Formula 1’s driver market is getting intense. With the 2025 season on the horizon, the scramble for seats is leaving some drivers in a precarious position.
It all kicked off with Lewis Hamilton’s unexpected move to Ferrari and Lando Norris securing a long-term deal with McLaren at the beginning of the year. Now, the market is quickly taking shape. As of now, Carlos Sainz, Pierre Gasly, Valtteri Bottas, Kevin Magnussen, Logan Sargeant, Esteban Ocon, and Zhou Guanyu are still without contracts for next year.
Rumor has it that Sainz might join Audi’s F1 debut, with Williams also showing interest. Gasly seems likely to stay with Alpine after they parted ways with Ocon. Ocon, on the other hand, is linked with Haas. Bottas’s potential return to Williams could mean two out of Sargeant, Magnussen, and Zhou might miss out on 2025 seats.
Kevin Magnussen, at 31, is no stranger to F1’s fickle nature. After stints with McLaren, Renault, and Haas—where he made a return in 2022—he’s laid back but hopeful about his future. Magnussen said, ‘The team knows me very well, I’m a known quantity to the team. So I don’t think there’s anything for me to prove. It’s a very open driver market this time around, and we’ll see how it pans out. I’ve made it clear that I would love to continue here, and the team is in a good position, and I’d love to be part of it.’
Zhou Guanyu, meanwhile, has struggled to showcase his potential, especially compared to his teammate Bottas who has 10 wins from his Mercedes days. Zhou admits, ‘I don’t know in one lap or in the race graph or the way you communicate with the teams – so of course it would be nice if we could fight more closely, top 10. But I think still the chance is quite high and I still have plenty of races to – hopefully together with the team we can bring some good results.’ He’s in talks with multiple teams and remains optimistic about finding a spot on the grid.
Valtteri Bottas is also feeling the pressure to make a move soon. He admitted, ‘I think I need to do my choice quickly. Nothing obviously has been confirmed or signed yet from my side, so no really big news since last week, but still working with all the options that there is and need to make a move soon, that’s basically where I’m at.’ He’s confident about securing a seat but knows nothing is guaranteed until the contract is signed.
Logan Sargeant seems to be the one in the most precarious situation. Williams might be ready to drop him, something that became apparent when he said he was ‘close to being about to perform at the level’ needed. When asked if he had a backup plan, his blunt ‘No’ suggests he might need to start considering one.
As the driver market frenzy continues, the future of several midfield drivers hangs in the balance. With just a few seats and some big names in contention, the coming weeks will be crucial for these drivers’ careers.
Source: Motorsport
