Photo by Lukas Raich, CC BY 4.0

By Audrey Wan

  Currently, 19 out of 20 drivers have been confirmed to be seen on the 2025 Formula 1 grid, which leaves 1 seat available, one in Visa Cash App Racing Bulls. As teams change their driver line-ups, more spots are opening and closing. Here is a complete breakdown of who will be staying in their current state, or changing to another team, and when their contracts will end with their teams.

  Max Verstappen, has signed a six-year extension to his current contract after his first title-winning season in Formula 1 with Red Bull in 2021. He will barely have to worry about his seat as his contract ends by the 2028 season. As for Sergio Perez, he will be continuing to race alongside Verstappen for the 2025 season until the end of the 2026 season, as his contract will end by then unless he decides to extend the contract or sign a new contract with Red Bull.

  George Russell’s contract will end as the 2025 season ends, unless he signs a new contract with Mercedes, which he will have to work hard for a spot in 2026. Teenage sensation Kimi Antonelli has a contract covering at least the 2025 season. Currently in F2, Antonelli’s contract is determined by his performance in F1.

  Leclerc and Hamilton are going to be teammates for the 2025 season. Their contract details are still unknown as Ferrari has not released those details yet.

  Lance Stroll has a contract for ‘2025 and beyond’ meaning that he will be racing with Fernando Alonso for the 2025 season. However, Alonso’s contract is yet to be determined as his ‘multi-year contract’ is expected to end in 2026 without a specified end date.

  Oscar Piastri’s contract will end by the end of the 2026 season, while Lando Norris has a ‘multi-year extension’ beyond the 2025 season, meaning that Norris has a long-term contract with McLaren, whose end date remains unclear.

  Kick Sauber, also known as Stake F1, has a driver line-up with Nico Hulkenberg, with a “multi-year” contract lasting until the end of 2026. Racing alongside Hulkenberg will be Gabriel Borroleto who is being Zhou Guanyu’s replacement, and he has a “multi-year” contract starting in 2025.

  Currently, as we know, Yuki Tsunoda is the only driver in Visa Cash App RB, racing until the end of 2025 unless he signs an updated contract with his current racing team.

  Jack Doohan will be racing alongside Pierre Gasly in the 2025 season, as his contract end date is still unknown, he will step up from being a reserve to become a race driver for Alpine. As for Pierre Gasly, his contract is supposed to last at least until 2026.  

  Alex Albon is expected to stay with Williams Racing until the end of the 2026 season, just like his new teammate Carlos Sainz, whose seat was given to Lewis Hamilton. Sainz signed a contract with Williams, which will last him until the end of the 2026 season.  As Williams signed a contract with Sainz, there is an option for him to extend the contract depending on his performance with the team.

  Lastly, Oliver Bearman, teenage sensation alongside Kimi Antonelli, will be racing alongside teammate Esteban Ocon. With both having “Multi-year” contracts, they are expected to last until at least the end of the 2026 season. This new line-up has been making fans excited to see what chemistry the two teammates may have.

Work Cited

Valantine, H. (2024, November 6). F1 2025 driver line-up: Who is already confirmed for the 2025 grid?. PlanetF1. https://www.planetf1.com/news/f1-2025-driver-line-up-confirmed-grid