On the face of it, the emergence of three 2027 driver announcements in the same week might suggest that Formula 1’s silly season had truly kicked off in style as the season emerged from its summer hibernation.
All three, however, were announcements of contract renewals. This isn’t silly season – this is sensible season, and it wouldn’t be wholly surprising to see news of a few more contract extensions disseminate across worldwide media platforms over the next few months. Alex Albon, Carlos Sainz, and now Max Verstappen have chosen to hold position, which should start to precipitate the fall of a few more dominoes in this year’s driver market.
That’s not to say that the hopes of silliness are over. There’s still plenty of open seats for next year and expectations of a few shuffles in the order, even if it’s not the wholesale changes around the grid that perhaps some were hoping for.
Either way, 2027’s grid is starting to fall into place. Here’s a look at the situation so far.
Mercedes manages both Russell and Antonelli – and has both tied up for ’27
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It’s been known for quite some time that Mercedes will make no further changes to its line-up for next year – and nor does it need them.
While Kimi Antonelli’s emergence as this year’s title favourite will have come as some surprise to many, at least in the sense that this is only his second season, Mercedes would argue that the Italian’s performances have been as forecast when it plucked him from karting and into its junior programme. Antonelli’s successes have put team-mate George Russell in the shade, but the Briton is not down-and-out just yet and retains a chance of securing this year’s title.
Ferrari is happy with its Leclerc-Hamilton pairing
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Ferrari agreed a new deal with Charles Leclerc earlier this year, communicated at the start of June, as the Monegasque continues his lengthy association with the Prancing Horse on a continued multi-year basis. With Ferrari’s improved performances in 2026, Leclerc’s hope is that the team can press on and at last deliver a championship-winning car that chimes with his flair and all-in approach.
Lewis Hamilton mentioned earlier in the season that he too is under contract for next year. On the evidence of his performances so far over 2026, a stay at Ferrari would be much deserved; a revitalised Hamilton is second in the championship, and 50 points away from Antonelli.
One happy family? Piastri was, apparently, in no danger of leaving McLaren…
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Both of McLaren’s drivers have contracts for next year, although it was known that Verstappen had held some level of talks with the team – even if this was simply posturing to secure a more lucrative deal with Red Bull. The suggestion was that if Verstappen was to reunite with the likes of Gianpiero Lambiase and Rob Marshall, Oscar Piastri would potentially go the other way – but Piastri’s manager Mark Webber shut down the idea of the Australian leaving the team a few weeks ago.
Lando Norris, meanwhile, seems content to remain a one-team man for the time being. He’s been mightily impressive too, so it makes sense that McLaren would want to keep hold of the reigning champion.
Red Bull: Max Verstappen, Isack Hadjar?
Red Bull looks set to retain its full line-up for ’27 after locking Verstappen down
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Now that Verstappen is on board until at least 2030, Red Bull has its second car to sort out. This should be a mere formality, as Isack Hadjar has impressed this season and has given the Dutchman a run for his money in qualifying – even if there’s a slight race-pace disparity between them.
Hadjar, out for the Dutch Grand Prix after fracturing a wrist, will keep a keen eye on Liam Lawson’s return to the Red Bull fold as a substitute. However, the Frenchman shouldn’t need to worry about his place in the team – unless Lawson does something really spectacular…
Could Tsolov make his F1 debut next year in a VCARB?
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The first proper stop into the corridor of uncertainty lies at Racing Bulls, which may have a three-into-two-won’t-go conundrum to solve. Lawson has been excellent this season and has led the line admirably for the Italian squad, while Arvid Lindblad has certainly demonstrated his credentials as a star of the future with a sensible and refreshingly self-critical approach to his rookie year.
If Red Bull’s junior staircase was devoid of talent then the two would be a shoo-in to stay, but F2 championship leader Nikola Tsolov is angling to secure one of the drives for next year. Aiming to become F1’s first Bulgarian driver, Tsolov has demonstrated considerable speed and his victories in both Silverstone races was a rare feature-sprint roll-over. The only hair in the soup is his occasional propensity for overly ambitious manoeuvres – as demonstrated by his clash with Sebastian Montoya in Hungary, which cost a not-insignificant points haul from the Hungaroring sprint.
Lawson will aim to use his Red Bull return as a springboard to stay with Racing Bulls, or even angle for a drive elsewhere if Tsolov and Lindblad get the nod.
Colapinto needs to keep impressing Briatore to stay at Alpine
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Pierre Gasly signed a contract extension with Alpine last year, demonstrating his commitment to the cause despite the team being adrift at the back of the constructors’ order across 2025. The arrival of Flavio Briatore, Steve Nielsen, and Mercedes has put the team back into the midfield battle, and the Frenchman is hoping that the Enstone squad can deliver a car worthy of his immense – and oft-underrated – talent.
Franco Colapinto, meanwhile, has made a considerable step in performance this year and has occasionally bested Gasly. His performances in Miami and Canada demonstrated that the Argentine is worthy of his place in F1, but needs to find greater consistency in qualifying to reduce the quantity of anonymous afternoons. Were Colapinto not to retain his place, Alpine juniors Paul Aron and Gabriele Mini would be options here.
Bearman will stay at Haas – but who will join him?
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With Ferrari’s line-up locked in, Oliver Bearman looks set for a third full year with Haas. The Briton had an impressive start to 2026, although that form has waned as the team has gone backwards. Plagued by a handful of quality control issues and less-than-ideal gains through its development cycle, Haas is in dire need of a pick-me-up to retain seventh in the constructors’ standings.
There are doubts about Esteban Ocon’s place at the team, which is a shame as the Frenchman is clearly a quality driver. The problem is that, so far, the Haas move hasn’t really worked for him, and the team has been cycling through a few drivers in its TPC testing to potentially identify a successor. Current reserve Ryo Hirakawa, reigning F2 champion and McLaren junior Leonardo Fornaroli, and Ferrari youngster Rafael Camara are on the list. Yuki Tsunoda was also suggested as an option, but the Japanese driver is also in talks over an IndyCar drive with Meyer Shank.
The potent Bortoleto-Hulkenberg pairing ensures Audi does not have a driver problem on its hands
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Although Sainz was linked with Audi by some outlets, his decision to stay at Williams at least suggests that the Swiss-German team is spoken for. Bortoleto says that he’s got a long-term deal in place and is expecting to stay at the team, while Hulkenberg is also understood to be in place for 2027.
There would be no reason for Audi to change its line-up, in any case; it has the perfect blend of youth and experience, and a harmonious relationship between its two team-mates.
Williams: Alex Albon, Carlos Sainz
Sainz extended his Williams deal to keep its line-up static for ’27
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Williams’ decision to lock in Albon and Sainz for at least another year demonstrates the buy-in for its long-term ambitions from both drivers, even if this year has presented a step back in fortunes. Some might uncharitably suggest that there was nowhere else for either driver to go, which is probably also true, but the retention of both drivers is a significant boost for the team.
Had Sainz decided to do something else, Williams is said to have hedged its bets and had spoken to the management of Sergio Perez and Colapinto for 2027, while Luke Browning has also impressed in his FP1 outings with the team.
Alonso reflects on his future – will he stay at Aston Martin?
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Stroll has effectively a life-time contract with Aston Martin, being the owner’s son. Sometimes, the Canadian gives an impression of someone who doesn’t really fancy being in F1 at all, but it would be surprising to see him go somewhere else.
As for the second seat, it depends on what Fernando Alonso decides to do. Adrian Newey is keen to keep the evergreen Spaniard around but, with the recent birth of his first child and continued uncertainty over the performance of the team (although the hefty Hungary package produced almost two seconds’ worth of lap time), Alonso might decide to spend his 46th year around the sun doing something different. Who knows? It’s up to him.
Replacements for Alonso might include whichever Racing Bulls driver misses out on a 2027 drive, Ocon, possibly Tsunoda given his Honda links, or even a promotion for Jak Crawford.
Perez looks set to stay at Cadillac – will it keep its ’26 line-up in place?
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With the Williams avenue closed, Perez will probably stick around with Cadillac – and the American team places great value on the Mexican’s inputs. Perez’s attitude to the team’s arrival in F1 has been refreshing; rather than be content with the team’s rookie status, he seeks perfection and has consistently pushed Cadillac to iron out its key issues and find more downforce.
Bottas’ rockier start to the year suggested that he might be under threat, but the Finn’s performances have improved over the past few weekends as he feels more comfortable with the car. It’s helped that Colton Herta’s performances in F2 have not been particularly stellar, as Cadillac’s dreams of promoting an American driver look to have hit a snag. Crawford might be an option, while F3 title challenger Ugo Ugochukwu might be a couple of years away from an F1 berth. Camara has also been linked to a drive with the team.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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