Carlos Sainz Jr.

Sainz had his best season in Formula One last year scoring his first victory, 10 podiums, three pole positions, and finishing fifth for the second year in a row. Like teammate Leclerc, last year started brightly for Sainz with three podium finishes from the first five races. He similarly suffered from the squad's mid-season slump, though. In addition to the team's woes, Sainz endured four DNFs due to crashes and a further two more due to mechanical issues. Eliminating those would help him be a bigger player in the championship battle, which he should be capable of considering his pace. Sainz said that he has come to grips with this new generation of car and is looking to deliver more consistency in 2023. He will need the best from the team to be among the championship contenders, but at a minimum we would hope to see Sainz winning multiple races this season.