F1 2026 driver lineup: Where will Max Verstappen drive and all confirmed seats

max verstappen, red bull, mclaren, aston martin, mercedes, graphic — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 2026

F1 2026 driver lineup: Where will Max Verstappen drive and all confirmed seats

How the 2026 grid will most likely look with less than a year to go

Dan Ripley Global Editor

Professional F1 journalist and analyst

Tuesday 15 April 2025 12:57

The Formula 1 season is well and truly underway, but to various degrees across the sport and the teams, eyes are already turning to the 2026 campaign.

For some teams, their driver pairing is already done - a dusting of the hands for those contracts were sorted a long time ago. For others, pieces are being moved into place. For one team in particular, anything can change inside two races.

But while we are not quite into the official start of transfer 'silly season' yet (think boats, glamour, corners named Casino and grand prix venues that start with 'M' and end in 'O'), it's NEVER too early to start talking driver swaps and switches.

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So even with just four races of 2025 down, here is the state of play for every team as we look towards 2026.

McLaren

This looks one of the safest pairings. Oscar Piastri at least is as locked in as it comes having recently signed a new deal, and is driving superbly having cruised to victory for the second time this season after success in Bahrain on Sunday.

Lando Norris is also locked in and while suffering a bit of a performance dip, it's difficult to see how a McLaren departure would benefit him or the team - unless it starts getting a little bit tasty in the 2025 drivers' title battle with his team-mate. McLaren know all about those. Just ask Lewis and Fernando...

Ferrari

Another team where we are about as close to certain we have a lock-in. Charles Leclerc is perhaps the happier of the two drivers right now and is about as comfortable as he can be at Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton has had a lukewarm start at Ferrari but where does a seven-time champion go from here in this late stage of his career? Downwards is the answer, so Lewis isn't going anywhere either.

Red Bull

Max Verstappen has a Red Bull contract that runs until 2028 but if Christian Horner's team don't sort out the funk they are stuck in right now, you can be sure the Dutchman will be checking out all the potential exit clauses he can to bag a competitive drive elsewhere - and when you are the best driver around there won't be a shortage of offers.

The second Red Bull driver is an interesting as it is dynamic. Right now it appears to be a reputation wrecker as you get thrashed by Verstappen every weekend. Yuki Tsunoda has shown early signs he may make it work but beyond him, it could go to anyone and it may depend on where a certain Verstappen ends up too.

The four-time world champion looks like he could be the pivotal driver directly and indirectly to many teams' plans.

Kimi Antonelli and George Russell are out of contract for 2026

Mercedes

Neither George Russell nor Kimi Antonelli have a contract beyond the end of the season, but both can have optimism for Mercedes wanting to keep them on.

Russell has started the season very well as the faster of the two drivers, yet Antonelli has impressed enough for Mercedes to keep faith with the 18-year-old - albeit with a small sample size of just four races.

The issue here is that Max Verstappen may be available, and Toto Wolff's desire to sign the Dutchman at some point is not a secret. Three into two won't go but it's too tight to call over who would lose out right now out of Russell or Antonelli.

Aston Martin

The 2026 season is the last year of Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin contract and maybe in Formula 1 too given he will be 45 at the end of it. The Spaniard's cards look on the table - he has thrown his lot in with Aston Martin and Adrian Newey hoping for one last unlikely stab at a third title.

Lance Stroll is also tied down to a deal and the team look content with this arrangement. However this is another team who have a desire to get their hands on Verstappen while they can, and like Mercedes three into two won't go...

Alpine

Pierre Gasly is locked in for 2026 at the French-Anglo team and it seems to be an arrangement that is suiting both parties perfectly well.

The second driver curiously also looks certain despite not being on this season's grid (yet). Despite joining the team over the winter as a reserve driver, Franco Colapinto looks favourite to join Gasly unless current driver Jack Doohan can perform above expectations and make him almost impossible to drop. It's an uphill battle for the Australian, who can ill afford to be anything but exceptional to keep his Alpine seat for the full season let alone for 2026 too.

Haas

It all appears to be cooking rather nicely at Haas. New lead driver Esteban Ocon looks settled and comfortable four races into the season, while rookie Oliver Bearman has three points finishes in a row after a dodgy season opener in Australia. Both are contracted for 2026 and there is little reason to disrupt what appears to be an already settled pairing.

Liam Lawson needs to find his pre-2025 form again

Racing Bulls

Isack Hadjar has made a solid start in his rookie season and while he hasn't got a deal for a second year, the 20-year-old does appear to be a sensible option to continue as some sort of Red Bull continuity and for his early F1 development.

Who he drives alongside is anyone's guess. Liam Lawson is still not at his best following his Red Bull nightmare, yet there doesn't exactly to be a queue of drivers desperate to drive in the Red Bull set up who are near ready. This could be one of the wild card seats open to both drivers old and new even during the latter stages of 2025 when doors are closing elsewhere.

Williams

A team who finally look to be heading in the right direction under the leadership of James Vowles. Carlos Sainz may have not enjoyed the best of starts but it's hard to see them ditching the former Ferrari star so soon after his winter arrival and nor should they.

Alex Albon also has a deal for 2026 and it doesn't look to be in his or the team's interest to change that anytime soon.

Audi

A new team needs some form of continuity where they can get it and the existing driver line-up looks like the most balanced as well as sensible and safest pair of hands they can get.

Sauber's current pairing of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto brings combined speed, experience and potential for Audi to build its F1 operation around once their name replaces Sauber on the door.

Cadillac

The only clues we have so far as to who the newly formed Cadillac team will race is they have targeted an American driver and an experienced F1 campaigner. Sergio Perez's name has been high among the rumours and he is on the shortlist if you believe Mario Andretti.

Finding a competitive enough American driver could prove an issue though and these are two race seats that could be the last to be filled heading into 2026.

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Written by

Dan Ripley - Global Editor

I've been a massive F1 fan since the mid 1990s and continue to study the history of the sport long before that. As an experienced motor sport reporter covering F1, MotoGP and the LeMans 24 Hour race, being part of GPFans has allowed me to work with a diverse team with all sorts of different backgrounds in watching the sport and given me a greater appreciation of F1.

View full biography

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