Formula 1: Early 2021 driver lineup prediction
By Asher Fair
Renault
Esteban Ocon – After sitting out the 2019 season due to Lawrence Stroll purchasing Racing Point and giving their second seat to his son, Esteban Ocon is back in 2020, and he is back on a two-year deal with Renault which runs through next year.
Fernando Alonso – Despite stating multiple times that they wanted to add another young driver to pair with Esteban Ocon and thus hinting that one of Renault Sport Academy and Formula 2 drivers Guanyu Zhou and Christian Lundgaard may get the call to replace Daniel Ricciardo next year, Renault opted to bring back the once-retired Fernando Alonso, who spent six seasons with the team over two separate stints from 2003 to 2009.
AlphaTauri
Pierre Gasly – Red Bull seem confident with the four drivers within their organization right now, and that includes the two at sister team AlphaTauri. Pierre Gasly may have struggled mightily with the Red Bull Racing team after he was promoted there ahead of the 2019 season, but he has been outstanding driving for the lesser organization.
Daniil Kvyat – Daniil Kvyat is in pretty much the same boat, although his Red Bull Racing tenure came several years ago and he didn’t perform as poorly as Pierre Gasly did. Red Bull Racing simply had to make room for Max Verstappen, and Kvyat’s struggles at the time ended up landing him a demotion, which ultimately led to the organization cutting ties with him before bringing him back last year. If he can have another good year in 2020, expect him back again in 2021.