EA Sports' F1 23 is now available and players might immediately wonder how the drivers on the grid stack up compared to previous years. With a number of new rookies appearing on the grid as well as some standout performances in both the 2022 season and the start of the 2023 season, the driver statistics have been altered, which could have implications for players, particularly in MyTeam Career mode.
While the stats are not likely to surprise too many fans of the sport, they could influence who players might choose to sign as their teammate in career modes, as well as allow players to predict roughly where drivers will be competing with each other throughout the course of a season.
10 Esteban Ocon
Esteban Ocon has proven himself with a win at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix as well as multiple podiums including one this season at the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix. The French driver continues to race for Alpine and his strongest assets are his 92 Racecraft along with 86 Pace.
Ocon only has 77 Experience, however, and his 76 Awareness stat means that he is more likely than others to get into accidents on the racetrack. Overall, Esteban has a rating of 86, which is incredibly solid for the Alpine driver.
9 Valtteri Bottas
With multiple podiums and race victories to his name, Valtteri Bottas spent the majority of his career as a front-runner for Mercedes, though now he is signed to the mid-field team Alfa Romeo. His 97 Awareness is the highest on the grid, owing to his exceptional safety which is reflected in his AI's cautious maneuvers. His 88 Experience is also a strong point and comes largely in thanks to his time at Williams and the Silver Arrows.
His Pace and Racecraft are both a joint 86, which makes Bottas more than capable of ending up in the points on any given race weekend. His statistics amount to a total rating of 87, which places him above most other mid-field drivers.
8 George Russell
Having recently been promoted to Mercedes from back-of-the-grid Williams, George Russell has unfortunately not had the luck to demonstrate the full potential of his abilities just yet. Nonetheless, the British driver has scored several podiums along with a race win in Brazil 2022. These performances are reflected in his 91 Pace and 87 Racecraft statistics.
In contrast, his lack of experience sees his Experience stat increase only to 76, while his proneness to accidents on the circuit gives him 83 Awareness. Overall, Russel's total rating amounts to 88, which is incredibly solid given he has only raced in a front-running team for one season.
7 Carlos Sainz Jr.
Carlos Sainz Jr got his first race win in 2022 at the British Grand Prix and was among the leading contenders for most podium places throughout the year. The Spanish driver gets a boost to his stats relative to previous games, now clocking in a solid 92 Racecraft and 87 Pace.
With 84 Experience and 81 Awareness, however, Sainz can struggle at times and be prone to the occasional accident. The Ferrari driver still ranks among the more competitive cars in the field though, and his 88 overall rating is a reflection of this.
6 Lando Norris
Lando Norris is one of the most talented and popular drivers to enter Formula 1 in recent years. The McLaren racer has scored multiple podiums in the past and even managed to qualify as high as third in the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix. His 91 Racecraft and 91 Pace demonstrate his fast lap times and overtaking ability.
He is slightly lacking in other departments, however, with only a 79 rating for Awareness and 76 Experience. Though Lando is still one of the youngest drivers on the Formula 1 grid, he is up there with the fastest of them when it comes to comparing drivers' skills. Overall Norris gets a rating of 89 from the developers.
5 Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc was, at least for the first half of the 2022 season, Verstappen's closest rival in terms of battling for the championship. A series of strategy and reliability issues soon dropped the Monegasque out of contention, but the young Ferrari driver is still highly skilled and full of potential. His 90 Pace and 92 Racecraft show just how fast he can be - especially during qualifying sessions.
His 85 Awareness and 77 Experience do show a weaker side to him, but Leclerc is still a very solid driver and more than capable of scoring both podiums and race wins. His statistics tally up to an overall rating of 89.
4 Sergio Perez
Since 2011, Sergio "Checo" Perez has shown himself to be a proven racer of a high caliber, as well as a race winner across multiple teams. Often in the shadow of his teammate Max Verstappen, it can be easy to overlook the skills of the Mexican driver. With 93 Racecraft and 91 Experience, Perez solidifies himself as one of the best-attacking drivers in the game.
Checo's 87 Pace and 86 Awareness are also extremely solid stats, ensuring that more often than not, Perez will be somewhere near the front of the grid both in qualifying and on race day. Perez's overall rating amounts to 89, placing him among the top drivers on the grid.
3 Fernando Alonso
Revitalized by his move to Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso seems like the driver of old once again this season, and it has been reflected by his impressive driving stats in F1 23. The Spanish 2x world champion has the highest Experience stat at 99, while his Pace is also very high at 93.
Similarly, the wily Spaniard has 91 Racecraft (which could arguably be even higher) - but he is let down slightly by his 78 Awareness. Overall Alonso is one of the best drivers on the grid with a 92 rating.
2 Lewis Hamilton
As a seven-time world champion, Great Britain's Lewis Hamilton is the most decorated driver in the sport since Michael Schumacher and holds more race wins than any other driver. This is reflected in his 97 Experience stat and his 94 Awareness.
Hamilton also possesses 94 Racecraft and 90 Pace, making him the most statistically balanced of the front-running drivers. In recent years, the issue has been more to do with his car than the driver himself, but his 92 rating overall still reflects the impressive performances he has put in and the multiple podiums he has scored at the start of the current season.
1 Max Verstappen
The reigning back-to-back world champion Max Verstappen is by far the fastest driver on the grid and will likely be the favorite heading into most race weekends. The Dutchman has the highest Racecraft and Pace stats, clocking up at 97 and 95 respectively.
His Experience (84) and Awareness (85) stats have also been given a boost compared to last year, and it is easy to see why given how dominant the Red Bull driver has been in recent seasons. Overall Verstappen's abilities amount to an overall rating of 94, higher than any other driver on the grid.
F1 23 is available on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC platforms starting June 16, 2023.