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Formula 1: Way-too-early 2021 driver lineup prediction

By Asher Fair

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - NOVEMBER 17: Valtteri Bottas driving the (77) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes W10 leads Alexander Albon of Thailand driving the (23) Aston Martin Red Bull Racing RB15 and Pierre Gasly of France driving the (10) Scuderia Toro Rosso STR14 Honda at the start during the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 17, 2019 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - NOVEMBER 17: Valtteri Bottas driving the (77) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes W10 leads Alexander Albon of Thailand driving the (23) Aston Martin Red Bull Racing RB15 and Pierre Gasly of France driving the (10) Scuderia Toro Rosso STR14 Honda at the start during the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 17, 2019 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images) /
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SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 17: Alexander Albon of Thailand driving the (23) Aston Martin Red Bull Racing RB15 leads Sebastian Vettel of Germany driving the (5) Scuderia Ferrari SF90 and Charles Leclerc of Monaco driving the (16) Scuderia Ferrari SF90 (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 17: Alexander Albon of Thailand driving the (23) Aston Martin Red Bull Racing RB15 leads Sebastian Vettel of Germany driving the (5) Scuderia Ferrari SF90 and Charles Leclerc of Monaco driving the (16) Scuderia Ferrari SF90 (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) /

Ferrari

Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc’s initial contract with Ferrari, which he signed in September of 2018, was believed to run through the 2022 season. But whether it did or didn’t doesn’t matter, as he recently signed a contract extension through the 2024 season with the team.

Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo, who currently drives for Renault, was rumored as a possible Mercedes or Ferrari driver during his years at Red Bull Racing, and one of those rumors could finally come to fruition in 2021, (a) with Max Verstappen set to stay put at Red Bull Racing and (b) because Renault managing director Cyril Abiteboul has already hinted that he won’t be back with the team next year. Ferrari would naturally be the more likely open option because of Sebastian Vettel’s uncertain status with the team, but perhaps he and Lewis Hamilton will swap seats in this driver lineup. Hamilton could still end up moving to Ferrari, which could mean that Ricciardo will make the move to Mercedes to place him back in a competitive car for the first time since 2018.

Red Bull Racing

Max Verstappen

It was initially expected that if Red Bull Racing have what it takes in their second season with Honda to make enough of an improvement to challenge Mercedes on a regular basis and give Max Verstappen a championship-caliber race car, he would have no reason not to be back in the 2021 season, perhaps even on a long-term contract. As it turns out, he didn’t even need to see that much to believe that he is in the right place. More than two months before the start of the 2020 seasons, he signed a contract extension with the team that runs through the 2023 season.

Alexander Albon

Alexander Albon showed he has what it takes to drive for Red Bull Racing after replacing Pierre Gasly over the 2019 summer break, and if he can keep it up alongside Max Verstappen in the 2020 season, they would have no reason not to re-sign him.

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