Major F1 issue caused by Lewis Hamilton set to repeat itself in 2026

Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari shook the F1 paddock for more reasons than one.

Surprisingly, not many people saw it coming, including Hamilton's former boss Toto Wolff, and it left Mercedes needing to fill a seven-time champion-shaped hole within their driver line-up.

But no one was more impacted by Hamilton's decision to fulfill his childhood dream of signing with Ferrari than his predecessor at the Scuderia, Carlos Sainz.

The Spaniard was ousted from the seat he had done well to extract four race wins from since joining the Italian team in 2021, but in the process, was handed the impossible choice of deciding his next destination.

At one point during 2024 it felt like Sainz had almost every F1 team on the grid as an option for his next contract, and thanks to Hamilton announcing his move before the campaign had even got underway, he could take his time finding a replacement.

This presented a major issue for many of Sainz's rivals also looking to secure a new contract, significantly holding up the progression of last year's silly season.

Just one look at the current contracts on the 2025 grid will tell you that this problem could well be set to repeat itself in 2026, with 10 driver deals expiring at the end of next season as things stand.

And yes, that includes both Hamilton and Sainz.

Will F1's silly season be brought to a standstill?

Now, it must be said that silly season is exactly that. Silly. But nevertheless, the reality remains that so many talents will be looking for either a contract extension or a change of scenery for 2027 and to complicate matters further, next year's new regulations could completely shake up the competitive order.

One driver whose contract is not set to expire in 2026 is Max Verstappen, but that doesn't mean he won't be weighing up his options. The four-time champion is technically signed to Red Bull until the end of 2028, but this season showed there is demand for him elsewhere.

Like many across the grid, Verstappen could wind up wanting to seek a contract outside of Red Bull for 2027 if a team other than his own appears to have mastered the 2026 regulations.

Mercedes have been tipped as the hot favourites to come out on top in the new era, but only time will tell who could provide champions such as Verstappen and Hamilton with the best chance of returning to the top of the order, with neither of them looking to be in title contention this year.

But whilst the majority of the paddock will be focused on Verstappen's future contract decisions, once again it could be Hamilton and Sainz causing a standstill in the driver market for 2027.

The seven-time champion has been hit with calls to throw in the towel and retire after just 14 races in red, so who knows where his head will be at in 2026. Should Hamilton choose to depart Ferrari, it could be Sainz at the centre of the driver market puzzle once again, with the 30-year-old admitting that he wouldn't rule out a return to Vasseur's outfit.

Alternatively, there is plenty of promising young talent across the grid, including Ollie Bearman, who previously proved himself as a Ferrari junior before getting his big break with Haas. And you guessed it, his contract also expires in 2026, so depending on his performance trajectory, he could also be an option for Ferrari in the future.

If such a move was to occur, Sainz would likely find himself fighting for a place at just about every team on the grid once again, from midfield contenders to top teams like Mercedes or Red Bull.

He has previously committed himself to being invested in rebuilding Williams into a competitive team, but after struggling to adapt to the new environment, another career move cannot be ruled out.

Sainz has already raced for five different F1 teams in his career and who knows what the future looks like for him. But no matter which way you look at it, he and Hamilton hold the keys to the 2027 driver market.

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