Formula 1 silly season is in full swing. While several drivers have signed new contracts for the 2019 season, most have not. Which drivers will end up driving for which teams next year?
With the 2018 Formula 1 summer break in the books, the driver lineup for the 2019 Formula 1 season is slowly starting to take shape, but to say that there are still a lot of moving pieces to the ever-changing puzzle would be a huge understatement.
Little by little, the grid for next season is filling up, as contracts have been agreed upon and signed by drivers and teams at a fairly consistent rate over the summer break.
However, there are still more than a dozen drivers, some of whom are currently driving in Formula 1 and some of whom are not, who have multiple possibilities as far as which teams they might drive for in 2019 is concerned.
Which drivers will end up driving for which teams in the 2019 Formula 1 season?
Here is a look at the projected 2019 Formula 1 driver lineup now that this season’s action is set to pick back up again following the annual summer break with the 13th race of the 21-race season, which is tomorrow’s Belgian Grand Prix at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Stavelot, Belgium.
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.
Alfa Romeo Sauber, Ferrari
Marcus Ericsson is in the midst of what could become a career season in his fourth season driving for Sauber. Since he started driving for the team in the 2015 season, he had only scored points in one of his three seasons driving for the team coming into the 2018 season. That season was the 2015 season.
The five points that the 27-year-old Swede has scored so far this season as a result of his sixth, seventh and eighth career top 10 finishes are his first five points since the 2015 season when he scored nine points. With both Ericsson and Sauber as a whole improving and given his financial backing situation, expect him to return to the team in 2019.
With Sauber’s other current driver, rookie Charles Leclerc, likely set to either move to Ferrari or Haas next season, there will likely be a seat open alongside Marcus Ericsson in 2019. That seat will likely be taken by Antonio Giovinazzi.
Ferrari urged Sauber to sign both Leclerc and Giovinazzi this season. While Ferrari signed the 20-year-old Monegasque, they did not sign the 24-year-old Italian. Given Leclerc’s success so far this season, perhaps the Swiss team will take Ferrari’s advice and sign Giovinazzi for next year. After all, he has tested for the team this season after driving in two races for the team in 2017 as the replacement driver for the injured Pascal Wehrlein.
Scuderia Toro Rosso, Honda
Toro Rosso, the Red Bull Racing junior team, tried to sign Dan Ticktum to replace struggling rookie Brendon Hartley this season, but due to FIA Super Licence rules, the 19-year-old Briton was not even permitted to test for the team until after the Hungarian Grand Prix.
With one seat open at Toro Rosso for next season already and the other being currently occupied by Hartley, it is hard to imagine the current Formula 3 driver standings leader, who drives for Motopark, not driving for the team in 2019.
Toro Rosso also tried to sign McLaren reserve driver Lando Norris to replace the struggling Brendon Hartley this season, but McLaren blocked this deal from taking place since it meant that the 18-year-old Briton would have had to leave the Woking-based team.
However, McLaren later admitted that they are willing to loan Norris, who currently sits in second place in the Formula 2 driver standings driving for Carlin, to another team as long as he does not sign a long-term contract with another team that would cause him to leave McLaren.
Seeing as how Red Bull Racing will likely not have an open seat for several seasons, Toro Rosso really wouldn’t benefit from signing Norris long-term anyway. A short-term deal with the Faenza-based team would allow him to develop into a more experienced driver, something McLaren should take advantage of by loaning him. Expect him to drive for Toro Rosso in 2019.
McLaren, Renault
Esteban Ocon had been widely rumored to be Carlos Sainz Jr.’s replacement at Renault since Sainz Jr. is driving for Renault on loan from Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Racing are set to switch from Renault engines to Honda engines starting next season.
As a result, it was speculated that Sainz Jr. would leave the French team and either return to Toro Rosso, the Red Bull Racing junior team, or replace Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull Racing assuming Ricciardo left to drive for either Mercedes or Ferrari.
Sainz Jr. and Ricciardo are both set to leave their respective teams, but because Ricciardo is set to replace Sainz Jr. at Renault, there are no seats open at the team for Ocon. With McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne having underperformed throughout the season, it is likely that the 21-year-old Frenchman will be his replacement in 2019.
Carlos Sainz Jr., who is in his first full season driving for Renault after driving for the team in the final four races of the 2017 season as the replacement for Jolyon Palmer, has already signed a two-year contract to drive for McLaren starting in 2019.
Shortly after two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso, who currently drives for McLaren, announced that the 2018 season will be his final season as a Formula 1 driver, the 23-year-old Spaniard was confirmed as the replacement driver for his fellow countryman before he signed his new contract.
Racing Point Force India, Mercedes
The backers of Sergio Perez, who is currently in his fifth season driving for Force India, are the people sent the team into administration to protect them against the threat of a winding-up order.
With the team having been purchased by a consortium led by Canadian billionaire investor Lawrence Stroll, the 28-year-old Mexican expects that he will sign a contract to remain with the team for the 2019 season and beyond, as he should given the actions of his backers as well as his performance for the team over the last five seasons.
Williams’ Lance Stroll has struggled in his second season as a Formula 1 driver after having success in his rookie season, but this is largely due to the fact that Williams are by far the slowest team in the sport, as evidenced by the fact that they sit in last place in the constructor standings with very little hope of moving up even one position over the course of the season’s final nine races.
However, the 19-year-old Canadian will likely be promoted to Force India, the mid-pack team that a consortium led by his father Lawrence just purchased, next season. His father spent $80 million to get him a ride with Williams last year, so there is really no doubt that the younger Stroll will be driving for Force India in 2019.
Haas, Ferrari
Sauber rookie Charles Leclerc was widely believed to be Kimi Raikkonen’s replacement at Ferrari starting in the 2019 Formula 1 season. In fact, it was revealed that Ferrari were ready to sign him and that he and Ferrari even reached an agreement that that he did not sign. However, the death of former Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne, who was a big fan of Leclerc and wanted him to be promoted to Ferrari as soon as possible, means that this likely won’t happen quite yet.
However, seeing as how the 20-year-old Monegasque, who has had a lot of success in his rookie season, has been tabbed my many people as a future Formula 1 champion and how many people believe he could very well have success at Ferrari even if he is promoted to the team for next season, it would make perfect sense for Haas, the other Ferrari-powered team aside of Ferrari and Sauber, to sign him as the replacement driver for the struggling Romain Grosjean. At worst, the 2016 GP3 Series and 2017 Formula 2 champion deserves to drive for a mid-pack team as opposed to a backmarker team.
Kevin Magnussen has been impressive in his second season driving for Haas. Throughout the entire year so far, he has been in the battle to be the “best of the rest” driver behind the six Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull Racing drivers. He currently sits in eighth place in the driver standings behind Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg in seventh.
Haas have no reason not to sign the 25-year-old Dane to a contract extension after the season he has had, especially given the fact that he has more than twice the amount of points than teammate Romain Grosjean has (45 to 21).
Renault Sport, Renault
Daniel Ricciardo currently drives for Red Bull Racing, and he is in his fifth consecutive season doing so. However, at the beginning of August, he made the shocking decision to sign a a two-year contract to replace Carlos Sainz Jr. at Renault starting next season.
All seven of the 29-year-old Australian’s career victories in Formula 1 have come during his time driving for the Milton Keynes-based team, so it will be interesting to see if he can help Renault develop from a team that are currently the “best of the rest” behind the sport’s three top-tier teams (Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull Racing) into a team that can contend for race victories on a regular basis.
Nico Hulkenberg is currently in his second season driving for Renault. While his contract details have not been disclosed, he is the driver who Daniel Ricciardo is set to partner next season in his first season driving for the French team.
The 31-year-old German is currently the “best of the rest” driver, as he sits in seventh place in the driver standings behind the six Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull Racing drivers. Having Ricciardo as his teammate may push him to be even better than he already is.
Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, Honda
Pierre Gasly is currently in his first season as a full-time Formula 1 driver after he substituted for Daniil Kvyat in five of the final six races of the 2017 season at Toro Rosso, the Red Bull Racing junior team. Toro Rosso retained him for the 2018 season.
The 22-year-old Frenchman was recently confirmed as the replacement for Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull Racing next season after the 29-year-old Australian signed a two-year contract at the beginning of August to replace Carlos Sainz Jr. at Renault starting next year.
Max Verstappen is one of two drivers who entered the 2018 season with a confirmed contract that extends beyond the conclusion of this year. He signed a three-year contract extension last fall to remain with Red Bull Racing through at least the 2020 season.
The 20-year-old Dutchman has driven for Red Bull Racing since the fifth race of the 2016 season, the Spanish Grand Prix. He won this race and has gone on to win three more races. His four victories driving for the team are the first four victories of his Formula 1 career. He is the only driver in Formula 1 history who has won at least one race by the age of 20, and he won his first race at the age of 18.
Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari
Four-time Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel is the other one of the two drivers who entered the 2018 season with a confirmed contract that extends beyond the conclusion of this year. He signed a three-year contract extension last summer to continue driving for Ferrari through at least the 2020 season.
The 31-year-old German has driven for Ferrari since the 2015 season, but he has not yet been able to win add to his career championship total, which he added to for four consecutive seasons during his stint at Red Bull Racing, as a member of the Maranello-based team.
While it was rumored that Sauber rookie Charles Leclerc would be replacing Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari next season, the most recent rumors state that the 2007 Formula 1 champion will be returning to Ferrari on a two-year contract extension following three consecutive seasons of driving for the team on one-year deals.
The 38-year-old Finn has driven for Ferrari since the 2014 season, but he is currently in his eighth season driving for the team. In addition to driving for the team in each of the last five seasons, he also drove for them from the 2007 season through the 2009 season. He has not won a race since he returned to the team in 2014.
Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton has already signed a two-year contract to remain with Mercedes through at least the 2020 season. He began driving for the team in the 2013 season, and he has won three of his four career championships from then until now. In fact, he has won championships in three of the last four seasons.
If the 33-year-old Briton is able to secure his fifth career championship this season, which he is currently on pace to do as the leader of the driver standings, he could be in position to tie seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher for the all-time record by the time his new contract expires in two years.
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Valtteri Bottas has already signed a one-year contract to remain with Mercedes through at least the 2019 season, and this contract has an option that the team can use to retain him through at least the 2020 season depending on his performance and how good of a teammate he is to Lewis Hamilton.
The 28-year-old Finn is currently in his second season driving for the team, as he replaced 2016 Formula 1 champion Nico Rosberg last year after Rosberg shockingly announced his retirement from Formula 1 just days after winning the championship. All three of Bottas’s career Formula 1 victories have come during his time driving for Mercedes.
Does this silly season driver lineup prediction for the 2019 Formula 1 season match up with yours, or do you believe that some of the drivers discussed in this article will either be driving for different teams or not driving at all? If you believe that some of them will not be driving at all, which drivers do you believe will enter the sport next year?