The Formula 1 season is over halfway complete and the 2022 driver market is now all but wrapped up.
Reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton will stay at Mercedes through 2023 after signing a contract extension and he will be partnered by George Russell.
Russell will step up after three years at Williams and will take the place of Valtteri Bottas, who will switch to Alfa Romeo, in place of retiring compatriot Kimi Raikkonen.
Red Bull has locked in Max Verstappen through 2023 while Sergio Perez will stay as his team-mate for 2022. That means AlphaTauri’s line-up remains unchanged, with Pierre Gasly unable to secure the promotion he craved, while Yuki Tsunoda gets another season after a so-so rookie campaign.
McLaren’s line-up of Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris is locked down for two more years as the team eyes re-emerging into title contender.
Ferrari and Alpine have Charles Leclerc and Esteban Ocon tied down through 2024 respectively while their Spanish team-mates, Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso, are contracted for 2022.
Aston Martin has retained its line-up of Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll for 2022, though their continuation was never in doubt, while Haas faces a similar situation with Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin, who both signed on multi-year deals.
Williams has recruited Alexander Albon to replace Russell and he will partner incumbent Nicholas Latifi.
The only seat that holds any interest is the one alongside Bottas at Alfa Romeo.
Formula 2 title contender Guanyu Zhou is understood to be a front-runner for the seat, facilitated by his nationality, which could make him Formula 1’s first Chinese racer. He has been part of Alpine’s academy since 2019 and participated in FP1 in Austria.
Formula 2 leader Oscar Piastri, along with third-placed Robert Shwartzman, have all but ruled themselves out of contention to claim the seat currently occupied by Antonio Giovinazzi.
Alfa Romeo also has protege Theo Pourchaire under its wing but a promotion for 2023 is deemed more probably.
| Team | Engine | Drivers | Contracted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedes | Mercedes | Lewis Hamilton George Russell | 2023 Multi-Year |
| Red Bull | Red Bull | Max Verstappen Sergio Perez | 2023 2022 |
| McLaren | Mercedes | Daniel Ricciardo Lando Norris | 2023 2023 |
| Aston Martin | Mercedes | Sebastian Vettel Lance Stroll | 2023 Ongoing |
| Alpine | Renault | Fernando Alonso Esteban Ocon | 2022 2024 |
| Ferrari | Ferrari | Charles Leclerc Carlos Sainz | 2024 2022 |
| AlphaTauri | Honda | Pierre Gasly Yuki Tsunoda | 2022 2022 |
| Alfa Romeo | Ferrari | Valtteri Bottas TBC | Multi-Year N/A |
| Haas | Ferrari | Mick Schumacher Nikita Mazepin | Ongoing Ongoing |
| Williams | Mercedes | TBC TBC | N/A N/A |
Really? Bottas was not treated as well and why would a new driver to the team get that much street credit? Good luck with that hammy! 😂😂😂😂Bottas was way more a respectable and respectful colleague. Time to sell the Mercedes merchandise on eBay😂 I can’t support any team that promotes a driver who acted aggressively against another driver on the team.