F1 2027 Grid: Max Verstappen makes a move, shock signing for Aston Martin

An edited image of Max Verstappen on a background of money — Photo: © IMAGO

Formula 1

F1 2027 Grid: Max Verstappen makes a move, shock signing for Aston Martin

2027 could see the likes of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton make a major career change

Originally written by Dan Ripley. This version is a translation.

Thursday 16 April 2026 19:00

Formula 1 may only be three championship rounds into the 2026 season, but this hasn't stopped the rumor mill from going into overdrive regarding the 2027 driver market.

Already, focus is starting to switch to 2027 and which drivers will be racing for which teams.

Silly season, the term to describe F1's driver market, typically doesn't really get going until late May, but with April now entirely free of racing action after the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix, there is much to discuss.

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That's because already we have a good idea of what teams have nailed these new regulations and it's not just fans who like to start putting together 2027 jigsaws based on this. F1 teams and drivers are just as keen to jump from door-to-door in the paddock in a very expensive game of musical chairs.

So how could the 2027 F1 grid look? Some big names could be on the move or even out the door as we look at how all 11 teams can field 22 drivers.

McLaren

Mercedes

For many drivers, if they could pick an F1 seat to jump into right now it would be the Mercedes given they have won the first three grands prix of the season. But that itself presents its own issues, at least for outsiders. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli are getting the job done. Russell is now in his fifth year with the team having been on their development programme before that, while Antonelli is F1's next big thing - Mercedes are not letting him go anywhere. These are two very settled drivers right now, to the point that Toto Wolff may not even need to make a bid for Verstappen at this point.

Red Bull

No Adrian Newey, no Christian Horner, no Jonathan Wheatley, no Helmut Marko, no Gianpiero Lambiase and, probably soon, no Verstappen. The exodus of Red Bull big dogs has been remarkable in recent years and it leaves them in a fragile position as a team looking like they are in transition and not an exciting place to be. However, Isack Hadjar is well placed to keep learning his trade and it may be an ideal destination for Oscar Piastri to reboot his career after a McLaren exit.

Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton has already had a better start to the 2026 season than his debut Ferrari year, after grabbing his first podium for the team in China. The 2025 season was a bruising one for the seven-time world champion though after being thrashed by team-mate Charles Leclerc. He can ill afford another year like it and if it does trend the same way, it won't be a surprise to see the British star retire. On the positive side for Ferrari, they have a young driver at Haas in Ollie Bearman whose stock is rising rapidly as a replacement. Leclerc was born to drive for Ferrari - he isn't going anywhere.

Williams

For Williams a tricky 2026 is likely to put a slight halt on their march back up the grid to become contenders again. Carlos Sainz isn't sticking around but Alex Albon is a crucial part of the Williams furniture. The Thai-British racer could be paired with the exciting British talent in Luke Browning who already has hours of FP1 experience with the team and enjoyed a positive season in F2 last year with a fourth place finish.

Racing Bulls

The team that developed Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and Verstappen appears to have hit a stumbling block when it comes to producing elite F1 drivers and as such there are no obvious candidates to promote to the Racing Bulls team next year. Arvid Lindblad in his first season has already started well enough to put him on course for a second year, while Liam Lawson also looks like a safe pair of hands for the team.

Aston Martin

The Aston Martin for this season is absolutely atrocious... and that's why Fernando Alonso goes on for another year. The two-time champion has already said he doesn't want to end on a downer so 2027 is very much in play. His replacement for after 2027 is Carlos Sainz, who can't resist the big bag of money thrown at him by Lawrence Stroll and the potential of a title winning Newey car to lineup alongside his Spanish compatriot for 2027. Lance steps away from a year but will be back to partner Sainz in 2028.

Carlos Sainz could be tempted with a move away from Williams

Haas

Haas are hit by the loss of Bearman to the promised land of Ferrari but they do get their raw and untested development driver Dino Beganovic in reutrn which is a bit like Minardi losing Alonso in 2001 and having to replace him with Mark Webber. It worked out well for the Italian team, but will Haas get a similar boost? Either way, Esteban Ocon at least stays on for another year for stability.

Audi

Audi is a weird team right now. All the potential in the world and yet it's rudderless and spinning its wheels following the departure of team principal Wheatley after just two races. So not many drivers will be marking this team out right now as one to build your career at. However, Nico Hulkenberg is in the autumn of his F1 career and is ideally placed, while Gabriel Bortoleto likewise will be wise to keep learning his trade as a team-mate to the German at a team with big plans.

Alpine

Time and patience isn't something you can associate with Alpine, and you can ask Jack Doohan all about that. So Franco Colapinto's poor and pointless 2025 must improve greatly to hang on to his 2027 seat. Pierre Gasly's experience makes him a safe bet, and if Colapinto does follow Doohan out the door, Mercedes may be keen to get their development star Frederik Vesti into the team as a return favour for supplying engines to Alpine.

Cadillac

There is no disgrace in 2026 being a learning year for F1's newest team Cadillac, and in Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas they have two seasoned veterans to help that process along. Both are on multi-year contracts and it's hard to see why both will leave before seeing out at least a second season.

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

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Ferrari McLaren