(from left to right) Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Mick Schumacher and Nyck de Vries
Zhou Guanyu’s contract renewal at Alfa Romeo closed another door on the Formula 1 driver market in 2023 – and made the remaining seats all the more attractive for established and emerging stars in contention.
As a competitive market continues to emerge deep into the 2022 season, we’ve rounded up riders and riders for each of the seats as we inch closer to a confirmed full grid…
F1 contracts: Who drives where in 2023?
| Red Bull | Max Verstappen | Sergio Perez |
|---|---|---|
| Ferrari | Charles Leclerc | carlos sainz |
| mercedes | Lewis Hamilton | george russell |
| Alpine | Esteban Ocon | To confirm |
| McLaren | Lando Norris | Oscar Piastri |
| Alfa Romeo | Valtteri Bottas | Zhou Guanyu |
| Haas | Kevin Magnussen | To confirm |
| Aston Martin | Fernando Alonso | Spear Stroll |
| Alpha Tauri | Pierre Gasly (uncertain future) | Yuki Tsunoda |
| williams | Alex Albon | To confirm |
Alpine
The favourite : Pierre Gasly
Foreigners: Jack Doohan, Antonio Giovinazzi, Mick Schumacher, Daniel Ricciardo, Nyck de Vries
After being shocked by Fernando Alonso and snubbed by Oscar Piastri, Alpine said they had a shortlist of “14 drivers” for what is the best seat available in 2023. But in truth, their eyes have always been set on Pierre Gasly.
Gasly makes sense for many reasons. He is French, still young (26) but with five seasons and a race victory under his belt, and he would probably be ready to jump in to form a very practical team with Esteban Ocon.
The only problem is that he is under contract with Red Bull and is a key part of their sister team AlphaTauri.
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Watch the dramatic start to the race which saw Max Verstappen, Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel all collide on the opening lap of the 2017 Singapore Grand Prix
Red Bull are ready to part ways with Gasly – for a fee – but would like a suitable replacement first (which we’ll come to in the next section).
Alpine must therefore have alternatives.
Perhaps worried about another driver market blow by missing out on Gasly, they tested three drivers in a 2021 Alpine car last week at the Hungaroring, Nyck de Vries, Jack Doohan and Antonio Giovinazzi.
Jack Doohan is running for vacant Alpine seat
De Vries is one of the drivers’ market highlights of his year while Giovinazzi would more likely stay with the Ferrari family to return to F1, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Doohan is very high on Alpine’s list. .
Alpine have been keen on promotion from their driver academy for some time (Piastri still being the favourite), but Australian driver Doohan is currently fourth in his first full season in Formula 2 and is highly rated internally.
Daniel Ricardo and Mick Schumacher are real outsiders for this seat.
Ricciardo hasn’t really been mentioned by Alpine since early August.
AlphaTauri (if Gasly leaves)
The favourite : Nyck de Vries
AlphaTauri would ideally want Gasly, who only signed a new contract for 2023 in June, to stay. But with Gasly unlikely to return to Red Bull anytime soon – he failed to impress the team during his brief stint in 2019 and Sergio Perez is locked up for several years – the senior side could try to get compensation for the French as long as they can.
It has always hinged on finding a replacement, and with no junior driver claiming to be the next F1 star to come through the Red Bull programme, they looked further afield.
Nyck de Vries (right) celebrates with Williams boss Jost Capito after the Italian GP
IndyCar star Colton Herta was their number one target, although – despite winning seven races in America’s top single-seater championship – he doesn’t have enough superlicense points.
This collapse seemed to indicate that Gasly would stay put, but a new favorite emerged… this man DeVries.
De Vries, although he has never raced in F1, would match Red Bull and AlphaTauri’s desire for a proven driver to replace Gasly, and the Dutchman admitted he had held talks with the transfer adviser of the team, Helmut Marko.
He seems to be their only recourse right now; if he doesn’t sign, Gasly is likely to stay.
Haas
The favourite : Antonio Giovinazzi
Foreigners: Nico Hulkenberg, Mick Schumacher, Daniel Ricciardo
Haas is the wild card in this driver market and it has been hard to predict which direction they are headed.
What seems certain is that the American team is seriously considering moving from Schumacher for 2023, the German driver having been overtaken by Kevin Magnussen this season. Schumacher is also set to leave the Ferrari driver program, and his Scuderia ties were one of the reasons he joined Haas in the first place.
Antonio Giovinazzi drove for Haas in training this season
Giovinazzithe Ferrari reserve and the man who was truly unlucky to lose his Alfa Romeo seat this year, has been strongly linked to the team, as has another former F1 driver Nico Hulkenberg.
These reports suggest Haas wants an experienced squad next year and isn’t interested in a rookie.
In which case, Ricardo can’t be ruled out either, and team boss Guenther Steiner has hinted at the interest and talks.
Ricciardo would be the signing Haas had been waiting for since his F1 debut six years ago, and would be a big hit in the United States. However, it remains to be seen whether they would have the budget or the pedigree to lure Ricciardo, who has made it clear he is more than happy to take a year off in 2023 should the right opportunity not arise.
williams
The favourite : Nyck de Vries
Foreigners: Logan Sargeant, Mick Schumacher, Antonio Giovinazzi
The impending exit of Nicholas Latifi leaves an opening at Williams, whose moves could depend on whether the dominoes fall in the driver market.
Given his pedigree and, more importantly, his performance in the absence of Alex Albon in Italy, DeVries would surely be Williams’ preferred choice. They can be beaten in this race by teams further up the grid, although they may be able to rely on their relationship with Mercedes to secure the services of their reserve.
Apart from De Vries, Logan Sargeant is the name that comes up the most in the links with Williams.
Williams could give junior driver Logan Sargeant a chance
The American driver Sargeant is a Williams junior and is third in the F2 standings. He is well regarded at Williams, who has American owners, and will make his practice debut for the team at the United States GP next month.
Schumacher could be a driver of interest if he leaves Haas – he has done enough in his two years in F1 to prove he belongs – while Giovinazzi also corresponds to this invoice of a solid driver alongside Albon.
The reality is that the 2023 grid is still incredibly difficult to predict, even at this late stage in the season. However, significant developments are expected in the coming weeks.