The 2017 Formula One season has just two races remaining in it. How will the series driver lineup look in the 2018 season?
Just two of 20 races remain on the 2017 Formula One season schedule. Those two races will be held in the Brazil and Abu Dhabi on Sunday, November 12th and Sunday, November 26th, respectively.
Heading into the first of those two remaining races this weekend at Autódromo José Carlos Pace in São Paulo, Brazil for the Brazilian Grand Prix, the 2017 Formula One championship has already been decided.
Lewis Hamilton, who drives for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport was able to lock up his fourth career Formula One championship in the Mexican Grand Prix nearly two weeks ago, as his lead in the drivers standings is 56 points. Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas are battling for 2nd place, while Daniel Ricciardo, Kimi Raikkonen and Max Verstappen are battling for 4th.
Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport was able to lock up their fourth consecutive constructors championship as well nearly three weeks ago in the United States Grand Prix. Each of the top 4 teams in the constructors standings are locked into their current positions in the standings.
Because we are approaching the 19th race of this 20-race Formula One season and both the drivers and constructors championships have already been won, it is a great time to look ahead to the 2018 season with a projected driver lineup. Which drivers will be driving for which teams in 2018?
Projected 2018 driver lineup
Sauber, Ferrari
Antonio Giovinazzi, 23, is a driver who Ferrari wants Sauber to sign in the 2018 season, and the odds of it happening are pretty solid. Giovinazzi drove in two races for Sauber to start this season as Pascal Wehrlein’s temporary replacement, so he does have some Formula One race experience under his belt even without ever having a full-time ride before. He has also been a test driver for Scuderia Ferrari and Haas this season.
Ever since Sauber renewed their engine deal with Ferrari after their deal with Honda fell through in late July, Ferrari has wanted to turn Sauber into essentially the Ferrari B-team, and they want Sauber to sign Giovinazzi. Given the fact that Wehrlein’s future and the future of his Sauber teammate Marcus Ericsson are uncertain, Giovinazzi has an even better chance to land this ride next season.
Charles Leclerc, 20, is last year’s GP3 Series champion and this year’s Formula 2 champion. He is probably the best driver current not in Formula One that has aspirations of being a full-time driver, and he may just get that chance next season for Sauber, especially since the futures of the team’s current two drivers, Marcus Ericsson and Pascal Wehrlein, are very unclear.
Leclerc, who is in the Ferrari Driver Academy, test drove for Scuderia Ferrari and Haas last season. This season, he has tested for the former and Sauber, which signed a technical partnership with Ferrari for 2018. With Ferrari wanting Sauber to sign Leclerc for the 2018 season as well and Leclerc’s potential in general, he is also a favorite to land with Sauber next season.
Projected 2018 driver lineup
McLaren, Renault
Stoffel Vandoorne, 25, is set to return to McLaren for a second full-time Formula One season after a solid rookie season, as he signed a contract to remain with the team in the 2018 season. He has been solid in his rookie season given the fact that he has not had much to work with with underpowered and unreliable Honda engines.
After all, through 18 races so far this season, Vandoorne sits in 15th place in the drivers standings, which is higher than his two-time Formula One champion teammate Fernando Alonso, who is in equal equipment. Vandoorne has finished in the top 10 three times in the 2017 season with a top finish of 7th place, his career-high finish, which he has recorded twice.
Two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso, 36, is, in fact, set to return to McLaren for the fourth season in a row in his 17th career full-time Formula One season. While there was speculation that he would leave the team due to frustrations over the lack of speed and reliability in the team’s Honda engines, the team announced that they would be switching to Renault engines in the 2018 season.
That speculation continued when Alonso did not immediately re-sign with the team for next season, but it was put to bed when it was confirmed that he would be returning to the team. Through 18 races so far this season, he sits in 16th place in the drivers standings with three top 10 finishes and a top finish of 6th.
Projected 2018 driver lineup
Haas, Ferrari
Romain Grosjean, 31, is set to return to Haas in the 2018 season for the third straight season in his seventh career season as a full-time Formula One driver. His two seasons as a Haas driver so far have been arguably his worst two seasons in his Formula One career, as in his four seasons prior to becoming a Haas driver, he had driven for Lotus and finished on the podium in at least one race in three of those four seasons.
In the 2017 season, Grosjean has racked up eight top 10 finishes, which is a solid amount, and he has a top finish of 6th place. While his top finish in his first season as a Haas driver last year was 5th, he had just five top 10 finishes. He sits in 13th in the drivers standings ahead of only a handful of other full-time drivers, which is where he finished last year.
Kevin Magnussen, 25, is also set to return to Haas in the 2018 season for the second season in his fourth career full-time Formula One season. While his Formula One career opened up with a bang in the 2014 season when he finished in 2nd place behind only Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport’s Nico Rosberg in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, he has never finished on the podium since then.
This season, Magnussen has just five top 10 finishes with a top finish of 7th place, and he sits in 14th in the drivers standings. However, this is still an improvement from last season, when he recorded just two top 10 finishes with a top finish of 7th before finishing in 16th in the standings.
Projected 2018 driver lineup
Renault Sport, Renault
Nico Hulkenberg, 30, has actually been quite solid in the 2017 Formula One season driving for Renault Sport, his first season driving for the team. However, recent poor fortune has caused him to retire in multiple races, which has also caused him to drop out of the top 10 in the drivers standings.
Hulkenberg is set to return to the team for the second season next year in his eighth career season as a full-time Formula One driver. Through 18 races in his first season driving for the team, he has racked up six top 10 finishes with a top finish of 6th place, which he has recorded three times, despite the fact that he has been forced to retire a lot, especially as of late.
Carlos Sainz Jr., 23, started off the 2017 Formula One season as a full-time driver for Scuderia Toro Rosso, but he recently signed with Renault Sport for the 2018 season as a full-time driver in the midst of the McLaren switch to Renault engines and the Toro Rosso switch to Honda engines. While Sainz Jr. was not initially scheduled to make his debut for his new team until next season, he has actually already started driving for the team this season, as Jolyon Palmer and the team parted ways early.
Sainz Jr.’s 2018 season with Renault is set to be his first full season with the team and his fourth career full-time season in Formula One. He should be able to make the most of the opportunity to drive for a factory team; after all, he sits in 9th place in the drivers standings through 18 races so far this season with 10 top 10 finishes, of which nine came in his time driving for Toro Rosso, and a top finish of 4th place driving for the Red Bull Racing junior team.
Projected 2018 driver lineup
Scuderia Toro Rosso, Honda
Pierre Gasly, 21, has started in three races so far in the 2017 Formula One season, and he is set to be back next season as one of Scuderia Toro Rosso’s two drivers in his first full-time season in the sport, as the team’s two full-time drivers to start the 2017 season, Carlos Sainz Jr. and Daniil Kvyat, won’t be back with the team next season. Sainz Jr. has already left for Renault Sport and the team parted ways with Kvyat.
Gasly made his debut this season substituting for Kvyat in the Malaysia Grand Prix and filled in for him again in the Japanese Grand Prix. However, Kvyat came back in the United States Grand Prix, as Gasly had to be in Japan for the Japanese Super Formula championship, which ended up not happening. However, as referenced above, the team has now parted ways with Kvyat and confirmed Gasly as one of their two drivers for the remainder of this season and likely for next season as well.
Brendon Hartley was slated to land in a Chip Ganassi Racing Honda as full-time IndyCar driver in the 2018 season until an opportunity with Scuderia Toro Rosso came up. With Carlos Sainz Jr. leaving the team for Renault Sport early since Renault Sport parted ways with Jolyon Palmer, this opened up a seat for Hartley in the United States Grand Prix.
The 27-year-old took advantage of the opportunity and was then announced as one of the team’s two drivers in the Mexican Grand Prix as well before being announced as one of the team’s two drivers for the remainder of the season along with Pierre Gasly. Like Gasly, he will also likely drive for the team full-time next season, as he won’t be in IndyCar since Ed Jones was confirmed as Chip Ganassi Racing’s second driver alongside four-time series champion Scott Dixon in what would have been Hartley’s car.
Projected 2018 driver lineup
Williams Martini Racing
Lance Stroll, 19, is coming back for a second Formula One season with Williams Martini Racing in 2018 after a solid rookie season. While many believe he only has a Formula One ride because of his billionaire father Lawrence Stroll, who does have a lot to do with the fact that Lance has a ride, Lance has proven he belongs in the sport.
After a rocky start to his rookie season this year, which included four retirements and two finishes outside of the top 10 in the first six races of the season, Stroll has turned it on and now sits in 10th place in the standings. With seven top 10 finishes and a top finish of 3rd place, Stroll looks like he may have a successful career in Formula One ahead of him.
Because of the fact that 19-year-old Lance Stroll will likely be back with Williams Martini Racing for a second season next year, the fact that the team is sponsored by Martini means the team’s second driver must be at least 25 years old, which eliminates several provisional drivers right away. However, it does not eliminate 32-year-old Robert Kubica, who recently had a successful test with Williams.
While 31-year-old Paul di Resta is also an option, especially since he drove in the Hungarian Grand Prix for the team this season, look for Williams to opt for Kubica, the driver who has a win and 11 other podium finishes in his time as a Formula One driver from the 2006 season to the 2010 season as opposed to the driver with no finishes higher than 4th place in his three-year career as a full-time driver from the 2011 season to the 2013 season.
Projected 2018 driver lineup
Sahara Force India
Sergio Perez, 27, has a contract to return to Sahara Force India for the fifth straight season next year, which will mark his eighth season as a full-time Formula One driver, as he spent two seasons with Sauber and one with McLaren prior to coming to Force India back in the 2014 season.
Through 18 races so far this season, Perez has not yet finished on the podium. If that continues through the final two races of the season, it will be his first season as a Force India driver during which he did not finish on the podium. However, he sits in 7th place in the drivers standings right now, which, if it holds, will tie his career-high finish.
Esteban Ocon, 20, also has a contract to return to Sahara Force India next season, just like his teammate Sergio Perez. The 2018 season will be Ocon’s second full-time season with the team and overall in Formula One, although he did drive in nine races for Manor Racing last season.
Ocon has had a fantastic rookie season. In fact, he is the highest rookie in the drivers standings in 8th place, and he has just one finish outside of the top 10 through 18 races so far this season with a top finish of 5th, which he has recorded twice. In his 27 career Formula One races, he has never been forced to retire, which gives him the all-time record streak of finishing races to start a career in the sport.
Projected 2018 driver lineup
Red Bull Racing
The contract of Daniel Ricciardo, 28, with Red Bull Racing does not expire until the end of the 2018 Formula One season, so while it is widely believed that he will be driving for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport in the 2019 season, he will still be with Red Bull Racing next season.
Ricciardo won this season’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix for his fifth career victory, giving him at least one victory in three of his four seasons as a Red Bull Racing driver so far. He currently sits in 4th place in the standings but should be much more of a championship contender next season in his seventh full-time season in the sport since Red Bull Racing has been improving as of late.
It was widely speculated that Max Verstappen, 20, would be leaving Red Bull Racing after the 2018 Formula One season despite the fact that his contract ran through the 2019 season since it was believed that said contract had an opt-out clause. But a recent extension with the team keeps him under contract through the 2020 season. Regardless, there was never really a chance of him going elsewhere in 2018, which is what this article is about.
Verstappen, who sits in 6th place in the drivers standings, has tripled his career victory total so far this season in his third career full-time season as a Formula One driver and his first full season as a Red Bull Racing driver. He has won two races this year so far after coming into the season with one career victory as an 18-year-old last season.
Projected 2018 driver lineup
Scuderia Ferrari
Four-time Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel, 30, recently signed a three-year deal to remain with Scuderia Ferrari through the 2020 season, so expect him back next season in championship form, as he was for much of this season before a string of recent issues took him out of championship contention.
Through 18 races so far this season, Vettel has won four races, including the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, which was his first victory since the 2015 season. While he cannot win his fifth career Formula One championship this season, he is still in a battle for 2nd place in the standings. If he can close out the season by picking up some momentum, he may be able to capture his fifth title next season.
For the third straight season, Kimi Raikkonen, 38, is set to drive for Scuderia Ferrari on a one-year deal in the 2018 Formula One season. It will be his fifth straight season with the team, his eighth season overall with the team and his 16th season overall in the sport.
Raikkonen has not won a race in nearly five years when he won the Australian Grand Prix in the 2013 season driving for Lotus. Since returning to Ferrari in the 2014 season, he has not won a race. His most recent race win for Ferrari came in the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix. This season, he sits in 5th place in the drivers standings with a top finish of 2nd place, which he has recorded twice.
Projected 2018 driver lineup
Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport
Lewis Hamilton, 32, just secured his fourth career Formula One championship in the Mexican Grand Prix, and barring a surprise retirement announcement, the man who sits in 2nd place on the all-time Formula One wins list with 62 victories will be back driving for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport to try to win his fifth career championship and tie Juan Manuel Fangio for 2nd on the all-time list behind only Michael Schumacher, who won seven titles.
This season, Hamilton has won nine of the 18 races contested and looks poised to record a double-digit win total for the fourth straight season, something that no Formula One driver has ever even been able to do two seasons in a row. He is still in his prime and performing at an extremely high level.
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Valtteri Bottas, 28, signed a one-year deal to remain with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport in the 2018 Formula One season, which will be his second season with the team and his sixth season in the sport as a full-time driver.
This season, Bottas won his first career Formula One race in the Russian Grand Prix and added another victory in the Austrian Grand Prix. While he has just two victories in 18 races driving for the sport’s top team and is in 3rd place in the drivers standings, thus putting him at risk of being the first Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport driver to not finish in the top 2 in the standings since the 2013 season, he has been a regular front-runner in races and has just two finishes outside of the top 5.
Next: Who is the greatest Formula One driver of all-time?
Slowly but surely, things are starting to come together as far as the 2018 Formula One season’s driver lineup goes. Which drivers will land which open rides next season? Will there be any surprise announcements in the coming weeks or months?