Just one seat is officially vacant for the 2024 Formula 1 season, with many teams opting to keep their driver line-up for next year.
Williams is yet to confirm the re-signing of rookie Logan Sargeant, who in 2023 has scored just one point compared to the 27 of team-mate Alex Albon, but looks the favourite to be retained.
It has been a much quieter driver market than 12 months ago, where six of the 10 teams switched their lineup for 2023. So here is what’s known for the 2024 F1 grid:
Alfa Romeo 2024 F1 Drivers
Photo by: Alfa Romeo
Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo C43, Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo C43
– Valtteri Bottas – contracted until at least the end of 2024
– Zhou Guanyu – contracted until at least the end of 2024
It was a disappointing season for Alfa Romeo, who in 2023 scored less than a third of its points tally from 2022. Despite that, the team will continue with its driver pairing for a third consecutive year.
There is the experience of Valtteri Bottas, with the 34-year-old having won 10 grands prix. He joined on a multi-year deal at the start of 2022 from Mercedes, and has received a lot of praise from team-mate Zhou Guanyu. Zhou will enter his third year in the series next year, after crediting Bottas for helping him get up to speed with F1.
However, their futures beyond 2024 are up in the air. The team are preparing for radical changes in 2026 with the entry of Audi, and the German manufacturer may want to go in a different direction.
Before then, the team will revert back to Sauber for 2024, which was its team name before the Alfa Romeo sponsorship rebrand in 2019.
AlphaTauri 2024 F1 Drivers
Photo by: Erik Junius
Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri AT04
– Daniel Ricciardo – contracted until the end of 2024
– Yuki Tsunoda – contracted until the end of 2024
It has been a mixed year for AlphaTauri’s driver line-up. The team from Faenza started 2023 with Yuki Tsunoda and 2020-21 Formula E world champion but F1 rookie Nyck de Vries as its pairing.
However, De Vries was dropped after 10 grands prix due to poor performances. Daniel Ricciardo replaced him, but his F1 return only lasted two races after a crash broke his hand in second practice at the Dutch GP.
He was temporarily replaced by Red Bull junior Liam Lawson, who performed valiantly on his F1 debut. The 21-year-old scored two points over five races and was touted for a full-time race seat in 2024. That has not come, however, and he will remain as the reserve driver for next season.
Instead, AlphaTauri opted to stick with the experience of Ricciardo, 34, who finished seventh in just his second grand prix back from injury. Ricciardo will partner Tsunoda next season with AlphaTauri understood to have an incoming name change.
Alpine 2024 F1 Drivers
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Esteban Ocon, Alpine A523
– Pierre Gasly – contracted until at least the end of 2024
– Esteban Ocon – contracted until the end of 2024
Alpine was the focal point of a dramatic driver market in 2022. Fernando Alonso made a shock departure from the team, before Alpine announced reserve driver Oscar Piastri as his replacement. Piastri contested this having signed a deal with McLaren and, after Alpine took it to court, his move to the British outfit was soon confirmed.
The team instead signed Pierre Gasly from AlphaTauri to partner Esteban Ocon in 2023, but the season did not go as hoped. The team finished a comfortable sixth in the championship after coming fourth in 2022, with both McLaren and Aston Martin overtaking it.
It saw big changes in its management structure in 2023, with CEO Laurent Rossi, team principal Otmar Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane all departing.
While Gasly is on a long-term deal, Ocon’s contract expires at the end of 2024. If Alpine does not improve next season, then the grand prix winner may have to assess his future options.
Aston Martin 2024 F1 Drivers
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR23
– Fernando Alonso – contracted until at least the end of 2024
– Lance Stroll – rolling contract
The 2023 season started better than Aston Martin could ever have imagined, having surpassed its 2022 tally of 55 points after three races. Fernando Alonso scored six podiums in the opening eight grands prix, and Aston Martin was arguably the best team in F1 behind Red Bull.
However, other teams quickly caught up. Aston Martin then scored just two podiums in the final 14 grands prix of 2023 and dropped to fifth in the championship behind Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren. All of Aston Martin’s podiums were scored by Alonso, with the double world champion returning for a second year at the team in 2024. Given his age – 42 – there are question marks over his long-term future, but the world champion is showing no signs of slowing down.
Meanwhile, it was a disappointing season for team-mate Lance Stroll. He finished six places and 132 points behind fourth-placed Alonso in the championship. However, as long as the 25-year-old remains committed to F1, with his father owning the team, Stroll’s future at Aston Martin should be secure for the long-term.
Ferrari 2024 F1 Drivers
Photo by: Jake Grant / Motorsport Images
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23
– Charles Leclerc – contracted until the end of 2024
– Carlos Sainz – contracted until the end of 2024
Ferrari’s title fight against Red Bull ended disappointingly early in 2023, with the points gap between the two teams having doubled this season compared to last year. But the drivers remain one of Ferrari’s biggest assets.
Both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have shown they are capable of winning races if given the tools, with Sainz having taken victory at the 2023 Singapore GP. Both are under contract until the end of 2024 and appear keen to extend their stay with the team.
Haas 2024 F1 Drivers
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-23
– Nico Hulkenberg – contracted until at least the end of 2024
– Kevin Magnussen – contracted until at least the end of 2024
Haas replaced Mick Schumacher with Nico Hulkenberg for 2023, opting for experience over youth in its line-up. Hulkenberg came in to partner fellow F1 veteran Kevin Magnussen, where a combined age of 65 leaves it as one of the oldest pairings on the grid.
Hulkenberg finished a solid P7 in Australia, while Magnussen scored points on a few occasions but the car largely underperformed.
Haas struggled for race pace, with the car using its tyres too aggressively. It resulted in the team finishing last in the constructors’ championship, but Haas saw no reason to change its line-up for 2024.
McLaren 2024 F1 Drivers
Photo by: Jake Grant / Motorsport Images
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL60
– Lando Norris – contracted until the end of 2025
– Oscar Piastri – contracted until at least the end of 2026
McLaren now has a stable driver line-up after a turbulent few years. The British outfit signed Ricciardo for 2021 with high hopes for the race winner, but the move did not go as planned and the team cut his three-year contract short a season early.
It signed rookie Oscar Piastri as his replacement, and the 22-year-old has shown he belongs in F1. The McLaren driver scored his maiden points in the season’s third round, before securing consecutive podiums in Japan and Qatar. At the latter, he also won the sprint race.
Piastri has been rewarded with a new, long-term deal that runs until at least the end of 2026. He will have a second season as Lando Norris’ team-mate, who will enter his sixth campaign at the team.
The 23-year-old has been a leader at McLaren and, after a disappointing start scoring zero points in the opening two grands prix, he stood on the podium seven times in 2023.
That first win still eludes him, however, and McLaren may need to show championship winning capabilities over the coming seasons to hold on to Norris for the long-term with his contract expiring at the end of 2025.
Mercedes 2024 F1 Drivers
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W14
– Lewis Hamilton – contracted until the end of 2025
– George Russell – contracted until at least the end of 2025
It has been an underwhelming two seasons for Mercedes, after Red Bull ended its run of eight consecutive world championships. In 2024, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will have their third season together as team-mates after the latter replaced Bottas for 2022.
Hamilton is showing few signs of retirement, as he is set on winning a record-breaking eighth F1 drivers’ world championship. But it remains to be seen if Mercedes can finally close the gap on dominant Red Bull, with Hamilton not having won a grand prix since the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP.
Over the past two seasons, he has been somewhat of a mentor to Russell, with the 25-year-old winning his maiden grand prix at the 2022 Brazilian GP. But this year was a little disappointing for Russell, who finished eighth in the championship with no race wins. Both drivers are clearly happy at the team, though, evident in the contracts they signed this year.
Red Bull 2024 F1 Drivers
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB19
– Sergio Perez – contracted until the end of 2024
– Max Verstappen – contracted until the end of 2028
Max Verstappen is arguably the most secure driver on the F1 grid. The reigning triple world champion has broken several records in 2023, and has a mega contract that runs until the end of 2028. His future beyond then has been a big talking point, as Verstappen previously said he might decide to walk away from F1 when his deal expires.
Although Sergio Perez is contracted for next year, his performances in 2023 have left him behind his team-mate, and his final gap to Verstappen in the standings – 290 – was higher than total number of points Perez amassed – 285 – in 2023. However, he still finished second in the championship.
There were rumours of Ricciardo joining Red Bull for next year, but the more likely scenario is that Perez stays for the final year of his contract, before the line-up changes in 2025.
Williams 2024 F1 Drivers
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Logan Sargeant, Williams FW45
– Alex Albon – contracted until at least the end of 2024
– Logan Sargeant – contracted until the end of 2023
Albon has rejuvenated his F1 career at Williams. He was dropped by Red Bull at the end of 2020 following poor results, which forced him to miss the 2021 season. He joined Williams for 2022, and has since grown into the team leader.
He has impressed on many occasions, including finishing seventh at the Italian GP after qualifying sixth, and outqualified rookie team-mate Sargeant at every race this season.
That led to doubts lingering over Sargeant’s future. He only scored one point in 2023, which came at the United States GP because Hamilton and Leclerc were both disqualified after the race, and is not yet confirmed for 2024 despite all rounds having been completed.
But team boss James Vowles often states his support for Sargeant and the list of potential replacements is decreasing.
Schumacher will stay on as the Mercedes reserve driver for 2024 alongside a World Endurance Championship drive with Alpine. Lawson is also unlikely given his Red Bull links, while Formula 2 championship winner Theo Pourchaire has already been confirmed as Sauber’s reserve driver for next year.
A move for Mercedes junior Frederik Vesti, second to Pourchaire in the F2 standings, would be considered a shock while two-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou is an outside shot, so all signs so far point towards Sargeant staying on.
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