With Daniel Ricciardo back on the grid for the balance of 2023 in place of Nyck de Vries, the F1 silly season for 2024 has effectively begun.
On the Pit Talk podcast (listen below), Michael Lamonato and I discussed what Ricciardo’s return means in a broader context, reasoning that it heaps the pressure on Yuki Tsunoda and Sergio Perez to perform.
Perez holds a contract for 2024, though the plight of de Vries has suggested that is of little consequence should Red Bull want to go in a different direction.
That could mean Tsunoda or Ricciardo being promoted to the senior team, or it could mean neither.
If Perez is retained, what does that say for the Honey Badger beyond this season, and could that spell good news for Liam Lawson?
The young New Zealander has done well in Super Formula and remains waiting for an F1 opportunity. Could the door finally be opening?
There are few openings elsewhere, with most drivers having signed multi-year deals.
Lewis Hamilton is negotiating another contract with Mercedes, with the finer details of that deal being nutted out now.
Valtteri Bottas is safe for next year; his multi-year deal is understood to include 2024.
Zhou Guanyu, alongside him at Alfa Romeo Sauber, is out of contract, so there’s room for change.
Haas boss Guenther Steiner has hinted that he’ll also maintain a consistent pairing for next year.
That leaves Logan Sargeant as the only other unknown heading into 2024.
| Team | Driver 1 | Driver 2 | Reserve/Third Driver |
| Mercedes | Lewis Hamilton (2023) | George Russell (2022+) | Mick Schumacher (2023) |
| Ferrari | Charles Leclerc (2024) | Carlos Sainz (2024) | Antonio Giovinazzi Robert Shwartzman |
| Red Bull | Max Verstappen (2028) | Sergio Perez (2024) | Liam Lawson |
| McLaren | Lando Norris (2022+) | Oscar Piastri (2024) | Mick Schumacher Felipe Drugovich Stoffel Vandoorne |
| Alpine | Esteban Ocon (2024) | Pierre Gasly (2023+) | Jack Doohan |
| Aston Martin | Fernando Alonso (2023+) | Lance Stroll | Felipe Drugovich Stoffel Vandoorne |
| AlphaTauri | Daniel Ricciardo (2023) | Yuki Tsunoda (2023) | Liam Lawson |
| Alfa Romeo | Valtteri Bottas (2022+) | Guanyu Zhou (2023) | Theo Pourchaire |
| Haas | Kevin Magnussen (2022+) | Nico Hulkenberg (2024) | Pietro Fittipaldi |
| Williams | Alex Albon (2023+) | Logan Sargeant (2023) | Access to Mercedes pool |
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