Formula 1: Who is the top free agent in loaded class of 2021?

The Formula 1 free agent class of 2021 is stacked from top to bottom with only a few drivers under contract for beyond 2020. Who is the top free agent in this loaded class?

Entering the 2020 Formula 1 season, not much has changed since last year.

Following an offseason that featured just eight of 20 drivers staying put, six switching teams, six entering Formula 1 and six more leaving, the offseason between the 2019 and 2020 seasons was nowhere near as hectic.

Of the 20 drivers who competed last season, 18 are slated to return to their teams. As for the other two seats, one driver was replaced by a former driver and another was replaced by a rookie.

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Consider this the calm before the storm.

There are only four drivers who are under contract through at least the 2021 season, although it is worth nothing that there are sometimes clauses that allow for deals to end early.

These four drivers are Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc (2022+), Racing Point’s Sergio Perez (2022), Renault’s Esteban Ocon (2021) and Williams’ George Russell (2021). McLaren’s Lando Norris is also believed to have a deal that runs through at least 2022 after signing what was reported to be a multi-year contract extension this past July, but that has not been confirmed.

All 16 (including Norris) of the others could end up anywhere, and it would be an understatement to say that there are already an abundance of rumors regarding the top drivers, especially considering the fact that Liberty Media’s new rules and regulations, which include a $175 million budget cap from which driver salaries are exempt, are slated to go into effect in 2021 with the aim of making the sport more competitive.

Among the top free agents are six-time champion Lewis Hamilton, who is projected to become Formula 1’s second ever seven-time champion in 2020, four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, Valtteri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo.

Much of the big rumors surround the futures of Hamilton and Vettel, but surprisingly, despite the fact that they have combined for 10 world titles, all in the last 12 years, their respective rumors have abounded for opposite reasons.

Hamilton, who has driven for Mercedes since 2013, has been linked to the Ferrari seat that currently belongs to Vettel, while Vettel’s future in Formula 1 has become uncertain due to his recent decline in form over the last few years.

A six-time champion, Hamilton is, on paper, the top pending free agent. However, Verstappen will be the most coveted driver on the market, even though a Ferrari move has already been ruled out by both sides.

The reason is this. Hamilton is 34 years old, slated to be 35 in two days. Verstappen just turned 22 a few months ago. If Hamilton signs with Ferrari or really anywhere, that deal likely would be a one-year deal, a two-year deal at most, likely with nothing more than the intention of him becoming the first eight-time champion.

As for Verstappen, his next contract could play a huge role in a long-term future in Formula 1 that could easily contain dozens of wins and multiple championships, at least based on everything he has shown since the day he was promoted to Red Bull Racing back in May of 2016.

The guy has already won eight races, and he had five wins at an age when no other driver in Formula 1 history even had one.

It’s a real shame that he hasn’t been in the best possible equipment to challenge Hamilton on a more regular basis these last few years, because when they have happened, those battles have been intense must-see TV.

Should Red Bull Racing become a championship-caliber team in their second year with Honda as their engine manufacturer in 2020, Verstappen would have no reason to leave. But if they don’t, a Mercedes deal could be in the cards, as could a major fight from Red Bull and Honda to try to retain him under the idea that they are on the verge of reaching the top.

Next. Top 10 Formula 1 drivers of all-time. dark

Where will each of the top pending free agents end up in the 2021 Formula 1 season? Most notably, where will Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton sign?

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