Performers and over-achievers: The F1 five who drive to thrive after 2023's opening races

With the Imola Grand Prix scrapped off the 2023 Formula 1 calendar following torrential rain and floods in the Emilia-Romagna region, it's a good time to reflect on the drivers' performance over the season's opening five races.

Granted, not every team is as strong as the next, but the drivers often make the difference.

We look at five drivers who stepped up their game in 2023's early rounds.

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez

Now, it's perhaps not a shock seeing the two Red Bull drivers topping the list. Max Verstappen has again improved his game, and Sergio Perez, albeit in the season's early stages, has come to the fore as a championship contender.

It's a brilliant feather in the cap for the Red Bull team, given that they started the season with a development disadvantage after being found guilty of exceeding the 2021 budget. The penalty - a 10% reduction in aerodynamic tests - came into play this year.

But even with their backs against the wall, Verstappen and Perez are utilizing and exploiting every ounce of performance from the RB19.

Red Bull's 2023 challenger has yet to undergo major updates and upgrades, but the 'base car' has been good enough to propel the two drivers to five victories from five races, with Verstappen on three and Perez on two.

Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso will add another year to his life in little over two months, and he has been fighting the good fight at the tender age of 42. Yes, it's a seasoned stage of his life, but the switch from Alpine to Aston Martin has done him wonders.

He is driving with new energy and has finished four of the opening five races in third place behind the two Red Bulls. Baku is the only fourth-place on his 2023 resume.

While some may have thought that the Spaniard was past