The F1 drivers without contracts for 2027

Earlier this year, expectations were high for a whirlwind silly season, as Max Verstappen’s future at Red Bull was uncertain and his potential departure from Red Bull - or even from the sport - could shake up the entire grid. 

However, the Dutchman signed on through 2030. Once that news was public, the flood of rumours quickly subsided.

In fact, no driver changes have been confirmed yet. 13 of the 22 drivers are already signed through at least 2027 and will therefore remain in their seats. 

The question, however, is what will happen to the other nine. For a significant number of them, a new contract seems to be only a matter of time.

Audi is satisfied with Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto. Meanwhile, the team is preparing junior driver Freddie Slater for the near future. 

The Briton will compete in Formula 2 in 2027, so for now, there don’t seem to be any challengers for the seats of the current drivers.

Oliver Bearman and Lance Stroll are also expected to remain with Haas and Aston Martin, respectively. There isn’t yet a spot for Bearman at Ferrari, so a promotion to the Scuderia will have to wait at least another year. 

Lance Stroll is the son of Lawrence, who remains the owner of Aston Martin, so the Canadian is expected to be re-confirmed for 2027.

That leaves five drivers, however, whose immediate future is not yet 100 per cent certain.

Red Bull dilemma

Within the Red Bull family, three of the four drivers have not yet been definitively confirmed for 2027. Only Max Verstappen, who previously re-signed through 2030, knows where he’ll be racing next season. 

For Isack Hadjar, Arvid Lindblad, and Liam Lawson, there are only strong speculations about their futures.

Hadjar is having an excellent first season with the Austrian racing team. The Frenchman, who had to miss the last few races due to a wrist injury, is still a bit rough around the edges, but regularly demonstrates that he has excellent speed compared to Verstappen, especially over a single lap. 

His race pace could still improve, but he’s scoring valuable points and managed to finish on the podium in Monaco when Verstappen dropped out.

So, for Red Bull, there seems to be little reason not to pair Hadjar with Verstappen again in 2027. That would also mean Lindblad gets another year to develop at Racing Bulls. 

The British rookie has already shown some spectacular form this season, especially in qualifying, but he’s also holding his own in the races. He’s completed every race he’s started, never finished lower than 14th, and has finished in the points nine times in 14 starts.

In the standings, however, he still trails Lawson. Although the New Zealander has driven for Red Bull at the last three GPs, he had already been scoring slightly better than his teammate prior to that. He may be more experienced than Lindblad, but even though this is his fourth season as an F1 driver, he has only 49 grands prix under his belt.

Lawson is doing exceptionally well, yet, in theory, he is the least certain to secure a seat in 2027. Although Racing Bulls is very pleased with him, Nikola Tsolov is knocking on the door of the Red Bull family as the next top talent. 

If someone were to make way for the Bulgarian, Lawson would be the logical choice. Still, there’s a real chance that Red Bull will decide to let Tsolov develop for another year.

In that case, the seat allocation at Red Bull would remain unchanged - something that has been a rarity in recent years. Stability in the driver lineups of the Red Bull-led teams, however, seems closer than ever.

The end for Ocon?

Esteban Ocon has been competing in Formula 1 since mid-2016. The Frenchman replaced Rio Haryanto at Manor at the time, after which he moved through Force India, Renault, and Alpine before ending up at Haas. 

Ocon is a grand prix winner and was long considered a top prospect. Yet he has never managed to develop beyond being a solid driver with occasional standout performances.

This season has generally not gone well for Ocon. Team-mate Oliver Bearman was clearly faster than the Frenchman during most race weekends.

Haas now also appears to be looking for a new, younger driver to replace Ocon. Rafael Camara and Jack Doohan are the most frequently mentioned names, while Leonardo Fornaroli’s name continues to be bandied about as well. 

For Ocon, however, it looks like the end of the road after this season.

Alonso: Does he want to continue?

Unlike Ocon, Fernando Alonso seems to have the luxury of deciding for himself whether he still wants to race in Formula 1 in 2027. The Spaniard, who made his F1 debut 25 years ago, is now 45 years old but still seems eager for one last success in Formula 1. 

However, Aston Martin cannot offer him that at the moment. Week after week, Alonso finds himself at the back of the pack.

But that’s not where Alonso’s doubts about his future in Formula 1 lie. It’s mainly the current regulations that the Spaniard finds objectionable. He has now indicated on several occasions that he is thinking about what he wants to do in 2027. 

As long as the FIA’s rule changes for 2027 and 2028 offer sufficient prospects for a more appealing way of racing for him, he will want to extend his F1 career by at least another year.

Still, he’ll have to make a decision soon - if not to clarify things for himself, then certainly for Aston Martin. Finding a replacement for Alonso on short notice isn’t easy. For now, we’ll have to wait for a definitive answer from Alonso’s camp.