Forward of the 2025 Method 1 season, Sky Sports activities F1 takes a have a look at how lengthy every driver has on their contract and analyse how their futures might play out.
McLaren
Lando Norris – 2027
Norris agreed to an extension shortly earlier than the beginning of the 2024 F1 season. He had been linked with a transfer to Purple Bull however has as a substitute opted to spearhead McLaren’s makes an attempt to dethrone Max Verstappen.
McLaren stated that Norris had signed a “multi-year” extension to his earlier deal, which had been set to run out in 2025, which confirms the 25-year-old is tied to the British staff till a minimum of the top of 2027.
Oscar Piastri – 2026
Piastri signed a multi-year contract extension in September 2023 throughout his rookie marketing campaign with McLaren.
Piastri is comparatively inexperienced in comparison with team-mate Norris, so if he could make one other step ahead in 2025 and McLaren have a championship-winning automotive, will probably be fascinating to see how Zak Brown and Andrea Stella deal with their drivers.
Ferrari
Charles Leclerc – ‘a number of seasons’
Leclerc penned in a brand new Ferrari deal in January 2024, however the staff didn’t touch upon the size of his contract.
Leclerc stated on social media afterwards that he can be with Ferrari for “several seasons to come” and it’s onerous to see the Monegasque driver go elsewhere within the medium to short-term.
Lewis Hamilton – 2026
Hamilton’s shock announcement on February 1 final 12 months to hitch Ferrari was one of many greatest F1 switch offers within the sport’s historical past.
Hamilton will spend a minimum of two seasons at Ferrari, having signed a multi-year deal which started this 12 months. The 39-year-old is approaching the top of his F1 profession and the sensation is he’ll retire from F1 in crimson.
Purple Bull
Max Verstappen – 2028
Verstappen signed a long-term deal again in March 2022 to remain at Purple Bull till the top of 2028. Nonetheless, there are clauses in Verstappen’s contract that may see him depart the staff, which was highlighted in 2024 in the course of the peak of inapproiate behaviour allegations made in opposition to Christian Horner, which have been dismissed later that 12 months.
Toto Wolff confirmed he met with Verstappen’s supervisor Raymond Vermeulen and father Jos Verstappen throughout final season’s summer time break.
Adrian Newey becoming a member of Aston Martin and Honda changing into the staff’s energy unit provider from 2026 has additionally made them a possible possibility sooner or later for Verstappen, who has additionally reiterated he doesn’t wish to spend all his racing profession in F1.
Liam Lawson – 2025
Purple Bull’s choice to drop Sergio Perez means Lawson will probably be Verstappen’s newest team-mate and his F1 profession will probably be dictated by the 2025 season.
Lawson, who solely has 11 race begins, was solely confirmed for 2025 and his future will purely rely upon how he performs in opposition to Verstappen.
Mercedes
George Russell – 2025
Russell will probably be eager to say himself as staff chief at Mercedes alongside teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Each Mercedes drivers have solely been confirmed for 2025, maybe a sign that Wolff continues to be eager to signal Verstappen, so a repeat of his sturdy 2024 marketing campaign will probably be pivotal for Russell.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli – 2025
Mercedes took the courageous choice to interchange Hamilton with 18-year-old Antonelli, who has been thrown straight into the deep finish.
Antonelli has been touted as the subsequent large factor in F1 however a giant crash on his follow debut at Monza and an underwhelming F2 season might have taken a few of the shine off the Italian going into his large rookie season.
Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso – 2026
Alonso agreed a contract extension final April to stay with Aston Martin till a minimum of the top of the 2026 F1 season.
Alonso is the oldest driver on the grid and can flip 45 in the course of the 2026 season, which might make him the primary driver to compete in Method 1 at that age since Graham Hill in 1975.
The Spaniard has not gained an F1 race since 2013 and his two titles got here in 2005 and 2006. He will probably be hoping the Adrian Newey-led 2026 automotive can assist him obtain his dream to develop into a three-time world champion.
Lance Stroll – 2026
Stroll is the one driver within the discipline whose contract particulars are largely unknown, partly as a result of he’s the son of staff proprietor Lawrence Stroll, and seems to have a seat for so long as his father stays in that place.
Stroll has been outperformed by Alonso throughout their two seasons collectively however Aston Martin formally introduced final June that the Canadian has a deal for “2025 and beyond”.
Alpine
Pierre Gasly – 2026
Gasly additionally introduced a contract extension to remain at Alpine till a minimum of the top of the 2026 F1 season on the identical day Stroll’s deal was revealed.
Gasly joined Alpine initially of 2023 and impressed many final 12 months for his performances, which included a podium on the Sao Paulo Grand Prix within the rain.
Jack Doohan – 2025
Doohan will probably be Gasly’s new team-mate after Esteban Ocon left Alpine earlier than the top of final season. Doohan made his full F1 debut on the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix resulting from Ocon’s sudden departure.
The 21-year-old Australian was Alpine’s reserve driver final 12 months and will come below early strain to retain his seat.
Haas
Esteban Ocon – 2026
Ocon is trying to revive his F1 profession at Haas after a disappointing finish to his time at Alpine.
The French driver agreed to hitch Haas final July on a multi-year deal and may have a younger Brit to take care of on the American outfit.
Oliver Bearman – 2026
Bearman already has three F1 race weekends below his belt, together with a robust debut with Ferrari when he changed Carlos Sainz on the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Bearman was introduced as a Haas driver for 2025 throughout final summer time’s British Grand Prix and he later drove twice for the staff instead of Kevin Magnussen, who was banned for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and fell sick on the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The 19-year-old is the youngest-ever British F1 driver.
Racing Bulls
Yuki Tsunoda – 2025
Many really feel Tsunoda ought to have been promoted to Purple Bull’s most important staff however he’ll as a substitute spend a fifth 12 months on the newly renamed Racing Bulls, beforehand generally known as Toro Rosso, AlphaTauri and most not too long ago RB.
Tsunoda was introduced to remain on the Purple Bull sister staff for 2025 final June however driver adjustments can occur at any time in any of the Purple Bull outfits.
Isack Hadjar – 2025
Purple Bull junior Hadjar was confirmed because the second Racing Bulls driver in December.
The 20-year-old Frenchman completed second in final 12 months’s F2 championship to Sauber new boy Gabriel Bortoleto after successful 4 races and turns into the newest driver from Purple Bull’s junior programme to graduate to the F1 grid.
Hadjar made 4 Follow One appearances with Purple Bull’s two groups over the previous two seasons on F1 race weekends and turns into the nineteenth driver from the corporate’s junior programme to step as much as the highest stage.
Williams
Carlos Sainz – 2026
Sainz was the important thing cog in F1’s driver market within the early levels of final season, realizing he didn’t have a drive for 2025 when Hamilton was introduced to interchange him at Ferrari.
In July, Williams confirmed they gained the battle to signal Sainz on a two-year cope with “options to extend” past 2026.
Williams boss James Vowles described the signing of Sainz as a “strong statement of intent”.
Alex Albon – 2026
Albon agreed a brand new multi-year contract extension final Might however faces his hardest competitors at Williams but this season.
The British-born Thai driver joined Williams in 2022 after a 12 months out of the game, having been let go on the finish of 2020 by Purple Bull following 18 months as Verstappen’s team-mate.
Sauber
Nico Hulkenberg – 2026
Hulkenberg was confirmed as Audi’s first Method 1 driver final April after Haas revealed he would go away on the finish of the 2024 season.
Hulkenberg signed a multi-year contract that can see him drive for Sauber this 12 months, after which the staff will probably be taken over by German producer Audi from the 2026 season.
Gabriel Bortoleto – 2026
To couple with Hulkenberg’s expertise, Sauber and Audi signed F2 champion Bortoleto who’s one other thrilling younger expertise becoming a member of the grid.
Bortoleto gained the F3 and F2 championships in his rookie season, which signifies he’s an distinctive expertise, and will develop into certainly one of F1’s high drivers sooner or later. Audi have gotten the Brazilian till a minimum of the top of 2026 although.
*rumoured
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