But by any measure, the attempt to predict who will drive where next term has been thrown into complete disarray following major moves made before and after Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
Sebastian Vettel started the race after the four-time world champion confirmed he would retire from the sport at the end of the season, before Fernando Alonso dropped a bombshell on Monday by announcing he was leaving the Alpine team to replace his old title rival in the Aston. Swallow.
Fernando Alonso (centre) and Oscar Piastri (right) have ruled out driving for Alpine next season
Alonso to replace Sebastian Vettel (right) who will leave Aston Martin to retire from F1
Alpine’s response was to announce back-up driver and high-profile youngster Oscar Piastri on Tuesday to fill the gap left by the Spaniard, only for the 21-year-old to dramatically insist he had not agreed to race for the team next term.
The Australian’s comments suggest he has likely won a spot elsewhere on the grid, but either way it will likely have a domino effect on the rest of the grid for 2023.
With the driver market now in complete disarray, Sportsmail looks at the potential moves that could shape the grid from next season.
2023 driver lineup confirmed: Esteban Ocon 🤝 Oscar Piastri
After four years as part of the Renault and Alpine family, reserve driver Oscar Piastri is promoted to race alongside Esteban Ocon from 2023. pic.twitter.com/4Fvy0kaPn7
— BWT Alpine F1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) August 2, 2022
I understand that, without my consent, Alpine F1 put out a press release late this afternoon that I will be driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not ride for Alpine next year.
— Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) August 2, 2022
Mercedes
Confirmed drivers: Lewis Hamilton and George Russell If there’s one team that hasn’t had much to do with the ‘silly season’ over the past decade, it’s Mercedes. Obviously the Silver Arrows had no need to replace a seven-time world champion in Hamilton, who also enjoyed his best years with the excellent team over the last decade. When a seat came open last season, it was a fairly logical choice to replace Valtteri Bottas with main back-up driver Russell and given the Briton’s excellent start to his Mercedes career, there is no need for the team or their British pairing to look elsewhere. – both are slated for 2023. Mercedes is pleased with a British couple Lewis Hamilton (left) and George Russell (right)
Red Bull
Confirmed drivers: Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez Another group that has zero interest in buying drivers right now. Red Bull arguably couldn’t have a better driving pair in the best interests of the team and the driver. They have world champion and this year’s points leader Max Verstappen and in Sergio Perez they have a No.2 driver who, while not as quick as the Dutchman, has been a seasoned fan of picking up big points when the weekends don’t fall. his teammate’s favor. Verstappen signed a new long-term deal at the start of the season, while Perez is also locked in for a further two years following a new deal in May. Max Verstappen (right) and Sergio Perez (left) have formed an excellent partnership at Red Bull
Ferrari
Confirmed drivers: Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Ferrari’s PR machine has had to be at its best these past few weeks as a series of disastrous mistakes on grand prix weekends quickly dashed the team’s title hopes. But at least off the grid they have some of their ducks in a row. Exciting future world championship prospect Charles Leclerc is locked in until 2026, while Sainz also agreed a two-year deal at the start of the season. Whether they can now help both to try and realize their dreams of winning the world championship remains to be seen, but the driver market is an F1 problem that Ferrari doesn’t have. Ferrari have locked in the very talented duo of Carlos Sainz (left) and Charles Leclerc (right)
McLaren
Confirmed drivers: Lando Norris Possible drivers: Daniel Ricciardo, Oscar Piastri Now it gets interesting. Lando Norris is McLaren’s golden boy and the team will be desperate for the Brit to star as they look to return to the top and believe they can sign a new deal earlier this year until 2025. Team-mate Daniel Ricciardo also has a deal for next season, but after two difficult seasons, the Australian can still move for 2023 at either his or the team’s option. Either way leaves his position potentially open. A new favorite to potentially replace the popular Australian is compatriot Piastri, after the F2 champion’s shock performance at Alpine suggested he has a better option elsewhere. Realistically, it’s hard to see the best option for the Franco-England team being anywhere other than the Woking outfit. Piastri is now believed to be closing in on a move to McLaren after snubbing Alpine for 2023
Alpine
Confirmed Drivers: Esteban Ocon Possible drivers: Pierre Gasly, Piastri, Ricciardo Right, here we are in the eye of the storm. First the simple equation – the team will be driven by current driver Esteban Ocon next term. He was expected to continue into a third season with Alonso before the Spaniard’s shock exit, unhappy at not being given a multi-year contract to stay at the team and having lost faith in the team’s ability to progress. As Alpine’s reserve driver, Piastri was expected to replace him – albeit a year ahead of schedule – until his incredible injustice, after the team had confirmed the Australian. Alpine may now believe that Piastri should race for them next term, but if that doesn’t happen, it could open the door for Ricciardo to return to the team, who he only left at the end of 2020 when the outfit were formerly known as Renault. AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly has also been tipped for a spot to form a France-only driver line-up, but that could come at the cost of a pair of drivers who reportedly have some bad blood between them from their pre-F1 years. Piastri could replace Daniel Ricciardo, who may return to his former club
AlphaTauri
Confirmed Drivers: None Possible drivers: Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda, Mick Schumacher Another team in a right mess regarding their drivers next year. Team boss Franz Tost is “100 per cent” sure Gasly will drive them next term, but that hasn’t stopped the Frenchman being linked with exits from the team – especially now that there appears to be a vacancy at Alpine. Yuki Tsunoda has been quite error prone in his two years with the team and hasn’t really lived up to his exciting billing from his F2 years. The 22-year-old, however, may be given another year to impress, and that is even more likely if Gasly leaves. A third contender for the seat could be Mick Schumacher, who, after a very poor start to the year, is now starting to find his feet with the Haas team. There is still plenty of interest in the son of the great Michael Schumacher, whose place at Haas next year is far from certain amid links with Ricciardo moving to the team. The only likely thing to back at sister team Red Bull is that at least one of Gasly or Tsunoda will stay next term. AlphaTauri believe they have confirmed Pierre Gasly (pictured) for next season with the team
Aston Martin
Confirmed drivers: Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll It has been a difficult year for Aston Martin as they have had to drop hard points for minor points and were shaken up ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix following the news of Vettel’s retirement. But Alonso has signed a two-year contract and will be team-mates with Lance Stroll, who has done a good job for the team and is of course the son of billionaire owner Lawrence, meaning the team will not be actively looking to provide the his services. There are many concerns for the team going forward, but thankfully who will actually drive for them over the next couple of years is not one of them. Alonso made a shock announcement on Monday after revealing he would be joining Aston Martin
Williams
Confirmed Drivers: Alex Albon Potential drivers: Piastri, Nyck de Vries, Nicholas Latifi, Logan Sargeant Williams is no longer the dream ticket it was in the 1990s and early 2000s, but it is a place on the F1 grid and there is no shortage of names to fill the void alongside Alex Albon next term, who has been confirmed to the team on a multi-year contract on Wednesday. The former Red Bull driver has done a good job on his return to the team, overtaking Nicholas Latifi, who, while still an option for 2023, is struggling to stay in the sport after enduring a poor campaign. The original plan that many believed would happen was for Piastri to spend a year on loan at the team before replacing Alonso, but that is now unlikely to happen. Williams is powered by Mercedes, who will be keen to give Nick de Vries cockpit experience, with the Formula E champion having made a brief practice appearance for the team at the Spanish Grand Prix earlier in the season. American Logan Sargeant is also on the team’s radar with team boss Jost Capito “absolutely convinced” the Williams youngster will drive in F1 at some point as he continues to impress with Carlin in F2 this season. Mercedes will be keen to see youngster Nyck de Vries handed a place by Williams for 2023
Alfa Romeo
Confirmed drivers: Valtteri Bottas Possible drivers: Zhou Guanyu, Schumacher It’s a strange situation at Alfa Romeo, which, while still active in the driver market, is slowly moving towards keeping the driver pair for next season. Valtteri Bottas’ strong first season with the team means he’s going nowhere for 2023 having found his best…
