A total of five changes were made to the Formula 1 driver lineup from the 2021 season to the 2022 season, with four teams affected.
The driver lineup is set for the 2022 Formula 1 season, which is scheduled to get underway with the Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit this weekend.
Of the 20 drivers who competed in Formula 1 throughout the 2021 season, 17 are set to return for another year in 2022, though two of those 17 drivers are set to move to new teams.
All in all, there have been five changes made to the driver lineup for the upcoming season, with four of the sport’s 10 teams directly affected. Let’s take a look at each one.
1. Alex Albon replacing George Russell at Williams
Alex Albon lost his ride at Red Bull to Sergio Perez after the 2020 season, but he is set to return to the sport with Williams in 2022 alongside Nicholas Latifi, replacing George Russell. But Russell is still set to compete in the sport throughout the upcoming campaign.
2. George Russell replacing Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes
Russell is set to replace Valtteri Bottas alongside Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes for the 2022 season after spending his first three seasons at Williams, one alongside Robert Kubica and two alongside Latifi. But Bottas is still set to compete in 2022 as well.
3. Valtteri Bottas replacing Kimi Raikkonen at Alfa Romeo
After spending the last five seasons with Mercedes alongside Hamilton, Bottas is set to move on to Alfa Romeo and replace fellow Finn Kimi Raikkonen, who has retired from Formula 1 as the sport’s all-time most experienced driver. Raikkonen is one of two drivers from the 2021 season who won’t be back in 2022; both drove for Alfa Romeo last year.
4. Guanyu Zhou replacing Antonio Giovinazzi at Alfa Romeo
While he is one of two drivers entering Formula 1 in 2022 after not competing in 2021, Guanyu Zhou is the lone rookie set to compete in the upcoming season. He is set to replace Antonio Giovinazzi at Alfa Romeo alongside Bottas after Giovinazzi spent the first three years of his full-time career with the team. He is set to move to Formula E with Dragon/Penske Autosport.
5. Kevin Magnussen replacing Nikita Mazepin at Haas
Nikita Mazepin competed in Formula 1 as a rookie for Haas in 2021 alongside fellow rookie Mick Schumacher, and Kevin Magnussen was one of the veterans displaced to form that driver lineup. But an unexpected sequence this offseason led to Magnussen being called upon to replace Mazepin in 2022.
The 23-race 2022 Formula 1 season is scheduled to get underway with the Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit, which also scheduled hosted preseason testing last week after Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya did the same last month, this Sunday, March 20. Tune in to ESPN at 11:00 a.m. ET for the live broadcast, and be sure to start your free trial of FuboTV!