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez by the narrowest of margins, with plenty of intrigue as to how the world champions move on from their team orders controversy in Brazil last season.
READ MORE: Team mate tussles, title contenders, and midfield battles – 7 exciting rivalries to watch out for in 2023
New Alpine team mates Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly therefore rounded out the top five, as the pair – who had some run-ins during their karting days – form the first all-French line-up at a Renault-backed team since Alain Prost and Rene Arnoux back in 1982.
Honourable mentions go to Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg (8%), who link up at Haas a few years on from that Hungaroring exchange, and the arrival of two-time champion Fernando Alonso alongside Lance Stroll at Aston Martin (5%).
Most anticipated 2023 F1 driver pairings
| Team | Drivers | Vote share |
|---|---|---|
| McLaren | Norris / Piastri | 24% |
| Mercedes | Hamilton / Russell | 20% |
| Ferrari | Leclerc / Sainz | 12% |
| Red Bull | Verstappen / Perez | 11% |
| Alpine | Ocon / Gasly | 11% |
| Haas | Magnussen / Hulkenberg | 8% |
| Aston Martin | Alonso / Stroll | 5% |
| AlphaTauri | Tsunoda / De Vries | 5% |
| Williams | Albon / Sargeant | 2% |
| Alfa Romeo | Bottas / Zhou | 2% |
