F1 driver debut CHANGED ahead of team swap

Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, Las Vegas, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 driver debut CHANGED ahead of team swap

A 2025 F1 driver swap is set to occur earlier than expected

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Wednesday 4 December 2024 14:09

A Formula 1 driver swap has been confirmed to be taking place earlier than expected after a reshuffle on the grid.

2025 will see a whole host of fresh faces joining the F1 paddock, following a 2024 season where no rookies joined the lineup of the top 20 drivers in the pinnacle of motorsport.

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With just one team on the grid left to officially confirm their driver duo for next season and Red Bull of course never ruling out the potential to switch up the order, there could yet be some more movement to occur before F1 returns next year.

The driver transfer market was sent into disarray earlier this year when Lewis Hamilton confirmed he was leaving Mercedes for Ferrari with Carlos Sainz forced to look elsewhere, eventually signing for a seat with Williams. But ahead of this year's season finale in Abu Dhabi, one team have confirmed they are already going to activate a driver replacement ahead of schedule, with Alpine announcing that Esteban Ocon has been dropped from their ranks with 2025 signing Jack Doohan taking his place earlier than expected.

Doohan is just one of four confirmed rookies to join the grid next year, alongside F2 star Gabriel Bortoleto, Kimi Antonelli, who will replace Hamilton, and Ollie Bearman, although with as much experience as he's had in F1 throughout 2024, 'rookie' might be inaccurate now.

Ollie Bearman, Kimi Antonelli and Jack Doohan will all join the F1 gird full-time in 2025

Carlos Sainz will also be adjusting to a new environment in 2025 at Williams

Williams F1 confirm early Sainz debut

Ferrari driver Sainz will no doubt take a while to get used to the shock of moving from an outfit who are currently in with a realistic chance of winning the constructors' championship thanks to his efforts, to Williams, who currently sit ninth in the 2024 standings.

Since James Vowles chose to axe Logan Sargeant back in August in the hope of a points haul, replacement Franco Colapinto has gone from one of the most sought-after young stars on the grid to now looking unlikely of securing a seat for 2025.

Reports had circled that Franco Colapinto (R) could stay at Williams if Carlos Sainz (L) moved to Red Bull

With Sainz having already signed a contract with Williams prior to Colapinto's entry however, this isn't necessarily an accurate representation of his obvious talent.

Whilst Sainz will be looking to put in one final stellar performance for Ferrari in Abu Dhabi next weekend, it appears he will already be looking to the future with his Williams debut being brought forward.

Williams have confirmed to GPFans that they will have Sainz for a few hours on Monday following the season finale as part of a team filming day, earlier than previously expected for the post-season test at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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Red Bull Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes Formula 1 Carlos Sainz