World Cup 2027: officially contracted drivers

From Williams to Max Verstappen

Waiting for the Dutch Grand Prix, which will end the summer break, important news has arrived in the Formula 1 driver market that denied possible departures of certain drivers from their teams: from the Williams duo composed of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, who renewed with the Grove-based team, to Max Verstappen, who signed with Red Bull until 2030, extending a contract that was already valid until 2028. The first official confirmations have therefore arrived, but at the current state the starting grid for the next season cannot yet be considered ‘complete’.

Read more Verstappen-Red Bull Renewal: who wins and who loses

The guarantees

Yet, besides Williams, there are other teams that can already plan the next world championship with a pair of drivers already guaranteed. It starts with the reigning world champions of McLaren, with Norris and Piastri, continuing with the Ferrari duo composed of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Finally, there are also the drivers of the debutant Cadillac, with Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas on the grid again next year.

Read more Verstappen remains loyal: “Red Bull second family, working with Mekies is fantastic. We want to return to the top”

The missing official confirmations

Amid strong doubts regarding renewals and official confirmations not yet announced but seemingly certain, most of the other teams are effectively the ‘responsible’ parties for a lineup still to be completed. It starts with Mercedes, with Antonelli and Russell’s contracts expiring at the end of 2026. However, it remains difficult to imagine the next season without the current drivers of the Brackley team, starting with the Bolognese, the current world leader. The future of Hadjar at Red Bull is uncertain; he signed a 1+1 contract until 2027, but if his performance is deemed unsatisfactory by the Anglo-Austrian team, the Frenchman could return to Racing Bulls, where he debuted last year. For this reason, the Faenza team has yet to announce its next lineup, also considering the performances of rookie Lindblad and the team’s attention on Nikola Tsolov, the current leader of the F2 championship. Everything is also to be discovered at Aston Martin (where Fernando Alonso’s intentions to continue his career or retire are uncertain), as well as at Haas and Audi. In all these teams, the drivers’ contracts are expiring, as is Franco Colapinto’s at Alpine. However, this last team can count on Pierre Gasly.

Read more No race at Zandvoort due to injury: Hadjar like Ricciardo