Two years ago, for the first time in Formula 1 history, all 20 drivers who competed at the end of the previous season returned to their respective teams for the following season.
Then one year ago, silly season was about as chaotic as it could've possibly been. But this time around, we found ourselves closer to the 2023-2024 offseason from the standpoint of driver market changes.
The big-ticket silly season news of the year was brought on by the introduction of Cadillac as the sport's 11th team. Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, two veteran drivers who fell victim to the 2024-2025 silly season chaos and were dropped by Red Bull and Sauber (now Audi), respectively, are set to return to the sport with the new American team.
Just 1 other F1 driver changes teams for 2026
Other than them, there is just one "new" driver actually set to join Formula 1 in 2026. As a result, just one driver has changed teams, and just one driver is no longer in the sport.
Racing Bulls have signed rookie Arvid Lindblad to pair with Liam Lawson as the replacement for Isack Hadjar, who has moved on to Red Bull to replace Yuki Tsunoda. Tsunoda does not have a seat for 2026 and is set to serve as a reserve driver for both Red Bull and the sister team.
Lawson was originally with Red Bull in 2025 as Perez's replacement, but he was replaced by Tsunoda after struggling for just two races. Tsunoda struggled as well, but no further changes were made until the end of the year.
Now all eyes are on Hadjar, who has been given the unenviable task of being the teammate to four-time world champion Max Verstappen. Nobody expects him to be a world-beater, per se, but can he perform better than Lawson and Tsunoda did in 2025? Can he perhaps come close to Perez's level?
Lest we forget – and Checo certainly hasn't – that even his drop in form late in the 2024 season resulted in far better results than those of the two drivers who ended up in his former seat one year later.
The 2026 Formula 1 season is scheduled to begin on Saturday, March 7 with the Australian Grand Prix, with live coverage set to begin on Apple TV from Albert Park Circuit at 10:55 p.m. ET.