Formula 1: Two teams need new drivers, but all eyes are on one

Of the 20 seats on the 2025 Formula 1 grid, 18 now have confirmed drivers, with eight teams having completed their lineups next year. Two teams, Sauber and RB, still have decisions to make.

But in reality, all eyes have turned to Sauber following a recent RB announcement.

RB have confirmed that Liam Lawson is set to replace Daniel Ricciardo alongside Yuki Tsunoda for the remainder of the 2024 season, starting with race number 19 of a record-breaking 24 at Circuit of the Americas three weekends from now.

Despite changing drivers ahead of the United States Grand Prix, RB have yet to confirm who will partner Tsunoda in 2025, but all signs point to Lawson at this point.

Red Bull reportedly had a September deadline to make a decision before the 22-year-old New Zealander became available for other teams to sign, and it appears that the decision has been made to keep him within the organization next year – and no longer as a reserve driver.

As for Sauber, there are still several possibilities.

They have already signed Nico Hulkenberg, presumably to replace Zhou Guanyu. With a veteran presence already in the lineup for their final Formula 1 season before the full Audi takeover, should they sign another veteran or pursue a promising young talent to lead the German manufacturer's entry to the sport?

Should they opt for another veteran presence, Valtteri Bottas would be the obvious choice, and it wouldn't take a driver change to do it. Bottas has competed for Sauber since 2022 and would reportedly be open to returning for a fourth season.

The question is whether they would sign him to a multi-year deal that extends through Audi's entry or simply to a one-year deal, thus allowing them to go after a younger yet experienced free agent, such as Mercedes' George Russell, who may become available after the 2025 season.

But if they opt to go young right away, Sauber could choose someone such as Franco Colapinto, who has impressed as Logan Sargeant's replacement at Williams this season, or Formula 2 championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto.

A one-year deal, as opposed to a multi-year deal, for a young driver as Bottas' replacement would still give the team the opportunity to reassess their lineup at the end of 2025, but more importantly, it would give them a full season's worth of a newcomer's performance to consider, ensuring they aren't flying blind into 2026 like they might be if they were to opt to replace the 35-year-old Finn anyway.

A third open seat?

Some have suggested that perhaps Lawson could actually end up replacing Sergio Perez at Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen next year, depending on how Perez performs throughout the remaining six races (and three sprint races) of the 2024 season, thus implying that there are actually three teams that still need to make driver decisions for the 2025 season.

There are also rumors that Perez could announce his retirement on Mexico City Grand Prix weekend, though there were rumors of the same last year and nothing happened.

Bottom line, it's highly unlikely, no matter what the media may try to conjure up, that Perez, whose current contract runs through 2026, will be replaced after the 2024 season, meaning that RB's lineup should be set with Lawson and Tsunoda.

There should be no imminent need for the team to turn to another driver from the Red Bull Junior Team, such as Formula 2's Isack Hadjar or former Formula 2 driver and current Japanese Super Formula driver Ayumu Iwasa, to replace a Red Bull-bound Lawson, barring a mid-season switch.

With that in mind, it's fully up to Sauber to solidify next year's grid, one which has already seen seven driver changes following the first offseason in Formula 1's 75-year history during which all 20 drivers at all 10 teams stayed put.