Who will be where in Formula 1 in 2025? All the contracts and rumours.
Evgeny Kustov July 25, 2024, 21:15 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Five more vacancies for next season. Or six.
This year’s transition season in Formula 1 continues to generate contracts ahead of schedule. As it all began with Lewis Hamilton’s off-season, so it continues: by the summer break in the World Championship there were only five vacancies left for the next season. And if Carlos Sainz had been more decisive in his choice of job, there might have been even fewer vacancies. Let’s look at the current plans.
— Today Haas officially confirmed the long-running media report that Esteban Ocon will become an experienced driver and the likely team leader alongside newcomer Oliver Berman. The Frenchman has thus officially left the list of candidates for the Kick-Sauber and Williams seats.
“Ocon is the lucky one who doesn’t have to wait for Carlos Sainz to decide on the team. The Spaniard, who is leaving Ferrari, still secretly dreams of a place at Mercedes or Red Bull, but he himself admits that he is unlikely to be invited there. Carlos will not go to Kick-Sauber even after the arrival of his old friend Mattia Binotto, so in fact Alpin and Williams stay. Sainz is leaning towards the French, but only if they really switch to Mercedes engines. Briatore and Co. cannot confirm this here and now: Carlos is waiting.
— At the same time, James Vowles does not seem willing to wait forever for Sainz: the Briton would like to go on summer vacation knowing who will replace Logan Sargent. Williams is likely to announce the return of Valtteri Bottas to the team soon.
— Red Bull has its own questions, where they must first decide whether to sack Sergio Perez or not. And if so, who will take his place: the promising Liam Lawson or the more experienced Ricciardo or Tsunoda? Moreover, if Perez really is eliminated, he will instantly become a valuable player in the driver market and may end up, for example, at Audi (Kick-Sauber).
— The Swiss-German team, after an agreement with Nico Hulkenberg, cannot find a partner for him. Ocon and Gasly did not move to Hinwil, Sainz has no plans either. The team itself is not eager to keep Bottas, and especially not Zhou (although, perhaps, Mattia Binotto has his own plans). Now Kick-Sauber will, in essence, collect “leftovers” – it will select drivers who were not useful to other teams. Among the experienced drivers, we can talk about Perez, Ricciardo or Magnussen, or you can still give your own youth a chance in the person of Pourcher or Maloney. Finally, Binotto meets Mick Schumacher from Ferrari… In general, Audi is in no hurry, so they are simply waiting for the development of the market.
TeamContracted driversRed Bull candidatesSergio PerezDaniel RicciardoYuki TsunodaLiam LawsonFerrariCharles LeclercLewis HamiltonMcLarenLando NorrisOscar PiastriMercedesGeorge Russell???Andrea Kimi AntonelliCarlos SainzMick SchumacherAston MartinFernando AlonsoLance Stroll “RB” Yuki Tsunoda ???Liam LawsonDaniel RicciardoIsak Hajar”Haas”Esteban OconO Liver Berman”Alpin”Pierre Gasly??? Carlos SainzJack DouhanVictor MartinsMick SchumacherGuanyu ZhouKush Maini”Williams”Alexander Albon???Valtteri Bottas???Carlos SainzAndrea Kimi AntonelliLogan SargentGuanyu ZhouMick Schumacher “Kick-Sauber” Nico Hulkenberg???Carlos SainzValtteri BottasSergio PerezTheo Pourcher Zane MaloneyGuanyu ZhouMick SchumacherFelipe Drugovich
Recent changes to the tables are indicated in italics.
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