Ranked: The last 20 drivers to make their F1 debuts – from worst to best

Formula 1 drivers are a rarity; the skill and money it takes to make it to the pinnacle of international open-wheel racing means some of the finest talents don’t always make it through. But what about the ones who do?

We’re taking a look at the last 20 drivers to debut in Formula 1, and ranking them based on their performance. While Formula 1 performances will earn greater weight, impressive performances in other series will also be taken into consideration.

N/A: Oliver Bearman

Oh, how to rank Oliver Bearman? The young driver has only competed in a single Formula 1 race — the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where he was replacing an ill Carlos Sainz Jr. His seventh-place finish was impressive, but competing in a Ferrari certainly only helped!

But without multiple races to look at, it’s tough to truly rank Bearman amongst the rest of these drivers. We’ll get a much better sense of his skill level after he competes with Haas in the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

19. Sergey Sirotkin

Sergey Sirotkin spent several years serving as a test and reserve driver for teams like Sauber and Renault before he finally made his F1 race debut with Williams in 2018. He took one point at the Italian Grand Prix, but he was dropped at the end of the year.

Since then, Sirotkin hasn’t done much racing. He went back into a reserve driver role for Renault in 2020 an dabbled in some sportscar racing, but without distinction.

18. Nikita Mazepin

Russian racer Nikita Mazepin’s year with the Haas Formula 1 team was a fairly uninspired one. In 21 races, he failed to score a single point, and he was ultimately dropped by the team in 2022 as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He’s taken two wins in the Asian Le Mans series — but the racer didn’t quite seem equipped for Formula 1.

17. Logan Sargeant

Logan Sargeant was unceremoniously released from Williams midway through the 2024 season, and it’s still a little early to evaluate his skill in other disciplines, as he’s not had a chance to compete in them yet.

His one point in F1 was a high note at the 2023 US Grand Prix, but he loses positions due to the nature of the way Williams let him go.

16. Nicholas Latifi

Canadian racer Nicholas Latifi spent three years with the Williams team, scoring in the points three times during his Formula 1 career. However, his frequent crashes ultimately saw the outfit drop him after 2022.

Though Latifi didn’t go on to pursue other drivers, he does earn some bonus points for recognizing that his skillset is better suited to pursuing an MBA.

15. Pietro Fittipaldi

Pietro Fittipaldi only had two outings in a Formula 1 car when he took over a Haas machine for an injured Romain Grosjean, and his performances weren’t quite spectacular — though in a Haas, spectacle wasn’t expected.

Since then, Fittipaldi has competed in both IndyCar and endurance racing. While his IndyCar results haven’t been the best, his sixth place overall in the 2023 World Endurance Championship and his LMP2 victory in IMSA this year earn him a top-15.

14. Mick Schumacher

Mick Schumacher struggled during his two years with the Haas Formula 1 team; though he secured points-paying finishes twice, he and the team departed on acrimonious terms.

Schumacher has now moved to the World Endurance Championship with the Alpine team, where he’s taken two top-10 finishes in the Hypercar class.

13. Jack Aitken

As with Bearman, it’s a little challenging to rank Jack Aitken within the context of Formula 1, having just one start under his belt. Unlike Bearman, though, Aitken’s F1 career has seemingly wrapped up, giving us a chance to rank him based on his other pursuits.

Those pursuits have primarily been in sportscar racing. He finished second in the 2022 Pro-Am Cup class in the European Le Mans Series, taken a win at the 12 Hours of Sebring, and taken a fifth in class at the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans. There’s still much to come from this 28-year-old driver.

12. Liam Lawson

Liam Lawson only had five starts in Formula 1 to prove himself when he replaced an injured Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri in 2023. Still, he took two points and even finished higher in the championship than some full-time drivers, which is a unique feat.

11. Zhou Guanyu

Zhou Guanyu, the only Chinese driver ever to compete in F1, is in his third Formula 1 season. Though his Sauber team hasn’t given him much to work with in terms of machinery, he’s nevertheless taken 12 career points and two fastest laps, which is particularly impressive from a car running so far at the back of the grid.

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10. Nyck de Vries

Nyck de Vries didn’t impress much in his half-season of Formula 1 racing, but the driver never quite seemed to grow accustomed to the car.

However, de Vries is one of the only drivers on this list to score a top-level international championship, courtesy of his Formula E title in the 202-21 season.

9. Yuki Tsunoda

Yuki Tsunoda’s Formula 1 future almost always seems to be in doubt, as the brutal VCARB team seeks to implement the latest and best talent. Nevertheless, the driver that debuted in 2021 will see a contract extension in 2025 — emblematic of his skill as a driver.

8. Lance Stroll

Lance Stroll’s Formula 1 career has been a complex one. In 159 starts, he’s taken one pole position, three podiums, and 292 points — but the general consensus among fans is that the Aston Martin driver doesn’t always seem to be F1 quality.

Still, his past performances can’t be discounted, earning him eighth place on our list.

7. Pierre Gasly

Pierre Gasly is one of the few Grand Prix winners on this list, and that victory was one that vindicated his role at AlphaTauri. See, Gasly was one of the drivers who was promoted from Toro Rosso to Red Bull a bit too soon, then demoted just as quickly. His win at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix was a much-needed salve.

The driver now competes with Alpine, and with a total of four podiums to his name, Gasly nearly cracks the top five.

6. Alex Albon

Though Alex Albon has fewer wins than Pierre Gasly as well as fewer podium, the Thai-British driver has been one of the more consistent drivers during his two stints in Formula 1.

After a brutal demotion and firing by Red Bull, Albon took a year off to return with Williams, where he has since become one of the team’s most reliable drivers in recent history.

5. Oscar Piastri

In just his second season of F1 competition, Oscar Piastri has proven himself a capable, competent, and level-headed racer. His role at the McLaren team has given him a chance to shine and take his first victory in Hungary — albeit under controversial conditions.

Of all the racers on the 2024 grid, Piastri is one with the greatest growth in front of him, which is an impressive feat considering how well he’s already performed.

4. George Russell

George Russell made an impressive debut with the Williams team back in 2019, earning the nickname “Mr. Saturday” for his ability to qualify his car in a much better position than it necessarily deserved.

Unfortunately for Russell, he joined the Mercedes team just as the team lost its dominant momentum to Red Bull Racing. But the driver has been there to take victories when the car has allowed it, and as his W15 improves, so does his performance.

3. Lando Norris

Lando Norris. The two-time Formula 1 winner has been creeping his way up the 2024 championship standings and looks set to challenge the once-dominant Max Verstappen.

But that pace is still relatively new to Norris. This year was the first he looked truly capable of challenging for wins, and he’s still proven that he’ll have work to do when it comes to improving his starts and managing in-race strategy. Give him more time, and he’ll almost certainly climb up this ranking.

2. Charles Leclerc

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is the winningest driver of this list, and that’s why he’s ranked first on this ranking of driver debuts. In 2022, he took second overall in the championship — the best finishing position of any of the drivers in this list (barring the still-to-be-completed 2024 season), and he’s been collecting victories since 2019.

Leclerc still has work to do to hit Championship driver quality (and his team needs to provide him with a car capable of doing it), but Leclerc remains the best of this bunch.

1. Brendon Hartley

Perhaps a controversial choice for a number 1, but it’s difficult to understate Brendon Hartley’s skill. The driver had a challenging time in Formula 1 with the Toro Rosso team, perhaps a bit past his prime; Hartley first served as a reserve driver for Red Bull Racing in 2008 but didn’t make his debut until 2017.

But before and after all that, Hartley established himself as an impeccable sportscar driver. He’s won three editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and scored three second places at the iconic race. And that’s alongside four WEC championships.

Of all the drivers on this list, Hartley is the only one who has taken multiple top-level FIA championships.

Read next: Where are they now? The last 20 drivers to make their F1 debuts