Formula 1: Early 2021 driver lineup prediction

Aston Martin

Sergio Perez – Sergio Perez entered the offseason between the 2019 and 2020 seasons as one of the three drivers under contract to compete in 2021 after signing a three-year contract extension in August of 2019. There was speculation that the team, currently known as Racing Point but set to be rebranded as Aston Martin beginning next year, would cut his contract short and replace him with four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel from Ferrari, but the team shut down those talks.

Lance Stroll – While not initially confirmed, it was always a foregone conclusion that Lance Stroll would be back with Aston Martin in 2021, and they recently reaffirmed that. His father, Lawrence, purchased the team back in 2018 and invested in Aston Martin marque, so there really wasn’t much of a chance that they would cut him, even with Vettel out of a ride and having been linked to the team.

Alfa Romeo Racing

Antonio Giovinazzi – Ferrari gave their blessing for Antonio Giovinazzi to stick around at Alfa Romeo Racing for another season in 2020 after he made significant improvements throughout his rookie season. Should that progress continue in his second year with the team, there is no reason for Alfa Romeo Racing not to retain him, especially with the uncertainty surrounding Kimi Raikkonen’s future. The only downside to this is the fact that Ferrari don’t have any seats open at their factory team until at least the 2023 season at this point.

Kimi Raikkonen – Without the coronavirus pandemic, Kimi Raikkonen would have become Formula 1’s all-time most experienced driver in last Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix. Still, he is slated to earn that title in whatever ends up being the 11th race of the year. Will he retire after 2020? It is hard to see him walking away after this year, given how the pandemic has shaken up the schedule and caused several venues to be axed.