Formula 1: Which drivers will drive for which teams in 2019?

Williams Racing, Mercedes

Sergey Sirotkin has struggled mightily in his first season in Formula 1 driving for Williams. Through the season’s first 12 races, he has not yet secured a top 12 finish, much less a top 10 finish to score his first career points.

However, the 22-year-old Russian will likely be back with the Grove-based team next season as a result of his financial backing from SMP Racing, which Williams took this season as opposed to hiring veteran Robert Kubica.

With Williams set to lose Martini as a sponsor in 2019 and with Lawrence Stroll, the financial backer and father of the team’s other current driver Lance, purchasing Force India, they will need all the money they can get, especially since they have been by far the worst team in the sport so far this year, as evidenced by the fact that they are currently in last place in the constructor standings.

Mercedes junior driver George Russell deserves a full-time Formula 1 ride, and Mercedes are eager to get him one. However, given how much driver movement is set to take place throughout the grid ahead of the 2019 season, Williams may be the best option for the ART Grand Prix Formula 2 driver, who currently leads the Formula 2 driver standings.

The 20-year-old Briton has proven he deserves to drive in Formula 1 not only with his performance in his first Formula 2 season this year but his past performances in other series. In fact, he is the reigning GP3 Series champion, as he won the title in dominant fashion in his lone season in the series last year.

Even landing a ride with the worst team on the grid would be a good experience for Russell as he ultimately pursues an eventual role as the replacement driver for either Lewis Hamilton or Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes.