Formula 1: Top 5 pending free agents heading into 2023
By Asher Fair
There aren’t many drivers set to become free agents at the end of the 2023 Formula 1 season, but there are still a few big names not under contract through 2024.
The 2023 Formula 1 silly season was a chaotic one to say the least, with six of 10 teams making a change to their lineup.
Two drivers switched teams, four drivers left the sport, and four new drivers, including three rookies and one who hasn’t driven full-time since 2019, have joined.
There aren’t that many drivers with contracts set to expire at the end of the 2023 season, but this year’s still has the potential to be just as interesting as last year’s was.
Here are the top five.
Top 5 Formula 1 free agents: No. 5 – Guanyu Zhou
Overall, Guanyu Zhou had a solid rookie season with Alfa Romeo in 2022, a season that would have produced quite a bit more points if not for mechanical issues and incidents that were totally out of his control. He scored a point in his debut and recorded a top finish of eighth place later in the year.
But he will probably need to have an even bigger year this year to ensure that his seat is safe, especially since he is up against one of the most experienced drivers on the grid in Valtteri Bottas.
Bottas, who also joined the Swiss team last year, had six top eight finishes and scored 49 points in 2022 — and he had his own share of issues out of his control later in the year. Zhou had just one and scored six, and even without some of the issues, he still would have been well behind his teammate in the standings. Can he take a step forward in 2023?