It’s near impossible to know how the grid will look in almost three years from now. But that doesn’t stop us from making a guess…
This is the 2029 F1 driver lineup prediction. It builds on the 2027 and 2028 posts, so go ahead and read those first (if you haven’t already)!
Last updated: 27 August 2026
Mercedes
Kimi Antonelli – Oscar Piastri
Antonelli is the long-term star of this team. He’s definitely staying, especially if he wins the championship in his second year.
Russell probably has to leave the team within a few years. If he continues losing to Antonelli, his stock will fall, and he could make a Ricciardo-esque gamble and move to another manufacturer team. More on that later…
His replacement? Piastri might get tired of being in Lando’s shadow at McLaren. A sideway move to Mercedes could make sense if Oscar and his management believe he has a better chance against Antonelli, or if they believe he’ll simply rack up more Grand Prix wins by driving for Mercedes. He’s also a solid signing for Toto Wolff: A low-maintenance driver who can help secure many future WCC titles for the team.
Ferrari
Charles Leclerc – Oliver Bearman
Leclerc is on a long-term contract with Ferrari. It seems like he could drive there for the rest of his career.
Hamilton has likely retired or moved to another team by then. That means Bearman could be promoted to the Scuderia as early as 2028. If the Englishman drives well, there’s no reason why Ferrari should replace him, although Rafael Câmara could push for the seat as well.
McLaren
Lando Norris – Gabriel Bortoleto
Norris is loved by McLaren. Like Leclerc at Ferrari, he could possibly spend the rest of his career with his current team.
As for the other seat, there’s a solid chance Piastri has moved somewhere else by 2029. In that case, McLaren have to find another driver. They could promote their young supertalent Dries Van Langendonck, but they could also sign a more experienced driver. Gabi Bortoleto was once part of the McLaren academy. He has shown great signs of progress in the 2026 season, and if that continues, he could be a perfect second-driver for McLaren in the future.
Red Bull
Max Verstappen – Arvid Lindblad
Verstappen signed a contract until 2030 with Red Bull. That locks him in for 2029 unless something crazy happens.
Who will his teammate be? There’s a possibility that Hadjar could stay. But it’s more likely that car development will favour Verstappen’s driving style, in which case Hadjar could struggle in late 2026 and 2027.
Lindblad is the biggest talent in the Red Bull academy. He’s a better natural talent than Hadjar, and with a few more years to develop, he could be a top 5-7 driver in F1. Red Bull would have to promote him at some point, even at the expense of an okay driver like Hadjar.
Audi
George Russell – Freddie Slater
How long until George Russell is forced out at Mercedes? Toto wants Antonelli to be the lead driver of the future, and we are already now seeing Russell struggle with the car.
If Russell has to find a new team, Audi might be the top contender. They clearly need a top driver, and they look like a better long-term option than Red Bull at the moment. Russell might take a gamble and go there.
Slater is enrolled in the Audi academy and is considered to be one of the finest young talents in racing. He’s certainly making the team at some point. I see him debuting for Audi in 2028 and getting fairly close to Russell’s level in 2029. It could easily be a repeat of the Russell-Antonelli situation currently playing out at Mercedes!
Aston Martin
Lewis Hamilton – Lance Stroll
Hamilton likely continues driving for Ferrari in 2027. But by 2028, he will be in regression and he could realise that being paired up with the ultra-quick Leclerc isn’t the best idea for his reputation.
So he moves to Aston Martin where he gets to drive a Newey car alongside F1’s weakest driver who’s only in the sport because of nepotism.
Hamilton could get a huge deal by Aston Martin and fill in the Alonso role for a few years. If everything goes well, he could fight for an eighth title and it’s unlikely that Stroll could challenge even an aging Hamilton.
Williams
Carlos Sainz – Alex Albon
Both of these drivers have zero sporting ambitions. But they will get to collect some money and fame by driving around the backfield for Williams. Next…
Haas-Toyota
Rafael Câmara – Ugo Ugochukwu
Toyota could double down on their partnership with Haas and enter F1 in a more participating role in 2029. This could give the team some serious upside, and they’d likely be looking for a driver upgrade.
Initially, they’ll be unable to find it. But it doesn’t matter since they’ll have a top talent like Rafael Câmara around, assuming he hasn’t already been promoted to Maranello.
The other driver could be a Japanese talent favoured by Toyota. But can they find one? Perhaps not yet, so Haas could bring in an American talent instead. Ugo Ugochukwu had a horrible first year in F3, but he’s making up for it with a solid second year. His overall junior record is good, and with a few more years to develop, he could be a solid F1 racer for Haas.
Alpine
Isack Hadjar – Dries Van Langendonck
It’s highly likely that somebody will have bought this team by 2029. So the driver lineup is impossible to predict.
For simplicity, let’s assume it remains Alpine and that Flavio Briatore is the de-facto principal.
Pierre Gasly probably runs out of patience with this team and signs a deal for more money elsewhere. Franco Colapinto is not fast enough to merit a long stint in F1.
Alpine could bring in the demoted Red Bull driver Hadjar, who at this point might be an upgrade over Gasly anyway. Alongside him, Briatore would search for a young talent.
Van Langendonck is one of the top prospects around. He was incredible in karting and had a decent start in Formula racing as well. In 2029, he will be 18 years old and ready to compete in F1. Currently he’s a McLaren development driver, but they often allow their drivers to leave if others poach them – and Alpine could be the one to take a shot on DVL.
Racing Bulls
Nikola Tsolov – Fionn McLaughlin
There’s a chance Red Bull could sell its second team if there’s a strong bid for it.
But let’s assume they stay in ownership at Faenza. In that case, Nikola Tsolov, who looked decent in the lower Formulas, could be the new Gasly-style placeholder for multiple seasons. The main Red Bull team won’t have an available seat for him as Verstappen/Lindblad is their preferred lineup.
Almost impossible to say who would team up with Tsolov at Racing Bulls. The Red Bull Junior Team could promote whoever looks best in F2/F3 by the end of 2028. Until then, one of Mattia Colnaghi or Fionn McLaughlin could be a placeholder for the second seat, though it’s likely that Racing Bulls will find a much better talent by the time 2029 starts.
Cadillac
Pierre Gasly – Liam Lawson
A solid and experienced lineup to eventually take over from Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas who are both too old by 2029.
Gasly could get tired of Alpine at any given point and seek a new challenge. He’s an experienced upper-midfield driver who can qualify the car high up the grid – so multiple teams should be lining up to sign him.
Cadillac could be one of the best options for the Frenchman, assuming they progress well over the next few years. Gasly will be 33 years old when the 2029 season starts, so this might be the final stint of his career. He could help Cadillac develop for the future, and secure himself a nice salary + a top IndyCar entry when his F1 career is over.
The second seat could go to an American youngster. But in this situation, Ugochukwu is signed with Haas. Another option could be Vivek Kanthan who is currently having a promising start in Spanish F4.
Or, alternatively, Cadillac could sign up Liam Lawson, a feisty driver who could become a fan favourite in the US if only they promote him well on social media. I think they might already sign Lawson in 2027 to replace Bottas, and from there, he’d just continue.
