One of the hallmarks of the Formula 1 summer break is that it usually marks the start of the famed F1 silly season, where unexpected driver contracts are announced and the grid for the following year starts coming into view.
Given we’re smack in the middle of it now, let’s take a temperature check and see who we might see on the move and who is more likely to stay where they are.
Is 2026 likely to see lots of ‘silly’ seat changes?
As things stand at the time of writing, about half of the current grid is on a contract that will expire at the end of this season.
This includes the class of rookies that came into the sport last year. Isack Hadjar, who started 2025 with VCARB but is now with is now with Red Bull, Oliver Bearman of Haas, Gabriel Bortoleto of Audi, and current Drivers’ Championship leader and Mercedes’ rising star Kimi Antonelli all came into F1 initially on two-year contracts which were set to expire at the end of the season. While no official word has been said, most if not all of these drivers are likely to receive extensions from their respective teams.
Another young gun with a contract set to end this year is Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, but recent hints from Flavio Briatore suggest that he too is looking at an extension at least into 2027.
Aside from the rookies, a few vets are also on contracts potentially nearing their end in 2026. This includes Haas’s Esteban Ocon and Audi’s Nico Hülkenberg, as well as both Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon of Williams. Several of these drivers, such as Albon, may have performance clauses in their contracts that can extend their stays with their respective teams into 2027.
So while plenty of drivers are looking at contracts that end in 2026, it does not seem like too many will be changing seats like we saw between 2024 and 2025. Don’t fret though, there are still some teams whose lineups are more likely to be in flux.
Is Red Bull headed towards another big reshuffle?
The Red Bull organization is known for its ever-changing driver lineup and we might be in for another shuffle at the end of this year between their two teams.
Arvid Lindblad, currently the only rookie on the grid, came into VCARB on a single-year contract, while his teammate, Liam Lawson, is in the final season of his two-year deal. It is not yet clear what will happen to the team’s lineup, with Red Bull junior driver Nikola Tsolov’s lead in the F2 Championship driving much speculation about a potential upgrade to F1 next year. That said, no official announcements have been made from any drivers’ camps about their futures.
VCARB’s sister team, Red Bull, has also been the focal point of many silly season rumors, particularly around Max Verstappen. Verstappen’s commitment to the Austrian outfit has been repeatedly questioned, both directly and indirectly, despite the fact that he is contracted to stay with them until at least 2028. Potential landing spots for him, should he choose to depart, include Mercedes, McLaren and Aston Martin.
While nothing is for certain yet, it is entirely possible that we see some new faces in the Red Bull family next year.
The few drivers with truly long-term commitments
It is a well-known fact that even the longest contracts in F1 can be terminated if the team, driver, or both are displeased; that said, there are several drivers who are currently sitting on longer-term deals with their teams.
Oscar Piastri, Pierre Gasly and Charles Leclerc are all set to stay with McLaren, Alpine and Ferrari, respectively, at least until 2028, if not longer, with Leclerc being the most recent to announce his multi-year extension ahead of this year’s Monaco Grand Prix. Piastri and Leclerc’s teammates, Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton, are also still on multi-year contracts that will see them with their teams until at least the end of next year.
Other drivers who are not likely to be going anywhere (unless Verstappen comes knocking) include the Aston Martin duo of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, as well as George Russell, who hinted that his Mercedes extension last year was indeed for multiple seasons.
Lastly, the Cadillac pair of Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas are likewise said to be on multi-year deals that will see them continue to help the newest team on the F1 grid continue to settle in.
For a complete picture of the current F1 grid, here's a team-by-team contract summary:
Cover photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images via Red Bull Content Pool.
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