Mercedes has handed new deals to Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, keeping both on the F1 grid for another two seasons beyond 2023.
While last year featured several shocking moves, this year’s driver market has been quiet, but that’s largely down to the current deals across the grid.
Here’s how the grid currently looks from a contractual point of view.
Red Bull
Max Verstappen
Contract until: 2028
Three months after Max Verstappen won his first world championship in 2021, Red Bull confirmed a bumper new deal for the Dutchman. Verstappen’s previous was to 2023 but the reported $55 million a year extension tied him down long term.
He has been worth every penny. Verstappen is currently obliterating F1’s record books and is cruising towards a third world title this year. He looks strongly placed to add a fourth and a fifth before F1’s rules change again in 2026.
Sergio Perez
Contract until: 2024
Sergio Perez’s win at the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix was followed up with a two-year contract extension. His form this year has prompted speculation Red Bull might seek an early exit from his deal but Red Bull boss Christian Horner has repeatedly insisted Perez will remain in the car next year.
Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz
Contracts until: 2024
There were some reports linking Charles Leclerc to Mercedes earlier this year, but he has repeatedly stated his dream of winning a world championship with Ferrari in future. It is easy to be skeptical about that dream given the frustrations Leclerc has endured during his time in red.
It is harder to be so sure about where Sainz’s next F1 deal will be. The Spaniard claimed his sole F1 win for Ferrari at last year’s British Grand Prix but has been far more inconsistent than his superstar teammate. His seat could be hot property next year.
Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton, George Russell
Contracts until: 2025
Arguably the strongest driver line-up on the current grid, Mercedes has tied down its British duo for another two seasons. Hamilton is one of the sport’s all-time greats and it is a big statement in his faith in the team that he committed at a time it is no longer the grid’s lead force. Given Red Bull’s current dominant position, Hamilton’s best chance of winning a title may hinge on the deal he signs beyond 2025, assuming he wants to keep racing two years from now.
Mercedes has invested in Russell’s career since 2017, after the Briton famously pitched for a position in the team’s driver programme with a Power Point presentation for team boss Toto Wolff, and his win in Brazil last year showed why.
Alpine
Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly
Contracts until: 2024
Alpine has its current line-up locked in for another season after 2023. Esteban Ocon’s extension was signed shortly before he won the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, but the length of the Frenchman’s deal led to complications for the team down the line — Alpine dithered over whether Ocon’s teammate should be Fernando Alonso or prodigious junior driver Oscar Piastri, only to lose both to rival teams.
That situation gave Pierre Gasly the chance to finally break free of Red Bull’s driver programme. Gasly, winner of the 2020 Italian Grand Prix with AlphaTauri, has revived his career since being dropped by Red Bull’s senior team mid-way through 2019 and has a golden opportunity at Alpine to show he can be one of the grid’s top stars going forward.
McLaren
Lando Norris
Contract until: 2025
Many in F1 questioned the logic of Lando Norris signing his current deal at the start of 2022, as it appeared to tie him down to a team that had struggled for performance for his entire stint there. Norris is considered one of the grid’s stars in waiting and, while McLaren has showed some huge steps forward in the last few months, there is no doubt he will be in huge demand come 2026 if his team has not convinced him it can be a championship contender in the near future.
Oscar Piastri
Contract until: At least 2024
McLaren CEO Zak Brown was so convinced by Oscar Piastri’s talent he went to court to get him, in a lengthily dispute with Alpine. The fuss appears to be justified — Piastri has impressed in his rookie season so far and looks set to be a fixture of the F1 grid for a long while to come.
Alfa Romeo
Zhou Guanyu
Contract until: 2023
One of the remaining question marks at this stage in the year, Zhou Guanyu is yet to confirm a new contract beyond this season. Zhou, China’s first F1 driver, has shown flashes of real talent since his debut in 2022 but it remains to be seen whether he has a future with the team.
Valtteri Bottas
Contract until: At least 2024
Valtteri Bottas was a superb signing for Alfa last year and helped the team finish sixth in the championship. It has locked him down for the next year at least and he would be a good candidate to stay with the team as it becomes Audi in 2026. It is believed Bottas has options baked into his deal which would allow both parties to continue beyond 2024.
Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso
Contract until: At least 2024
Fernando Alonso shocked F1 when he signed a multi-year deal with Aston Martin for 2023. The Spaniard, the grid’s oldest driver at 42, has excelled since, with six podiums this year. Despite his age Alonso is showing no signs of slowing down and its not an outrageous prediction to say he might have one more F1 deal left in him given how good he continues to be.
Lance Stroll
Contract until: Unknown, potentially indefinitely
Lance Stroll is in a unique position in F1 — his father, Lawrence, owns his team. It is widely believed within the paddock Stroll has a contract with Aston Martin as long as he wants one.
The Canadian has struggled to shake off the association with his billionaire father since he arrived in F1 with Williams. He’s been brutally exposed by Alonso this year and it is fair to wonder whether Lawrence, determined to make Aston a title contender in future, will eventually put business before family.
Haas
Kevin Magnussen, Nico Hulkenberg
Contracts until: 2024
Haas extended its driver pairing for another year ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix. Team boss Guenther Steiner said the extension allows Haas to focus on improving its car, which has been one of the worst performing on the grid this year.
AlphaTauri
Yuki Tsunoda
Contract until: The end of this year
Red Bull has yet to make a call on the future of Yuki Tsunoda, who has seen an upturn in performances this year after two erratic opening seasons in the sport, beyond 2023. The likes of Christian Horner and Helmut Marko still appear unconvinced the Japanese driver has a future at the senior team.
Daniel Ricciardo
Contract until: The end of this year
Daniel Ricciardo stepped in to replace Nyck de Vries ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, in a deal until the end of the season — although his wider Red Bull deal, which originally saw him return as third driver, is believed to cover multiple seasons. While Ricciardo is eyeing a future return to the Red Bull team he left in 2018, it is understood another season with the company’s sister team — set for a rebrand and closer partnership with Red Bull from next year — is more likely.
Ricciardo broke a bone in his hand at the Dutch Grand Prix, handing an unlikely chance to Red Bull junior Liam Lawson to impress in Zandvoort and Monza, at least. Lawson’s elevation might well change how the picture looks at AlphaTauri next season if he impresses in his stand-in role.
Williams
Alex Albon
Contract until: At least 2024
Alex Albon has been a revelation since returning to Williams and sources have told ESPN multiple teams tried to snatch him away from the team for this season, albeit unsuccessfully. Albon is known to be contracted to the team for another year. It’s been a great spot for Albon’s redemption story to play out, but he seems to be quickly out-growing a Williams team which has been a fixture at the back end of the grid for a while now.
Logan Sargeant
Contract until: The end of this year
America’s first F1 driver since 2015, Logan Sargeant appeared locked on for a contract extension earlier this year, but his recent performance issues have clouded the picture significantly. The Floridian was inconsolable after crashing out of the Dutch Grand Prix and Williams may start to wonder whether the commercial benefits an American brings in the sport right now are outweighed by a driver who can score as consistently as the driver in the other car.
Source: www.espn.com