Formula 1: 5 drivers at risk of losing their seats after 2024
By Asher Fair
Formula 1 silly season for 2025 got off to a hot start even before the 2024 season began, with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton being announced as the replacement for Carlos Sainz Jr. at Ferrari, bringing an end to his historic 12-year run with Mercedes.
To start the 2024 season, there were no driver changes made from the end of 2023, the first time that has ever happened in Formula 1 history. That obviously will not be true again in 2025, and the lineup changes surely won't stop with Hamilton's move. Hamilton's replacement and Sainz's next landing spot remain two of the most hotly discussed topics in the sport.
While we know that Hamilton is in and Sainz is out at the Scuderia, which other drivers could be at risk of losing their seats after the 2024 season? Here are five possibilities.
1. Sergio Perez, Red Bull
Perhaps the most talked about seat in last year's silly season was the second Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen. Though Sergio Perez was already under contract through 2024, there were rumors that he could lose his seat due to his underperformance down the stretch last year.
Verstappen ended the year with 17 wins in the final 18 races. During that stretch, Perez only managed three runner-up finishes (and no race wins).
With Sainz, who is the only non-Verstappen winner in the last 22 races, still available, Perez certainly remains on the hot seat, even after recording three runner-up results in the 2024 season's first our races. Expect a decision to be made here in the near future.