Only a couple of days back, Williams Racing inadvertently made a record-breaking signing with Logan Sargeant. For quite a long time, the American driver slowly, but steadily, drifted away from Williams’ radar, and Fredrick Vesti’s astounding F2 result only further tarnished his hopes of extending his stay in F1 beyond an underwhelming 2023 season.
But, interestingly enough, James Vowles opted not to lose hope on Sargeant and offered him a second chance with the forthcoming season. And in doing so, the ex-Mercedes engineer managed to gift the entire F1 community with an insane record. For the very first time in the sport’s history, two successive seasons will feature the same line-up.
However, here’s the twist! While 2023 has been quite dull in terms of the driver’s market activity, the scenario could be quite the contrast as we march into the 2024 campaign.
Charles Leclerc & 12 other F1 drivers set to spice up 2024 driver’s market
Both Ferrari drivers, Charles Leclerc, and Carlos Sainz, are inching toward the end of contracts with Ferrari. But, recent reports have suggested that both drivers will soon sign a contract extension, at least until the end of 2025. But, they aren’t the only drivers staring at a bleak future with their team.
Idk about you but I think silly season next year is going to be interesting š pic.twitter.com/iG8OouBSQU
ā MattĀ³Ā³āŗĀ¹ā¶ (@FM1_3316) December 1, 2023
Let’s start with Sergio Perez. The Mexican is clearly not the favorite for Red Bull beyond 2024 and is likely to be replaced by Daniel Ricciardo whose tenure with AlphaTauri will also end at the same period. Then there’s Fernando Alonso, but much like Ferrari, Aston Martin are quite keen on initiating negotiations with the two-time world champion for a potential contract extension until the end of 2025.
Both Alpine drivers, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, are also staring into the abyss. Furthermore, the French outfit may want to reanalyze deeply before retaining their drivers amidst the growing rivalry between the pair. And finally, moving into the bottom half of the pack. All of Alfa Romeo, Haas, AlphaTauri, and Williams are yet to sign a driver with an agreement beyond 2024.
Watch out for Red Bull and AlphaTauri
All eyes will be on the two inter-connected outfits, Red Bull and AlphaTauri. Perez is already under threat from both AlphaTauri drivers, Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda. And on top of that, Liam Lawson is seeking his way back to the grid. Hence, the upcoming season could be an ‘all or nothing’ year for the Mexican driver.
Four proven drivers and three seats! Who is eventually going to yield and walk out of the grid in 2025? The answer isn’t too far away.
