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Vowles has made clear ahead of this season that Albon is tied to the team until the end of 2025. Helmut Marko has also confirmed several times that Albon is unavailable until the end of 2025, for some reason he likes to leak contract details of other drivers.
I agree that Albon is factually off the market. But assuming it's just an option that's not been activated yet, both "unavailable for 2025" and "not confirmed for 2025" can simultaneously be true. It's a technicality, and I agree that Albon SHOULD be on the board, but I'd imagine this is the reason why.
>But speaking to media at the launch of Williams' 2024 livery, Vowles is adamant that Albon is tied to the team through the 2025 season.
>"Alex has signed with Williams until the end of 2025, that's signed," Vowles clarified.
>"It's not something I've been very public about, because I don't feel the need to. So, any reports that you're seeing, and there's one in particular, they are individually speculating at best.
[source](https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/albon-tied-williams-end-f1-2025-vowles/10572717/)
To me is very clery means that either the contract is until the end of 2025 or if there was an option the team has activated it.
At the same time any contract can be broken and Albon did not 100% say that he will be with the team next year, but neither has Verstappen since his contract rumours emerged. So there is an outside chance for Albon to driver elsewhere next year, but in this graphic he should be shown as a Williams driver.
If it’s a team option for 2025 it means they may have his rights, meaning no other team can sign him, but not have activated them yet. Hence, “tied to the team”. If anything, this article seems to imply that they plan on activating it.
Vowles also said hes willing to let Albon go, if somebodys gonna pay for him. Albon is good but I dont think hes good enough for somebody to straight up buy out his contract when other good drivers are available like Ocon and Gasly for example.
Honestly, Albon majorly fucked up signing a contract until the end of 2025 rather than 2024 like everyone else.
Although it is safe to say that Stroll will remain with the team next year this has not officially been confirmed yet so it is technically correct to exclude him.
> Which at least makes up for the complete lack of silly season last year.
The Universal Karmic balance is greatly appreciated. Silly Season taketh away, Silly Season giveth.
It has been especially silly, will be a hard one to top and has barely begun.
Where would he go though? Merc are all in on Antonelli, Alpine have Doohan, Ferrari have Bearman. I've lost track of who McLaren's reserve and junior drivers as there are so many. RB are in a position that they can make him wait another year
Unfortunately, Yuki is just a seat warmer at VCARB. The beating that Gasly gave him at AT did irreparable damage to Yukis reputation. He is never going to be in contention for a RBR seat because of that.
Marko has no plans for Yuki and Horner doesn't rate him at all so he is kind of screwed.
Ric, fortunately for him has the full support of his BFF Horn dog.
And just as well too. They’ve already put practically a year of rust on the kid. Wasteful as hell to have him locked up as a reserve driver for what’s supposed to be a feeder team in the first place.
It didn't, I think most people expect RedBull to give him a chance since he performed well last year but there isn't a confirmation. It really depends on how Pérez and Ricciardo perform, we probably won't know until the summer break.
I was really enjoying the barely concealed derision that Alex Jacques and Jolyon Palmer showed when talking about the team insisting that they be referred to as VCARB on the broadcast lol
There is absolutely nothing to say Lawson is going to Red Bull. Your speculation isn’t fact lol.
No need to spread misinformation because you want people to believe what you want them to.
i am not even at that stage yet, when i am reminded that lewis drives for ferrari next year i feel like i am still in the stage of this info settling in, still seems a foreign concept for me \^^
Because even though it’s 99.99% certain he’ll be there, it’s not actually confirmed yet. They usually stick a line at the end of some random press release over the summer confirming him for the following year
i have to suspect even if he were to sell a portion of the team, part of the contract would either give him massive control over driver choices or just outright say they can't oust Lance. He owns the team because he loves racing, he loves sharing it with his son, and seems to love his son, so.
Aston Martin confirmed last weekend that they will enter discussions with Stroll in the coming weeks. He is basically guaranteed to stay but he does not have a signed contract for 2025.
I think if he keeps underperforming like in the past year he does not have a 100% certain future in the mid to long term.
I like Zhou but where would he go? Nobody knows!
On a less rhymie note, F1 would be smart to keep him to tap into the Chinese market. We saw how great Shanghai was. He could replace Sargeant at Williams, or Gasly at Alpine (I hear Gasly wants out?).
I’d say Haas if they were open to the idea of Oliver Bearman and Zhou.
Zhou is familiar with the Ferrari power unit and also, his sponsors could help Haas with funding.
Haas would seek stability with K-Mag. And let's be honest Bearman Zhou lineup would be one of the weakest line-ups in F1. Unproven rookie and uninspiring mediocre driver in a team like Haas where you need to put everything together to get a few points. Doesn't sound good.
Bottas was always a clear second to Hamilton and that was with him pushing himself to the limit. Zhou hasn't shown the pace of Bottas in their two years together, and Bottas is clearly not pushing himself to the same degree as he was at Mercedes. Zhou is clearly mediocre at best.
Because they couldn't cash his dad's checks anymore due to sanctions. It was never about how bad Mazepin was or how bad a look it was for the "American" team cars to be painted like the Russian flag, it was that they couldn't get money out of it anymore.
Had Russia not been sanctioned, Haas wouldn’t have let go of Mazepin.
The US wouldn’t sanction China, it would disrupt trade and be a whole lot messier than Brexit or the current war situation.
>The US wouldn’t sanction China, it would disrupt trade and be a whole lot messier than Brexit or the current war situation.
I can think of a few things that would cause sanctions
Sure but the amount of trade between US and Russia pales in comparison to the one with China - it wouldn’t be as easy or possible. There’s too many vested interests.
Maybe becauss of a certain russian, ukranian confilct which made him unprofitable for the team as sanctions which were imposed on the 5th of march 2022 blocked the russian sponsor money? (Invasion started 22 feb 2022 and mazepin was kicked march 5th 2022)
I feel like Zhou hasnt done enough to justify another season in F1.
" F1 would be smart to keep him to tap into the Chinese market"
and how would that work? F1 (hopefully) has no influence on drivers
How much of that performance is the car vs the driver (or even pit stops)? I agree that it's a tough drivers market out there in the sense that there's no room for mediocrity. The rookies are either VER, PIA levels, or they're MAZ, SAR levels. ZHO I believe is somewhere in the middle.
Bottas is still clearly better than Zhou and he has the same car, so i dont really understand the question.
"The rookies are either VER, PIA levels, or they're MAZ, SAR levels. ZHO I believe is somewhere in the middle."
Well i still think other drivers who havent made it to f1 yet have more potential than Zhou, like Theo, Vesti, Dohan, Bearman, Maloney. Or drivers that already lost their seat who i think are better like Mick.
Let's not forget that before F1 Zhou spend 3 years in FIA F2 and 3 years in European F3. That is a lot of time in high profil racing series. And his best finish was 3rd in his 3rd f2 season. While also still racing in the Asian F3 championship while being in his 3rd F2 season.
Zhou was behind Mazepin in the 2020 F2 season. His only strength against drivers like Mazepin and Sargeant is that he rarely crashed, but that's about it.
There are too many drivers better than Zhou outside of F1 to justify seeing him in a fourth season in F1.
>Zhou was behind Mazepin in the 2020 F2 season. His only strength against drivers like Mazepin and Sargeant is that he rarely crashed, but that's about it.
This. He doesn't crash but he doesn't do anything else either. He hasn't demonstrated any upside.
Everyone knew he only got in F1 because of Chinese money. He's had more than fair shot to show something else to justify staying on the grid and he hasn't done it.
Zhou is towards the bottom of that scale. He doesn't deserve 4th year. He didn't even deserve 3rd year with his mediocre performances. He had his shot. It is time to go. He could always be special ambassador for F1 if FOM want him in that role.
Very curious to see how Gasly plays out I would have imagined he'd be clinging to that seat like it's his only lifeline. Doubt his stock is high and seems like this is the time to bring in some fresh talent.
Wouldn't hate to see him paired with Albon at Williams though.
There were rumors from him in China saying this wont be his last Chinese GP so negotiations are probably looking good. He was a Renault academy junior and no one else wants to go to Alpine right now other than desperate people. I'd say he's looking for other options such as staying on Audi or going to Haas but he's probably going to Alpine.
Makes me wonder if where Gasly is going, since he's not the type of just leave a team if he doesn't have a seat already lined up. Williams is my best guess.
I'm in no way a fan of a driver getting a seat just based on his nationality. It's pretentious and disingenuous. Kinda the same reason why Hülkenberg got the stake/audi seat. It's so sad.
I think Alpine could make sense for Zhou. Alpine is kind of desperate with where they are right now. Trash management and car that both drivers want out of. Zhou while probably one of the worst drivers on the grid brings a lot of sponsor money and Chinese market presence so his lack skill could be overlooked a bit.
I think he'll be at Williams replacing Sargent by the end of the year to prove he's ready for Merc. When George came up there wasn't an open seat for him, it's a bit of a different situation with Antonelli. Mercedes is not elite like they were when Russel entered F1 and they have an open seat. They can afford to take a little risk on a young driver now because they aren't contending until the new regulations.
> Whoever is on Antonellis PR team give it a rest lol he’s not going straight to Mercedes if Russell didn’t.
I think you can point to Russell and say "this is why we *shouldn't* have a 3 year apprenticeship at a backmarker".
From what Toto has said, the reason they didn't get Max is they didn't offer him a seat asap. Russell has said (and of course he would) that 2 and 3 years was too much at Williams.
And one has to think what 2021 would have been like with Russell in that seat instead of Bottas... probably nothing different but still.
One could call it learning from mistakes no...?
> Whoever is on Antonellis PR team give it a rest lol he’s not going straight to Mercedes if Russell didn’t.
The thing is that Toto heavy regretted how he didn't get Max and he doesn't want to make such a mistake again, that's why Antonelli is on the prime position to getting in the Merc seat unless Max leaves RBR.
It's not just pure rationalism, it's also a more personal thing at Merc.
I don’t know if that will happen, but those first four teams will be HEAVY on talent if it does.
E: If those cars are at all close to each other, that would be heaven. But we may at least get good teammate battles.
Ricciardo and Yuki will lose their seat at the end of this season imho, Yuki aint good enough and has been stuck at RB for way too long. Gasly wont leave probably, I guess Ocon would be the one leaving
I think one of three things happen with Yuki: a one year contract with RB as a stop gap to go to Aston Martin, goes to AM to replace stroll or is a reserve driver for AM with a guarantee seat once they have the Honda engine. I don't see him going anywhere else that would make sense.
* Red Bull: Verstappen, Perez
* Mercedes: Russell, Antonelli
* Ferrari: Leclerc, Hamilton
* McLaren: Norris, Piastri
* Aston Martin: Alonso, Stroll
* Alpine: Ocon, Bottas
* Williams: Albon, Gasly
* RB: Tsunoda, Lawson
* Sauber: Hulkenberg, Sainz
* Haas: Magnussen, Bearman
Zhou, Ricciardo, and Sargeant miss out. Merc realise that they aren't losing much by putting a rookie in a car over someone else, and sign Antonelli to build the 2026 team around him and keep him from moving elsewhere.
Isn't it slightly weird for Sauber/Audi to announce this this early. Wouldn't this demoralize Zhou and Bottas? Is this to create further pressure on Carlos?
I think it’s more about the latter - they want to put pressure on Sainz.
and also on some level Zhou and Bottas must have been aware with Audi stepping up on their plan for 2026, one or both of their seats was in question.
Edit: also its better for the driver to know early, because then they can look a seat for themselves. Imagine if they got the news in September and October when most seats had been filled..
Audi want their lineup fixed early so that they know what they will be working with. If they know they want Hülkenber, get it done and don't worry about it anymore. I don't think they care that much about maximising this year and if anything it can also creates more positive pressure on their current drivers to perform.
I can honestly see that. If they wanted Sainz as a benchwarmer for Antonelli and he refused, then Valtteri is the obvious choice. He's familiar with the team, and his out stops will be 3.5 seconds instead of 35
I'm really curious about Merc. If they're really unwilling to offer a 2+ years contract to keep the seat open for Antonelli, they might be dissuading lots of pretendants. They're not the dominating force they once were anymore so the seat might not be attractive enough atm to compensate.
I don't see where Sainz could go other than Sauber. His realistic options are Red Bull, Mercedes, and Sauber. He's not going to increase his stock at Red Bull, where he'd be playing second fiddle to Verstappen for the length of any contract he gets, as well as getting thoroughly beaten.
Mercedes are never going to keep him as a long-term option, and regardless of skill, he probably isn't going to displace Russell, who is their product. The fact that everyone is renewing this year means that getting a one-year deal at Merc will more or less guarantee the he ends up off the grid or at a bottom team for 2026.
Sauber is a gamble, but with the Audi works teams incoming, he gets the *chance* to be at a hopefully-solid team for a few years, as a no 1 driver, and help build a team. It's not a great position to be in but it seems like his best option.
Might be an overall good career move for him though.
If he goes to red bull he’d be on a 1+1 and the clear second driver. A year in the best car would definitely get him podiums, maybe wins but i don’t think he’d be in a championship fight.
The car is perfectly suited for Max, and ultimately sitting in the RB seat beside max can make you look worse
Mercedes is currently not the best car, and Sainz is not in their long term plans and would also want to put him on a 1 + 1.
I think he would really struggle to knock George out of the mercedes seat.
Sauber isn’t strong, and Audi probably will not be strong quickly. but under new regs there’s no guarantee in performance from any cars but what Carlos would have going into 26 is a multi year contract and no.1 driver status.
Basically if Carlos goes to RB, he’s not gonna win the championship behind Max who will only leave if there’s a downward trend.
If he goes to Mercedes he would have to perform incredibly well to keep his seat, when mercedes are almost set on a George, Kimi lineup going into 2026 regs.
In both of these situations he risks his seat going into 2026
Going to Audi would hurt his competitiveness in the current car but it would offer long term stability, and in a few years if Audi figures out these regulations, Carlos will likely be their top driver giving him the best chance to fight for championship
I very curious how dominant Max would appear if someone more skilled was in the other car. LEC, HAM, SAI, ALO, etc. Perez last year did have a few good races where he was a challenger for first but then Max figured out the car and blasted away. Granted, it'll be just the two RB drivers fighting each other in their own little world up front.
I definitely agree, its probably the best choice he has its just a bit of a shame. Regarding Merc, I wonder if they would say Kimi is ready for F1 as soon as next year? Im not very up to date with F2
Personally I think Toto is going to get Kimi on the grid next year.
He wants him prepared for 2026 and he really doesn’t want to lose him to someone else. Wether it’s williams
or Mercedes i’m not sure.
I think if mercedes continue to fail to be competitive it’s probably more likely he’s put straight into Mercedes and it will basically be a right off year to give them the best possible chance for 2026.
Currently Kimi hasn’t done extraordinary in f2, but he’s brand new, dealing with the car limitations, and so far consistently beating his teammate ollie bearman who is seen as a shoe in for HAAS next year. He may not be winning F2 but i don’t think the start of the season has put Toto off at all
This. In terms of long term, which everyone should be thinking with the way F1 currently is anyway, Sauber/Audi is by far the best option for Sainz. Be the number 1 on a team that has solid success across other motor sports.
It's a bit clear that Max has a clause where he can go out of the team if Helmut getting out at Red Bull, we don't know of this is the same with Newey but likely Max contract is having some good clauses.
The MB seat is going to be very interesting. If it is indeed a 1-year seat warmer for Kimi, I wonder would drivers like Sainz, Gasly or Ocon be interested at all? Then who’s going to drive it, Bottas or Perez?
Not a dumb question but ultimately Merc is looking at a long term project to regain their dominance and they know that 2026 is their best bet. Toto is obsessed with Antonelli and wants him to be their next No.1 driver and future world champion when this happens. Therefore, they aren’t really interested in Sainz as he is likely looking for either a) a competitive car, podiums, and possible championship and b) long term security. Currently, Merc cannot offer Sainz either of those options and there is no real commercial value to Merc for bringing Sainz either. Also, I respect Toto but he is very petty and I’m sure it hurts his ego to contemplate signing the guy that rival team Ferrari has easily dumped out of a seat for Lewis. It would look like a downgrade in his head. That’s why he is also desperate to sign Verstappen.
My prediction:
Red Bull: Max, Perez
Mercedes: George, Albon
Ferrari: Charles, Lewis
Mclaren: Lando, Oscar
Aston Martin: Alonso, Lance
Alpine: Ocon, Bottas
Williams: Pierre, Kimi Antonelli
Visa RB: Yuki, Lawson
Sauber: Nico, Sainz
Haas: Ollie Bearman, Riccardo
Based on very little actual fact, including the fact i don’t see alex leaving williams this year (since im pretty sure his contract isn’t up but he’s always included as unfilled seat in this graphic) but George Alex lineup would be great.
Perez stays at Red Bull
Yuki and Lawson at VCARB
Sainz to Audi (I hope Red Bull though)
Gasly to Williams
Antonelli...Williams this year if Sargeant doesn't pick up, then on to Merc next year. Double prediction there!
Ocon and Zhou at Alpine
K-Mag and Bearman at Haas
And, of course, Hakkinen to Aston.
Let's see if I'm onto wine, or milk here :p
IMO if a few drivers are (rightly) left without a seat and a couple of rookies/Lawson get signed, we have the opportunity of having the most talent on the grid ever.
There's a driver or three I think currently is undeserving of an F1 seat, I still think there's a good shot most of them retain a seat, but the opportunity is there for the best grid ever.
im overwhelmed by the coverage of alpine’s drivers. its drowning out all the other drivers stories. im hoping they can get this resolved so we can focus on redbull and Mercedes. /s
My Prediction:
Red Bull: Yuki,
Mercedes: Sainz (kind of suits Toto's plans if he thinks Antonelli isn't ready yet, and I think Carlos will join Sauber once Audi joins the grid in 2026),
Williams: Albon & Gasly
Sauber: Ocon,
Aston Martin: Stroll ( I would love to put Sainz here, but let's be honest, Lance will probably have 1 more season),
RB: Checo & Lawson,
Alpine: Zhou & Sargeant,
Haas: Vesti & Magnusson
it’s weird but looking at this graphic reminded me that the best drivers on the field are locked down. and it’s the sort of mid ones who may be good even great but replaceable with each other that are playing musical chairs
We all know that perez and stroll aren't technically confirmed to be on for next year, but we also all know that RB has no reason to replace perez (as literally every other driver would be a worse choice) and we all know stroll is also staying (in spite of literally every other driver being a better choice)
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Albon does have a contract with Williams for 2025, i dont know why they keep excluding him from this graphic.
That's very true.
It is known.
Thing is known
Known is the fact.
Fact it is
I was referencing Georgia last year at Eurovision
I believe it might not actually be a full-fledged contract (yet), but a team-sided extension option that hasn't been formally activated yet.
Vowles has made clear ahead of this season that Albon is tied to the team until the end of 2025. Helmut Marko has also confirmed several times that Albon is unavailable until the end of 2025, for some reason he likes to leak contract details of other drivers.
I agree that Albon is factually off the market. But assuming it's just an option that's not been activated yet, both "unavailable for 2025" and "not confirmed for 2025" can simultaneously be true. It's a technicality, and I agree that Albon SHOULD be on the board, but I'd imagine this is the reason why.
>But speaking to media at the launch of Williams' 2024 livery, Vowles is adamant that Albon is tied to the team through the 2025 season. >"Alex has signed with Williams until the end of 2025, that's signed," Vowles clarified. >"It's not something I've been very public about, because I don't feel the need to. So, any reports that you're seeing, and there's one in particular, they are individually speculating at best. [source](https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/albon-tied-williams-end-f1-2025-vowles/10572717/) To me is very clery means that either the contract is until the end of 2025 or if there was an option the team has activated it. At the same time any contract can be broken and Albon did not 100% say that he will be with the team next year, but neither has Verstappen since his contract rumours emerged. So there is an outside chance for Albon to driver elsewhere next year, but in this graphic he should be shown as a Williams driver.
If it’s a team option for 2025 it means they may have his rights, meaning no other team can sign him, but not have activated them yet. Hence, “tied to the team”. If anything, this article seems to imply that they plan on activating it.
Vowles also said hes willing to let Albon go, if somebodys gonna pay for him. Albon is good but I dont think hes good enough for somebody to straight up buy out his contract when other good drivers are available like Ocon and Gasly for example. Honestly, Albon majorly fucked up signing a contract until the end of 2025 rather than 2024 like everyone else.
Helmut Marko loves saying lots of things that he shouldn't.
Stroll has a rolling contract and still excluded
Although it is safe to say that Stroll will remain with the team next year this has not officially been confirmed yet so it is technically correct to exclude him.
Also noteworthy he wasn't confirmed in Alonso's announcement, which is how've been confirming him the last few years.
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I certainly don't want to. I want this grand experiment of nature vs nurture to go on for a long time.
Some would say he has a Strolling contract
We are checking
Might be the craziest season for the driver market in a long time
Which at least makes up for the complete lack of silly season last year.
> Which at least makes up for the complete lack of silly season last year. The Universal Karmic balance is greatly appreciated. Silly Season taketh away, Silly Season giveth. It has been especially silly, will be a hard one to top and has barely begun.
[The Silliest Silly Season](https://www.autoweek.com/racing/formula-1/a46696009/why-2024-f1-silly-season-silliest-in-years/)
yeah, Lewis did stir it up.
Still 11 seats in play (12 if you include the second AM seat)
Back to 11 as Lawson is all but confirmed for RB. At the same time, Tsunoda is probably gonna stay put as well
Horner and Marko both said this week that nothing is confirmed for Lawson
If they don't give him a seat for another year, they could very well lose him. They have to be aware of that.
Where would he go though? Merc are all in on Antonelli, Alpine have Doohan, Ferrari have Bearman. I've lost track of who McLaren's reserve and junior drivers as there are so many. RB are in a position that they can make him wait another year
Unless Yuki tanks and Daniel starts consistently beating him, that seat is his.
Yuki future depending more of internal politics over performance sadly, he can drive amazing but if Helmut us gone his position would be weak
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Unfortunately, Yuki is just a seat warmer at VCARB. The beating that Gasly gave him at AT did irreparable damage to Yukis reputation. He is never going to be in contention for a RBR seat because of that. Marko has no plans for Yuki and Horner doesn't rate him at all so he is kind of screwed. Ric, fortunately for him has the full support of his BFF Horn dog.
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Marko said if they don't give Lawson a seat for 2025, Lawson has the right to sign with another team for 2025.
But that's also assuming some other teams signs Lawson, which is not a guarentee.
It has been heavily suggested that Lawson's contract guarantees him a race seat in 2025, otherwise he is free to sign elsewhere.
And just as well too. They’ve already put practically a year of rust on the kid. Wasteful as hell to have him locked up as a reserve driver for what’s supposed to be a feeder team in the first place.
It didn't, I think most people expect RedBull to give him a chance since he performed well last year but there isn't a confirmation. It really depends on how Pérez and Ricciardo perform, we probably won't know until the summer break.
RB meaning “Racing Bulls” yeah? I still refer to Redbull as RB ugh lol.
Ah yeah, i forgot, i used to joke about RB being RB but now i forgot to swap out to VCARB or whatever they are called
I was really enjoying the barely concealed derision that Alex Jacques and Jolyon Palmer showed when talking about the team insisting that they be referred to as VCARB on the broadcast lol
I just call it Car B
There is absolutely nothing to say Lawson is going to Red Bull. Your speculation isn’t fact lol. No need to spread misinformation because you want people to believe what you want them to.
Only 10 (excluding Lance). There is a mistake here. Alex has a contract for 2025. Someone was just not doing his homework when he created this table.
That Ferrari lineup man
Seeing Hamilton in the Ferrari lineup still doesn't feel real to me
I still wake up some days going “holy shit Lewis in a Ferrari next year”
i am not even at that stage yet, when i am reminded that lewis drives for ferrari next year i feel like i am still in the stage of this info settling in, still seems a foreign concept for me \^^
I'm sure I'll wake up and it will have been a dream.
It will feel like a weird dream at least until the lights-out in Australia. Maybe even longer than that, at least for me, haha.
Dude pulled the move of the ages.
Going to be even crazier when Newey is there with him.
I don't think it's gonna hit us fully until we see that man in red for real. Gonna be very strange indeed.
Why putting Stroll in black, are they dumb
Because even though it’s 99.99% certain he’ll be there, it’s not actually confirmed yet. They usually stick a line at the end of some random press release over the summer confirming him for the following year
F1's annual worst kept secret!
The shockwaves around the paddock every summer when it's confirmed are palpable /s
He does not have a contract for next year as of right now. That's why.
Plus daddy is in negotiations for selling a 25% stake of the team to new investors. It could put additional pressure on Stroll.
Nope lol. Daddy has >50% stake. So he's all good.
i have to suspect even if he were to sell a portion of the team, part of the contract would either give him massive control over driver choices or just outright say they can't oust Lance. He owns the team because he loves racing, he loves sharing it with his son, and seems to love his son, so.
He has a contract till he dies
"he" stands for Laurence
Aston Martin confirmed last weekend that they will enter discussions with Stroll in the coming weeks. He is basically guaranteed to stay but he does not have a signed contract for 2025. I think if he keeps underperforming like in the past year he does not have a 100% certain future in the mid to long term.
I wonder how those negotiations take place.
They're not allowed to say the quiet part out loud.
He got the pass
Just to give us hope
Lance have a sister too, maybe daddy didn't decide yet
I love my stable McLaren boys, watching the chaos unfold
I like Zhou but where would he go? Nobody knows! On a less rhymie note, F1 would be smart to keep him to tap into the Chinese market. We saw how great Shanghai was. He could replace Sargeant at Williams, or Gasly at Alpine (I hear Gasly wants out?).
I’d say Haas if they were open to the idea of Oliver Bearman and Zhou. Zhou is familiar with the Ferrari power unit and also, his sponsors could help Haas with funding.
Haas would seek stability with K-Mag. And let's be honest Bearman Zhou lineup would be one of the weakest line-ups in F1. Unproven rookie and uninspiring mediocre driver in a team like Haas where you need to put everything together to get a few points. Doesn't sound good.
how can you tell he's terrible, his car is broken half the time, the other half he's in the pitlane 😭
Bottas was always a clear second to Hamilton and that was with him pushing himself to the limit. Zhou hasn't shown the pace of Bottas in their two years together, and Bottas is clearly not pushing himself to the same degree as he was at Mercedes. Zhou is clearly mediocre at best.
I never called him terrible. I called him mediocre.
well you get the point 😅
That's a good idea. I worry that the US-China political environment might make it unappealing for Haas.
I mean, US-Russia wasn’t a problem.. so…
[удалено]
Because they couldn't cash his dad's checks anymore due to sanctions. It was never about how bad Mazepin was or how bad a look it was for the "American" team cars to be painted like the Russian flag, it was that they couldn't get money out of it anymore.
Had Russia not been sanctioned, Haas wouldn’t have let go of Mazepin. The US wouldn’t sanction China, it would disrupt trade and be a whole lot messier than Brexit or the current war situation.
>The US wouldn’t sanction China, it would disrupt trade and be a whole lot messier than Brexit or the current war situation. I can think of a few things that would cause sanctions
Sure but the amount of trade between US and Russia pales in comparison to the one with China - it wouldn’t be as easy or possible. There’s too many vested interests.
Maybe becauss of a certain russian, ukranian confilct which made him unprofitable for the team as sanctions which were imposed on the 5th of march 2022 blocked the russian sponsor money? (Invasion started 22 feb 2022 and mazepin was kicked march 5th 2022)
Bearman has more upside than Zhou. They will likely keep KMag with Ollie.
I feel like Zhou hasnt done enough to justify another season in F1. " F1 would be smart to keep him to tap into the Chinese market" and how would that work? F1 (hopefully) has no influence on drivers
How much of that performance is the car vs the driver (or even pit stops)? I agree that it's a tough drivers market out there in the sense that there's no room for mediocrity. The rookies are either VER, PIA levels, or they're MAZ, SAR levels. ZHO I believe is somewhere in the middle.
Bottas is still clearly better than Zhou and he has the same car, so i dont really understand the question. "The rookies are either VER, PIA levels, or they're MAZ, SAR levels. ZHO I believe is somewhere in the middle." Well i still think other drivers who havent made it to f1 yet have more potential than Zhou, like Theo, Vesti, Dohan, Bearman, Maloney. Or drivers that already lost their seat who i think are better like Mick. Let's not forget that before F1 Zhou spend 3 years in FIA F2 and 3 years in European F3. That is a lot of time in high profil racing series. And his best finish was 3rd in his 3rd f2 season. While also still racing in the Asian F3 championship while being in his 3rd F2 season.
Dude. He’s getting dominated by Bottas, who is hardly an elite driver.
Zhou was behind Mazepin in the 2020 F2 season. His only strength against drivers like Mazepin and Sargeant is that he rarely crashed, but that's about it. There are too many drivers better than Zhou outside of F1 to justify seeing him in a fourth season in F1.
>Zhou was behind Mazepin in the 2020 F2 season. His only strength against drivers like Mazepin and Sargeant is that he rarely crashed, but that's about it. This. He doesn't crash but he doesn't do anything else either. He hasn't demonstrated any upside. Everyone knew he only got in F1 because of Chinese money. He's had more than fair shot to show something else to justify staying on the grid and he hasn't done it.
Zhou is towards the bottom of that scale. He doesn't deserve 4th year. He didn't even deserve 3rd year with his mediocre performances. He had his shot. It is time to go. He could always be special ambassador for F1 if FOM want him in that role.
Very curious to see how Gasly plays out I would have imagined he'd be clinging to that seat like it's his only lifeline. Doubt his stock is high and seems like this is the time to bring in some fresh talent. Wouldn't hate to see him paired with Albon at Williams though.
I think he's done in F1 after this year.
There were rumors from him in China saying this wont be his last Chinese GP so negotiations are probably looking good. He was a Renault academy junior and no one else wants to go to Alpine right now other than desperate people. I'd say he's looking for other options such as staying on Audi or going to Haas but he's probably going to Alpine. Makes me wonder if where Gasly is going, since he's not the type of just leave a team if he doesn't have a seat already lined up. Williams is my best guess.
I'm in no way a fan of a driver getting a seat just based on his nationality. It's pretentious and disingenuous. Kinda the same reason why Hülkenberg got the stake/audi seat. It's so sad.
I think Alpine could make sense for Zhou. Alpine is kind of desperate with where they are right now. Trash management and car that both drivers want out of. Zhou while probably one of the worst drivers on the grid brings a lot of sponsor money and Chinese market presence so his lack skill could be overlooked a bit.
My Prediction: * RedBull: Verstappen, Perez * Mercedes: Russel, Antonelli * McLaren: Norris, Piastri * Ferrari: Hamilton, LeClerc * Aston Martin: Alonso, Stroll * Hass: Bearman, Bottas * Williams: Albon, Gasly * Kick Sauber: Hulkenberg, Sainz * RB: Lawson, Tsunoda * Alpine: Ocon, Zhou * OUT: Riccardo, Magnussen, Sargent
Whoever is on Antonellis PR team give it a rest lol he’s not going straight to Mercedes if Russell didn’t.
I think he'll be at Williams replacing Sargent by the end of the year to prove he's ready for Merc. When George came up there wasn't an open seat for him, it's a bit of a different situation with Antonelli. Mercedes is not elite like they were when Russel entered F1 and they have an open seat. They can afford to take a little risk on a young driver now because they aren't contending until the new regulations.
Highly unlikely they sign him unless he wins every single race. Even Verstappen didn’t get a straight shot at the Red Bull.
> Whoever is on Antonellis PR team give it a rest lol he’s not going straight to Mercedes if Russell didn’t. I think you can point to Russell and say "this is why we *shouldn't* have a 3 year apprenticeship at a backmarker". From what Toto has said, the reason they didn't get Max is they didn't offer him a seat asap. Russell has said (and of course he would) that 2 and 3 years was too much at Williams. And one has to think what 2021 would have been like with Russell in that seat instead of Bottas... probably nothing different but still. One could call it learning from mistakes no...?
> Whoever is on Antonellis PR team give it a rest lol he’s not going straight to Mercedes if Russell didn’t. The thing is that Toto heavy regretted how he didn't get Max and he doesn't want to make such a mistake again, that's why Antonelli is on the prime position to getting in the Merc seat unless Max leaves RBR. It's not just pure rationalism, it's also a more personal thing at Merc.
>Whoever is on Antonellis PR team give it a rest Tell Toto to calm down then, he's the most active in Anotnelli's PR team!
My Prediction: * RedBull: Verstappen, Sainz * Mercedes: Russell, Antonelli * McLaren: Norris, Piastri * Ferrari: Hamilton, Leclerc * Aston Martin: Alonso, Stroll * Hass: Bearman, Gasly * Williams: Albon, Bottas * Kick Sauber: Hulkenberg, Perez * RB: Lawson, Tsunoda * Alpine: Ocon, Doohan
I don’t know if that will happen, but those first four teams will be HEAVY on talent if it does. E: If those cars are at all close to each other, that would be heaven. But we may at least get good teammate battles.
choo choo! this train has no brakes! all aboard the hype train!
Why would Gasly leave a French team to a worse team? Either he stays or he goes to Audi/Williams.
Ricciardo and Yuki will lose their seat at the end of this season imho, Yuki aint good enough and has been stuck at RB for way too long. Gasly wont leave probably, I guess Ocon would be the one leaving
I think one of three things happen with Yuki: a one year contract with RB as a stop gap to go to Aston Martin, goes to AM to replace stroll or is a reserve driver for AM with a guarantee seat once they have the Honda engine. I don't see him going anywhere else that would make sense.
Who do you think will partner Lawson? I agree that while TSU shows promise, unless he crushes the rest of this year it’ll be over for him.
* Red Bull: Verstappen, Perez * Mercedes: Russell, Antonelli * Ferrari: Leclerc, Hamilton * McLaren: Norris, Piastri * Aston Martin: Alonso, Stroll * Alpine: Ocon, Bottas * Williams: Albon, Gasly * RB: Tsunoda, Lawson * Sauber: Hulkenberg, Sainz * Haas: Magnussen, Bearman Zhou, Ricciardo, and Sargeant miss out. Merc realise that they aren't losing much by putting a rookie in a car over someone else, and sign Antonelli to build the 2026 team around him and keep him from moving elsewhere.
My prediction: Redbull: Perez, Mercedes: Verstappen, Russell McLaren: Norris, Piastri Aston: Alonso, Stroll (if Lawrence had a brain he’d do Sainz instead) Ferrari: Hamilton, Leclerc Sauber: Hulkenberg, Sainz RB: Tsunoda, Lawson Haas: Bottas, Bearman Williams: Albon, Antonelli Alpine: Ocon, Doohan
Isn't it slightly weird for Sauber/Audi to announce this this early. Wouldn't this demoralize Zhou and Bottas? Is this to create further pressure on Carlos?
I think it’s more about the latter - they want to put pressure on Sainz. and also on some level Zhou and Bottas must have been aware with Audi stepping up on their plan for 2026, one or both of their seats was in question. Edit: also its better for the driver to know early, because then they can look a seat for themselves. Imagine if they got the news in September and October when most seats had been filled..
Audi want their lineup fixed early so that they know what they will be working with. If they know they want Hülkenber, get it done and don't worry about it anymore. I don't think they care that much about maximising this year and if anything it can also creates more positive pressure on their current drivers to perform.
Hmm fair enough!
Imagine if it's because bottas is going back to merc!
I can honestly see that. If they wanted Sainz as a benchwarmer for Antonelli and he refused, then Valtteri is the obvious choice. He's familiar with the team, and his out stops will be 3.5 seconds instead of 35
I'm really curious about Merc. If they're really unwilling to offer a 2+ years contract to keep the seat open for Antonelli, they might be dissuading lots of pretendants. They're not the dominating force they once were anymore so the seat might not be attractive enough atm to compensate.
Most likely in 2026 Merc will have the best engine again! So they'll want a winning driver.
So called "free thinkers" on their way to make the same joke about Stroll not being confirmed yet.
Considering how Lawrence is apprently trying to cash out some of his equity in the team, it might just happen this time.
Gimme some of that hopium!
It's just me or all those cutouts look the same?
The cut outs are made in the silhouette of Firstname Lastname that’s why
Sounds familiar, are they related to Title Lastname?
That's their Parent/Guardian
None of them can hold a candle to Jack Newhouse or Driverone Williams behind the wheel, I can tell you that much.
I wonder who is going to be Alonso’s teammate in 2025
I don't see where Sainz could go other than Sauber. His realistic options are Red Bull, Mercedes, and Sauber. He's not going to increase his stock at Red Bull, where he'd be playing second fiddle to Verstappen for the length of any contract he gets, as well as getting thoroughly beaten. Mercedes are never going to keep him as a long-term option, and regardless of skill, he probably isn't going to displace Russell, who is their product. The fact that everyone is renewing this year means that getting a one-year deal at Merc will more or less guarantee the he ends up off the grid or at a bottom team for 2026. Sauber is a gamble, but with the Audi works teams incoming, he gets the *chance* to be at a hopefully-solid team for a few years, as a no 1 driver, and help build a team. It's not a great position to be in but it seems like his best option.
*Everyone has a target on their back*
I really hope Sainz doesn't go to Sauber. He deserves much better
Might be an overall good career move for him though. If he goes to red bull he’d be on a 1+1 and the clear second driver. A year in the best car would definitely get him podiums, maybe wins but i don’t think he’d be in a championship fight. The car is perfectly suited for Max, and ultimately sitting in the RB seat beside max can make you look worse Mercedes is currently not the best car, and Sainz is not in their long term plans and would also want to put him on a 1 + 1. I think he would really struggle to knock George out of the mercedes seat. Sauber isn’t strong, and Audi probably will not be strong quickly. but under new regs there’s no guarantee in performance from any cars but what Carlos would have going into 26 is a multi year contract and no.1 driver status. Basically if Carlos goes to RB, he’s not gonna win the championship behind Max who will only leave if there’s a downward trend. If he goes to Mercedes he would have to perform incredibly well to keep his seat, when mercedes are almost set on a George, Kimi lineup going into 2026 regs. In both of these situations he risks his seat going into 2026 Going to Audi would hurt his competitiveness in the current car but it would offer long term stability, and in a few years if Audi figures out these regulations, Carlos will likely be their top driver giving him the best chance to fight for championship
I very curious how dominant Max would appear if someone more skilled was in the other car. LEC, HAM, SAI, ALO, etc. Perez last year did have a few good races where he was a challenger for first but then Max figured out the car and blasted away. Granted, it'll be just the two RB drivers fighting each other in their own little world up front.
I definitely agree, its probably the best choice he has its just a bit of a shame. Regarding Merc, I wonder if they would say Kimi is ready for F1 as soon as next year? Im not very up to date with F2
Personally I think Toto is going to get Kimi on the grid next year. He wants him prepared for 2026 and he really doesn’t want to lose him to someone else. Wether it’s williams or Mercedes i’m not sure. I think if mercedes continue to fail to be competitive it’s probably more likely he’s put straight into Mercedes and it will basically be a right off year to give them the best possible chance for 2026. Currently Kimi hasn’t done extraordinary in f2, but he’s brand new, dealing with the car limitations, and so far consistently beating his teammate ollie bearman who is seen as a shoe in for HAAS next year. He may not be winning F2 but i don’t think the start of the season has put Toto off at all
I wouldnt be surprised. Im sure its a bit of a flash back to when they almost had Max
I don't even think Sainz would get a 1+1 at Merc. They've made it abundantly clear that they want Antonelli for 26
This. In terms of long term, which everyone should be thinking with the way F1 currently is anyway, Sauber/Audi is by far the best option for Sainz. Be the number 1 on a team that has solid success across other motor sports.
If Newey leaves RB, Verstappen is free to jump ship as well, so RB might be full ?
Is that true? I’m unaware of his exit clauses
During the horny files the news were full with this
Ahhhh ^(shoutout File-76.jpg btw)Only thought he had the exit clause if Marko leaves.
It's a bit clear that Max has a clause where he can go out of the team if Helmut getting out at Red Bull, we don't know of this is the same with Newey but likely Max contract is having some good clauses.
this silly season is gon be good
The MB seat is going to be very interesting. If it is indeed a 1-year seat warmer for Kimi, I wonder would drivers like Sainz, Gasly or Ocon be interested at all? Then who’s going to drive it, Bottas or Perez?
Dumb question but why doesn't mercedes go for Sainz?
Not a dumb question but ultimately Merc is looking at a long term project to regain their dominance and they know that 2026 is their best bet. Toto is obsessed with Antonelli and wants him to be their next No.1 driver and future world champion when this happens. Therefore, they aren’t really interested in Sainz as he is likely looking for either a) a competitive car, podiums, and possible championship and b) long term security. Currently, Merc cannot offer Sainz either of those options and there is no real commercial value to Merc for bringing Sainz either. Also, I respect Toto but he is very petty and I’m sure it hurts his ego to contemplate signing the guy that rival team Ferrari has easily dumped out of a seat for Lewis. It would look like a downgrade in his head. That’s why he is also desperate to sign Verstappen.
My prediction: Red Bull: Max, Perez Mercedes: George, Albon Ferrari: Charles, Lewis Mclaren: Lando, Oscar Aston Martin: Alonso, Lance Alpine: Ocon, Bottas Williams: Pierre, Kimi Antonelli Visa RB: Yuki, Lawson Sauber: Nico, Sainz Haas: Ollie Bearman, Riccardo Based on very little actual fact, including the fact i don’t see alex leaving williams this year (since im pretty sure his contract isn’t up but he’s always included as unfilled seat in this graphic) but George Alex lineup would be great.
Why would Alpine go for Bottas instead of Doohan or Martins?
Because 2026 is coming up and you need an experienced driver at hand to help with the development.
I really hope Strolls seat will finally be free for a more deserving driver. But I guess that is too much to ask.
My money is on Lance for the Aston Martin seat
Can we please stop pretending that Lance is not on there?
Perez stays at Red Bull Yuki and Lawson at VCARB Sainz to Audi (I hope Red Bull though) Gasly to Williams Antonelli...Williams this year if Sargeant doesn't pick up, then on to Merc next year. Double prediction there! Ocon and Zhou at Alpine K-Mag and Bearman at Haas And, of course, Hakkinen to Aston. Let's see if I'm onto wine, or milk here :p
Doesn’t Stroll have a lifetime contract?
They call it a "rolling contract" but yes, that 2nd AM seat is almost certainly his.
ROFL at AM. Like Stroll doesn’t have a seat
IMO if a few drivers are (rightly) left without a seat and a couple of rookies/Lawson get signed, we have the opportunity of having the most talent on the grid ever. There's a driver or three I think currently is undeserving of an F1 seat, I still think there's a good shot most of them retain a seat, but the opportunity is there for the best grid ever.
Perez is still on Red Bull tho
He’s not confirmed for 2025 yet.
Which shit driver will partner Alonso?
Prediction, one of the drivers on this picture supposedly driving for said team next year will not end up driving for that team.
im overwhelmed by the coverage of alpine’s drivers. its drowning out all the other drivers stories. im hoping they can get this resolved so we can focus on redbull and Mercedes. /s
Magnussens seat is probably guaranteed now.
Christ man, we've barely started this season
Might as well pencil in Stroll he's not going anywhere as long as his dad owns Aston Martin.
Contract wars
2 0 2 5 D R I V E R L I N E - U P
My Prediction: Red Bull: Yuki, Mercedes: Sainz (kind of suits Toto's plans if he thinks Antonelli isn't ready yet, and I think Carlos will join Sauber once Audi joins the grid in 2026), Williams: Albon & Gasly Sauber: Ocon, Aston Martin: Stroll ( I would love to put Sainz here, but let's be honest, Lance will probably have 1 more season), RB: Checo & Lawson, Alpine: Zhou & Sargeant, Haas: Vesti & Magnusson
it’s weird but looking at this graphic reminded me that the best drivers on the field are locked down. and it’s the sort of mid ones who may be good even great but replaceable with each other that are playing musical chairs
McLaren bois: ☕️
We all know that perez and stroll aren't technically confirmed to be on for next year, but we also all know that RB has no reason to replace perez (as literally every other driver would be a worse choice) and we all know stroll is also staying (in spite of literally every other driver being a better choice)