Meet the 20 Formula One drivers competing in Las Vegas

(NOTE: Liam Lawson is 20th in the standings, but is not competing. He is the backup driver for AlphaTauri.)

Max Verstappen — No. 1

Country: The Netherlands

Team: Red Bull Racing

2023 points: 524 (first)

Stats: 183 career starts, 52 wins, 96 podiums (top-three finishes)

Verstappen is the three-time reigning World Drivers’ Champion and is in the middle of authoring the single greatest season in Formula One history. The youngest driver to ever start an F1 race and win an F1 race, Verstappen, now 26, completed his rise from prodigy to championship front-runner with his exciting first championship in 2021. He repeated as champion in 2022 and has already clinched the 2023 driver’s title, winning a record 17 races this season.

Sergio Perez — No. 11

Country: Mexico

Team: Red Bull Racing

2023 points: 258 (second)

Stats: 255 starts, six wins, 34 podiums

“Checo” Perez is a veteran driver known for his racing ability on street circuits like the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The 33-year-old has previously raced for Sauber, McLaren, Force India and Racing Point before joining Red Bull for the 2021 season. Perez was victorious in the Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan Grand Prix this season, making him one of only three drivers to win a race this season.

Lewis Hamilton — No. 44

Country: England

Team: Mercedes

2023 points: 226 (third)

Stats: 330 starts, 103 wins, 197 podiums

Hamilton is a seven-time champion and one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all time. The 38-year-old began his career as a prodigy at McLaren, winning the 2008 championship at just 23 years old. Hamilton’s move to Mercedes for the 2013 season kicked off one of the most dominant stretches in F1 history. He won six championships in seven seasons, most recently in 2020, to tie Michael Schumacher for the most ever. Hamilton was also knighted in 2021.

Fernando Alonso — No. 14

Country: Spain

Team: Aston Martin

2023 points: 198 (fourth)

Stats: 375 starts, 32 wins, 106 podiums

Alonso is a two-time champion, and holds the record for most Formula One starts. The 42-year-old began his F1 career in 2001 with Minardi and has also raced for McLaren, Ferrari and Alpine, but enjoyed his most successful years with Renault, winning consecutive titles in 2005 and 2006.

Lando Norris — No. 4

Country: England

Team: McLaren

2023 points: 195 (fifth)

Stats: 102 starts, no wins, 13 podiums

Norris arrived in Formula One at just 19 years old, joining McLaren for the 2019 season. Now 23, he enjoyed a breakout 2021 season, reaching the podium four times and finishing sixth in the standings. He has finished second six times this season, most recently at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Nov. 5, but is still searching for his maiden F1 victory.

Carlos Sainz Jr. — No. 55

Country: Spain

Team: Ferrari

2023 points: 192 (sixth)

Stats: 181 starts, two wins, 18 podiums

Sainz, 29, the son of two-time World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz Sr., began his career with Toro Rosso after coming through the Red Bull Academy. He left the Red Bull organization during the 2017 season to join Renault, where he stayed until 2019. He then had a successful two-year stint with McLaren before joining Ferrari for the 2021 season. Sainz’s most recent win came at the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix, and he is the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race this season.

Charles Leclerc — No. 16

Country: Monaco

Team: Ferrari

2023 points: 170 (seventh)

Stats: 121 starts, five wins, 28 podiums

Leclerc, 26, was the 2022 runner-up behind Verstappen and is the only Monegasque driver to win a Formula One Grand Prix. He began his career at Sauber, but only needed one season before he was selected to drive for Ferrari, where he was an academy driver, in 2019. Leclerc’s most recent win was the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix. He is known for his qualifying ability, having claimed 22 pole positions in his career.

George Russell — No. 63

Country: England

Team: Mercedes

2023 points: 156 (eighth)

Stats: 102 starts, one win, 10 podiums

Russell, 25, enjoyed a meteoric rise to Formula One. He won the Formula Three and Formula Two championships in his rookie seasons in each competition, then earned a seat racing at Williams in 2019. Russell joined Mercedes, where he was an academy driver during his junior career, for the 2022 season, and earned his first F1 win at the 2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Oscar Piastri — No. 81

Country: Australia

Team: McLaren

2023 points: 87 (ninth)

Stats: 20 starts, no wins, two podiums

Piastri, 22, made a major splash before he’d even started his first Formula One race. Originally a highly touted Alpine Academy junior driver, Piastri was announced as Fernando Alonso’s replacement at the French team ahead of the 2023 season, but he refuted the claims on his social media accounts. He instead joined McLaren, and scored his first podium by finishing second at the Qatar Grand Prix, his career-best result.

Lance Stroll — No. 18

Country: Canada

Team: Aston Martin

2023 points: 63 (10th)

Stats: 141 starts, no wins, three podiums

Stroll, 25, is the son of Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll, and is the youngest driver to ever reach the podium during a rookie season. He began his career in 2017 with Williams, skipping Formula Two. He then joined Racing Point in 2019 after the team was bought by a consortium led by Lawrence Stroll. The team was rebranded as Aston Martin for the 2021 season. Stroll has placed third three times, most recently at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix.

Pierre Gasly — No. 10

Country: France

Team: Alpine

2023 points: 62 (11th)

Stats: 128 starts, one win, four podiums

Gasly, 27, was the biggest winner of the Oscar Piastri contract chaos. Gasly spent most of his career at Red Bull’s junior team Toro Rosso, which was rebranded as AlphaTauri in 2020. Gasly was promoted to Red Bull Racing to partner with Verstappen in 2019, but returned to Toro Rosso after just 12 races, replaced by Alex Albon. Gasly earned his lone F1 win at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix. He joined Alpine for the 2023 season after Piastri departed for McLaren.

Esteban Ocon — No. 31

Country: France

Team: Alpine

2023 points: 46 (12th)

Stats: 131 starts, one win, three podiums

Ocon, 27, earned his Formula One debut with Manor Racing in 2016, but began to make his mark after joining Force India in 2017. However, the team’s sale to Lawrence Stroll and rebranding as Racing Point in 2019 cost Ocon his seat. He was replaced by Lance Stroll, and spent the 2020 season as a reserve driver for Mercedes. He returned to F1 in 2020 with Renault, which was rebranded to Alpine in 2021. Ocon won his first and only race in the rain at the chaotic 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Alex Albon — No. 23

Country: Thailand

Team: Williams

2023 points: 27 (13th)

Stats: 79 starts, no wins, two podiums

Albon, 27, is the second Thai Formula One driver and the first to reach the podium. He began his career in the Red Bull Academy, earning his first Formula One drive with Toro Rosso in 2019. He replaced Gasly at Red Bull after just 12 races but lost his seat to Perez after a difficult 2020 season. Albon returned to F1 with Williams in 2022. He reached the podium twice while driving for Red Bull, most recently finishing third at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix.

Yuki Tsunoda — No. 22

Country: Japan

Team: AlphaTauri

2023 points: 13 (14th)

Stats: 61 starts, no wins, no podiums

Tsunoda, 23, became the first Japanese driver to race in Formula One since 2014 when he debuted with AlphaTauri in 2021. Tsunoda has been affiliated with Red Bull since 2019, and finished third in his lone Formula Two season. His best result was a fourth-place finish at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Valtteri Bottas — No. 77

Country: Finland

Team: Alfa Romeo

2023 points: 10 (15th)

Stats: 220 starts, 10 wins, 67 podiums

Bottas, 34, helped Mercedes win five consecutive constructor’s championships as Lewis Hamilton’s teammate from 2017-2021. Bottas initially broke into Formula One at Williams in 2013, then moved to Mercedes, where he twice finished as the runner-up to Hamilton for the championship. Bottas joined Alfa Romeo in 2022. His most recent win came at the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix.

Nico Hulkenburg — No. 27

Country: Germany

Team: Haas

2023 points: 9 (16th)

Stats: 201 starts, no wins, no podiums

Hulkenberg, 36, entered Formula One after an incredibly successful junior career, joining Williams in 2010. He raced with Force India in 2012, spent one season with Sauber in 2013, then returned to Force India. He joined Renault in 2017, but struggled in 2019 and lost his seat. Hulkenberg returned to the grid with Haas in 2023. Despite scoring 530 points in his F1 career, he owns the record for most starts without a podium. He’s finished in fourth place three times, most recently at the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix.

Daniel Ricciardo — No. 3

Country: Australia

Team: AlphaTauri

2023 points: 6 (17th)

Stats: 237 starts, eight wins, 32 podiums

Ricciardo, 34, is known for his personality off the race track. Nicknamed the “Honey Badger,” he was a championship contender in the mid-2010s, but departed Red Bull in 2019. After a successful stint at Renault, he joined McLaren, where he won the team’s first race since 2012 at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix. However, he lost his seat to Piastri after a disappointing 2022. He replaced Dutch driver Nyck De Vries at AlphaTauri after the 2023 British Grand Prix, but missed five races after breaking his hand during a free practice session at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Zhou Guanyu — No. 24

Country: China

Team: Alfa Romeo

2023 points: 6 (18th)

Stats: 42 starts, no wins, no podiums

Zhou, 24, became the first Chinese Formula One driver when he debuted with Alfa Romeo in 2022. Originally an Alpine Academy driver, his best result is an eighth-place finish at the 2022 Canadian Grand Prix. He’s best known for his crash at the 2022 British Grand Prix, where his car flipped upside down at the first corner after a collision with George Russell. He credits the car’s halo with saving his life.

Kevin Magnussen — No. 20

Country: Denmark

Team: Haas

2023 points: 3 (19th)

Stats: 161 starts, no wins, one podium

Magnussen, 31, is the son of former endurance and F1 driver Jans Magnussen. He made his Formula One debut in 2014 for McLaren. He spent one season with Renault in 2016, then joined American team Haas in 2017. Magnussen lost his seat following the 2020 season after scoring just one point, but returned to Haas on short notice in 2022. His best result came in his first race, when he was promoted to second place at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix after original second-place finisher Ricciardo was disqualified because of fuel-flow irregularities.

Logan Sargeant — No. 2

Country: United States

Team: Williams

2023 points: 1 (21st)

Stats: 20 starts, no wins, no podiums

Sargeant, 22, became the first American Formula One driver since Alex Rossi in 2015 when he signed for Williams this season. He is the brother of former NASCAR driver Dalton Sargeant. Logan Sargeant finished fourth in the 2022 Formula Two standings to earn his Formula One drive. He scored his first point during the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on X.