F1 2026: Which driver contracts expire this year?

2026 will see a new era of F1 ushered into the sport as 22 drivers tackle the new cycle of regulations. But for some, it could also be their last dance on the grid.

Luckily, the cars will be smaller among other things so there will be space for the two extra stars joining the grid this season thanks to new American squad Cadillac.

F1 veterans Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez are both making a comeback with the team after a year away from a full-time seat, but how long will they last?

Cadillac are one of seven teams whose driver duo do not have a confirmed seat for 2027, meaning this year's silly season could get very messy.

If either Cadillac or the rebranded Audi team don't like the look of the way their drivers are handling the new cars, there should be plenty of replacement options on the driver market.

In fact, a whopping 16 out of the 22 drivers lining up on this year's grid do not have a spot at their respective teams confirmed for 2027 and though there may be exit clauses and multi-year deals the public are not privy to, the upcoming 2026 campaign is basically set up to be one big audition.

Silly season could be about to get chaotic. Let's breakdown all the current deals of the drivers on the 2026 F1 grid.

F1 HEADLINES: Verstappen gives Red Bull exit timeline as Newey ‘rethinks’ Aston Martin decision

Which drivers could be on the F1 transfer market for 2027?

Only four teams head into 2026 somewhat safe in the knowledge that at least one of their driver duo should remain unchanged for 2027- Red Bull, Alpine, Ferrari and McLaren.

McLaren duo are locked in

The papaya squad have F1's newest champion Lando Norris committed to the team until at least the end of the 2027 campaign, whilst team-mate Oscar Piastri is locked in until 2028.

Verstappen Red Bull contract

Four-time champion Max Verstappen is also set to race for Red Bull until the end of 2028 and recently admitted that he would be unlikely to change teams as things stand, but it feels at times as though his exit clause changes daily so watch this space!

Hamilton and Leclerc at Ferrari

There was plenty of talk in 2025 about the Scuderia's driver contracts and although Lewis Hamilton's specific contract length was not given at the time of his blockbuster signing ahead of the 2025 season, it is widely believed to run until 2027. Charles Leclerc's contract is also up in the air and believed to run until at least the end of 2026, but recent discussions over his interest in a switch could materialise if the SF-26 is not a major improvement on last year's car.

Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin

One team to keep an eye on in particular is Aston Martin. Both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are out of contract at the end of this year and the Spaniard has already told media that if he doesn't feel he has had an opportunity to return to the top of the order in Adrian Newey's machinery, he will not want to retire until he has proved he can be competitive once again.

Current F1 driver contracts with expiry dates

The full rundown on current driver deals looks like this heading into 2026:

*An asterisk indicates that this driver's contract is set to run until at least the year given, if not longer, but that an official end date may not have been given publicly due to the announcement simply stating a 'multi-year contract' had been awarded.

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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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