Formula 1 has seen some very memorable driver line-ups in its history. Think Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello at Ferrari (2000-2005), Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber at Red Bull (2009-2013), and Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost at McLaren in 1988 and '89.
These are only a few examples of driver pairings that endured for more than one season, but they often resulted in success for their teams. However, not every story has a happy ending; just ask Webber how it went with Vettel, or Prost if he'd elaborate on his tightly strung relationship with Senna.
But in 2023, only four teams will continue with an existing driver pairing, with the remaining six all opting for a fresh start.
Some fresh duos for 2023 ??#F1 pic.twitter.com/avMSOhAM3P
The line-ups
At Red Bull, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will continue for the third straight season. Perez joined the Austrian team at the start of the 2021 season, with 2022 being one of the team's most successful campaigns to date.
Together, Verstappen and Perez tackled 44 races in the two seasons they donned the Red Bull overall, with the expectation being that they could rake in more success this year.
Carlos Sainz Jr also joined Ferrari in 2021, but was outraced by teammate Charles Leclerc. His fortunes turned for the better in 2022, with a maiden victory coming at the British Grand Prix. Still, Leclerc had his number throughout the 44 races they've been teammates, with the team's chosen son touted to challenge for the Drivers' championship this year.
The perks of being a @ScuderiaFerrari driver are pretty cool ??@Charles_Leclerc @Carlossainz55 pic.twitter.com/8sMbZqOKLp
Lewis Hamilton has been Mercedes-AMG's star driver since joining the team in 2013, before winning every championship
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