The five F1 drivers under the most pressure heading into 2024

Sergio Perez
Unsurprisingly, the first driver under the most pressure heading into F1 2024 is 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Sergio Perez.
While the Mexican did secure his best-ever championship finish in 2023 - runner-up behind 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Max Verstappen - it was arguably Perez’s worst season in F1.
It is important to acknowledge that while Perez does have a generational talent as his teammate, Perez isn’t doing himself any f💛avours.
Perez’s form in the mid part of F1 2023 was beyond accep🅷table for🌄 a someone driving the most dominant car in the history of the sport.

Between Monaco and Brazil, Perez finished on the podium just four times - 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Lando Norris f🎉or McLaren scored six top three finishes, as a c✱omparison.
The good ne🌠ws for Perez is that there’s no obvious repla꧑cement.
168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Daniel Ricciardo still needs to show he’s at the level required to take on Verstappen - so far alongside 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Yuki Tsunoda, he hasn’t been able to do so.
Norris is unlikely to leave a resurgent McLaren - plus is he going to want to go up a🎃gainst his best friend at 🐻this stage of his career?
Team boss Christian Horner says Perez’s future is in his🅠 own hands - and he’s right.
Logan Sargeant
For 2024, 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Logan Sargeant was the 20th and final driver to be confirmed as a driver 𝄹for the upcoming season.
Sargeant’s rookie season was underwhelming as he was whitewashed by teammate168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史: Alex Albon in qualifying.
Given the lack of alternatives for ಞWilliams to choose from, Sargeant being retained was ultimately inevitable.

With Williams seem🀅ingly on the rise in terms of pace, th𒈔e team cannot afford to have another season where Sargeant struggles to score points.
If AlphaTauri had Ricciardo-Tsunoda as their line-up for the entirety of 2023, it’s probable Williams would hav🐟e finished behind them.
With a second year of experience under his belt, Sargean𒊎t should be better for it.
Zhou Guanyu
Even though Theo Pourchaire won the 2023 FIA Formula 2 title, 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Zhou Guanyu was kept on alongside168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史: Valtteri Bottas.
Zhou’s lack of performance went under the radar in t♏he latter part of the year, out-qualifying Bottas just once after the summer break.
The Chinese driver seems to fare bet♛ter in the race, a🔥nd to his credit, rarely makes major mistakes.
ඣHowever, 𝕴his ceiling doesn’t seem to be high enough to warrant a fourth season on the F1 grid should he not get the better of Bottas more often.
Sauber have already called on🐬 Zhou to be “more consistent” in 2024.

“In some conditions, it's been a struggle a bit more and we're trying to understand what we can give him with the car and how we can work with the tyres, just to m𒐪ake sure he's more consistent," commented Sauber head of trackside engineering Xevi Pujolar.
“I🧸n some conditions, he is a bit more sensitive to what he is feeling. The differences are not big but in terms of positions they are big, so we need to work on that for next year.
“There is no room for any small drop or mistake.”
A cynic may argue that Zhou was only retained be🐷cause of the return of the Chinese Grand Prix in April.
Unfair, perhaꦑps, but he has to improve ahead of 2025.
Kevin Magnussen
While Haas did finish bottom of the constructors’ championship, 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Kevin Magnussen endured a poor year in 2023.
Magnussen was consistently the slower of the two Haas drive🐻rs, particularly over one lap.
The Dane openly admitted the VF-23 did not suit his driving style, explaining the substantial deficit to 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Nico Hulkenberg.

Magnussen is a proven driver, and on his day, is capable๊ of some standout drives, Miami 2023 for example.
But with Oliv💟er Bearman potentially waiting in the wings - the 18-year-old Brit is part of Ferrari’s driver academy - a change for 2025 is a no-brainer for Haas if he can secure the F2 title.
Daniel Ricciardo
The whole point of Ricciardo’s F1 comeback is to ꧙return to Red Bull - that’s why he’s under immense pressure in 2024.
Ricc𓄧iardo’s sole ambition is to return to race-winning machinery and end his F1 career driving for a top team.
2024 will ultimately define that.

It’s hard to read what level Ricciar�🔜�do is at given that his comeback was disrupted by his wrist injury.
When he did come back🧸, aside from Mexico, he and Tsunoda wereꦚ evenly-matched.
The amount of pressure Pe🦩rez is under will be determined by his own performances but also how well Ricciardo is faring at AlphaTauri.
There’s an open goal for ꦐRicciardo - let’s see i🍸f he can take it.

With a sharp eye for F1’s controversies and storyꦬlines, Connor is the heartbeat o🍌f our unbiased reporting.