Who’s on the Formula 1 grid next year?

‘Silly season’ is a common term in F1 referring to the time of year in which many teams announce their driver line-up for the following season.

It usually takes place during the summer as that’s when the market is at its most frantic, with driver changes causing doubt over the futures of others.

But, silly season started a lot earlier this year due to Lewis Hamilton announcing his move to Ferrari for 2025 back in February 2024.

So the driver market is arguably the craziest it has ever been, especially when many other driver contracts were due, or are due, to expire at the end of this season.

With over half of the 2025 grid now confirmed, who has been announced and what does the future behold for other drivers?

Alpine 2025 F1 Drivers

• Pierre Gasly – multi-year contract
• TBC

Alpine endured a difficult start to 2024 as it failed to score any points in the opening five rounds. Although its form then picked up slightly – double points finishes in Canada and Spain for example – Alpine is still currently one of the four worst teams on the grid, highlighting regression for the Enstone squad as it has not finished lower than sixth in the championship since 2016.

Despite that, Pierre Gasly was delighted to sign a multi-year contract extension with Alpine, a team he joined in 2023, as its willingness to offer a long-term deal was understood to be a key factor.

Another factor that’s believed to have influenced his decision is the impending departure of team-mate Esteban Ocon – his childhood rival with whom he shares a fractious relationship. This came to a head at the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix, when Ocon made a risky move down the inside of Portier on the opening lap, which caused the two Frenchmen to collide.

It angered team management and just eight days later, Alpine announced that Ocon will depart the squad at the end of 2024. Although it is understood that the decision was not based entirely on the Monaco incident, it did play some part.

So, this leaves an open spot alongside Gasly, and Motorsport.com exclusively revealed that Alpine has made a bid for Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, who needs a new team due to Hamilton’s arrival next year. However, Sainz is wanted by several teams and the grand prix winner is keen to take his time in deciding who he wants to join.

If Sainz says ‘no’ to the French squad, then other options may include…