This year promises to be especially busy in the driver market, with eight teams still to confirm their full 2025 F1 line-up.

Only McLaren and Ferrari have their pairings locked in, both organisations confirming their plans before the current campaign began.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will continue together for a third season at McLaren, the former heading into the final year of his deal while the latter is poised to remain in place until at least the end of 2026.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton will sensationally join Ferrari in 2025 after 12 years with the Mercedes factory team, which netted six of his seven world titles.

His two-year deal will partner him with Charles Leclerc, who has a deal to stay in Maranello ‘several more seasons’ beyond the end of 2024.

Hamilton’s arrival leaves Carlos Sainz out of the drive. The Spaniard has been linked with moves to several teams, including Mercedes and Red Bull Racing.

The latter would see him step into the car currently filled by Sergio Perez.

The Mexican is out of contract at the end of the year.

His patchy form during his time alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing has raised questions about his role within the team going forward, especially as greater emphasis is placed on his results for the constructors’ championship.

However, he’s given a strong account of himself thus far in 2024, and speculation of his imminent dismissal from the team—something that was mooted at points in 2023—has disappeared.

Elsewhere, Alpine has two seats available with both Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly out of contract.

Ocon was considered a candidate for Hamilton’s Mercedes drive, though chatter surrounding the Frenchman has died down in recent weeks.

Alpine also has Jack Doohan waiting in the wings, desperate for an opportunity to prove himself in race conditions in F1 after two years as reserve driver.

RB, Sauber, and Haas are also yet to confirm a single driver, though the former is expected to retain at least one of either Yuki Tsunoda or Daniel Ricciardo and promote Liam Lawson.

Williams has a contract with Alex Albon, another name linked with Red Bull Racing and Mercedes, and is reluctant to let him go.

Who joins him is another matter, with Logan Sargeant under pressure to retain his drive.

It’s been suggested that Mercedes—which supplies power units to Williams—could parachute Kimi Antonelli into that seat, as it did with Russell.

Doohan is also sniffing around Gove, the young Australian spotted in conversation with Williams boss James Vowles in Japan.

The final unaccounted drive is that alongside Alonso at Aston Martin, with Lance Stroll not confirmed but expected to remain at the team owned by his father.

F1 2025 driver lineup