Formula 1: The 6 seats still open for the 2023 season

There are now six seats without confirmed drivers for the 2023 Formula 1 season, but that number appears to be set to reduce soon.

At long last, McLaren were finally able to confirm that Oscar Piastri is set to replace Daniel Ricciardo alongside Lando Norris in their 2023 Formula 1 driver lineup, making him the 14th driver confirmed for next year.

There are still six open seats at five teams on next year’s grid, and that number is expected to continue to drop in the near future as silly season progresses.

Here’s a look at those six seats.

Alfa Romeo

While Valtteri Bottas is on a long-term contract, rookie Guanyu Zhou doesn’t have a deal to compete in 2023. However, he is expected to return after a solid first year. He also brings significant funding to the team.

AlphaTauri

Pierre Gasly is signed through 2023, but if the FIA grant IndyCar driver Colton Herta a Super Licence, a deal is in place for him to make the move to AlphaTauri, which would send Gasly to Alpine to replace the Aston Martin-bound Fernando Alonso.

Will that ultimately lead to an Andretti takeover, with rumors that AlphaTauri are for sale following Andretti’s announcement of plans to build a new $200 million, 575,000 square-foot facility?

Yuki Tsunoda drives the team’s other car and is also without a deal to compete next year, but with Mick Schumacher reportedly now out of the mix, he is expected to return.

Alpine

After surprisingly losing Alonso to Aston Martin and then losing reserve driver Oscar Piastri to McLaren in even more dramatic fashion, Alpine are still slated to make out quite well with Gasly, giving the team an all-French lineup with Gasly and Esteban Ocon.

But if Herta’s Super Licence is not approved, this seat will be the one to watch, as the Enstone outfit will have missed out on Alonso, Piastri, and Gasly within a matter of weeks. Could this be the seat that keeps Ricciardo or Schumacher in Formula 1 beyond 2022?

Haas

Kevin Magnussen is under contract for 2023, but Schumacher is not. There is still a chance he will return, but if not, Ferrari reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi is seen as the likely replacement.

Williams

Williams recently extended Alexander Albon’s contract, but Nicholas Latifi remains on the hot seat. The team have reportedly told him that he is still in contention to return, but that doesn’t look likely. However, should he be replaced, this is a seat that many will be watching, as there is no clear frontrunner to land it.

Could this finally be the opportunity for Nyck de Vries? Could we get a second American driver with Logan Sargeant? Or could this end up being the seat that keeps Ricciardo or Schumacher in Formula 1 beyond 2022?

Here is a list of the five teams with fully confirmed driver lineups for 2023.

• Red Bull: Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez
• Ferrari: Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz Jr.
• Mercedes: George Russell, Lewis Hamilton
• McLaren: Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri
• Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll

There are still seven of 22 races remaining on the 2022 schedule, leaving plenty of time for these remaining six seats to be filled.