Formula 1: The one remaining puzzle piece in the 2022 lineup

There is now just one big question remaining about the 2022 Formula 1 driver lineup, following a busy week of announcements.

Going into last week, there were quite a few seats still open in the 2022 Formula 1 driver lineup, including one at Mercedes, two at Alfa Romeo, two at AlphaTauri and two at Williams.

Confirmed for the 2022 season were as follows:

Mercedes

• Lewis Hamilton

Red Bull

• Max Verstappen
• Sergio Perez

Ferrari

• Charles Leclerc
• Carlos Sainz Jr.

McLaren

• Lando Norris
• Daniel Ricciardo

Alpine

• Fernando Alonso
• Esteban Ocon

Aston Martin

• Sebastian Vettel
• Lance Stroll

Haas

• Mick Schumacher
• Nikita Mazepin

But since last week, we have seen a slew of confirmations for next year, and it all started with the announcement that Kimi Raikkonen, Formula 1’s all-time most experienced driver, would be retiring at the end of the 2021 season. The 2007 world champion currently competes for Alfa Romeo alongside Antonio Giovinazzi.

This led to the confirmation that Valtteri Bottas is set to join Alfa Romeo as Raikkonen’s replacement, officially vacating the Mercedes seat alongside Lewis Hamilton. This led to the inevitable confirmation that current Williams driver George Russell would be joining Hamilton next year.

Alexander Albon had been rumored to make a return to the grid with either Alfa Romeo or Williams next year, and he was then confirmed as the replacement for Russell. Williams added the announcement that Nicholas Latifi would retain his seat for 2022.

And in the midst of it all, AlphaTauri confirmed no changes for next year: both Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda are set to return.

This means that 19 of the 20 seats on the grid for next year have been filled, leaving only one vacant: the Alfa Romeo seat alongside Bottas.

Giovinazzi currently occupies that seat and could very well earn himself a fourth season with the team in 2022 by impressing down the stretch in 2021.

But there are rumors that Mercedes Formula E world champion Nyck de Vries is the leading candidate for the seat, especially since it has now been confirmed that he will not be joining Williams.

One might question why Ferrari would place de Vries in the second Alfa Romeo seat. The answer? They wouldn’t. But because of a new agreement that begins in 2022, they no longer have the ability to pick one of Alfa Romeo’s two drivers like they have done for the last several seasons, thus opening the door for the 26-year-old Dutchman.

We are just 13 races into the 22-race 2021 season, but there is only one more seat to be filled for next year. What was a crazy silly season appears to have come to quite an abrupt end, but not before some pretty intriguing drama took place.