One of the most entertaining things to do as a Formula One fan is to try and predict the driver lineup for the following seasons.
With the 2026 lineup being complete, it’s time to look further ahead and try to predict the 2027 driver lineup!
I update my predictions at regular intervals, although not after every race. If a driver is marked in bold, it means he has already been confirmed by the team for that particular seat.
Last updated: 20 August 2026
Mercedes
Kimi Antonelli – George Russell
With Verstappen’s new Red Bull agreement, we can rule out a move to Mercedes. That almost certainly means that Toto Wolff will keep his current driver lineup.
Antonelli is the long-term prospect for the team anyway. There’s no way he’s leaving, especially if he wins the championship this year.
Russell’s contract is currently a 1+1 where he gets a 2027 extension if he “reaches a performance target” in 2026. I believe that target is set very high. It probably means he will only trigger an extension if he is leading the championship by the summer break. However, with the way the driver market is turning out, Mercedes will extend him regardless.
McLaren
Lando Norris – Oscar Piastri
This is currently the best long-term lineup in F1.
McLaren shouldn’t change it unless the two drivers can’t get along under the pressure of competing for titles. The car is fairly strong, so it should be in the interest of both Norris and Piastri to stay. Of course, if either of the two feels unfairly treated by the team, they may try their luck elsewhere. Piastri has made some comments hinting towards a move away from McLaren, but I doubt anything will come of it.
Norris extended his “multi-year contract” and is believed to be under contract for 2027 and beyond. Piastri is on a long contract as well. Not much speculation here.
Ferrari
Charles Leclerc – Lewis Hamilton
Leclerc recently extended his contract into the 2030s so there’s zero doubt about that side of the garage.
For a long time, I was predicting that Hamilton would leave Ferrari after this season. After his recent uptick in form, it now seems more likely that he will stay. Hamilton has been impressive in the first half of 2026, so an extension will probably be announced soon. Should he – against all odds – decide to retire, then Oliver Bearman would be the replacement.
Red Bull
Max Verstappen – Isack Hadjar
For a long time, the biggest silly season question was whether Verstappen would stay or not. Strong rumours sent him to Mercedes as well as McLaren. But now, he has extended his Red Bull contract until 2030. A very lucrative decision for Max, surely, but a disappointing sporting decision as he could have easily joined Mercedes.
Hadjar is looking good, although not spectacular. The team will likely keep him for at least another year. Lawson is never getting the second seat back, unless it’s as a temporary replacement, and Lindblad isn’t ready yet.
Alpine
Pierre Gasly – Franco Colapinto
Gasly is a good driver and a solid benchmark for the team’s performance. Colapinto brings sponsors, but lacks upside, so he has to be replaced eventually.
Flavio Briatore is looking for the next big star. But can he find one?
Not yet, as there is no clear megatalent on the market. So Alpine decided to extend Gasly and Colapinto, which is a bit disappointing, but as Briatore says, the focus is on car development, so they don’t really care too much about drivers.
Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso – Lance Stroll
Based on recent interviews, Alonso wants to give it one more go in 2027 as he believes in Newey. It will most likely be another year fighting in the midfield, but nice for the fans to still have Alonso around.
Stroll’s father owns the team so he stays, unfortunately. It’s a shame that F1, the pinnacle of motorsport, has to deal with such blatant nepotism.
Williams
Carlos Sainz – Alex Albon
Sainz could have moved to Audi or Alpine but foolishly decided to extend with Williams. He’ll get 30 million euros per year for driving the tractor around, but he’s giving up all ambitions of winning. Nowadays, it seems like some drivers are happy being celebrities and aren’t really that focused on optimising their results.
Albon is happy driving for Williams and won’t have too many other offers on the table. His extension makes a lot more sense and talent-wise, he is bound for mediocrity anyway.
Haas
Oliver Bearman – Rafael Câmara
Ferrari likely extend Hamilton, so that leaves Bearman at Haas for another year. That’s a shame, because he deserves to go to a top team already, but keeping him is a great deal for Haas.
Ocon has been underperforming during his entire Haas stint, so he will have to leave. The team is already unhappy with him. Having two Ferrari juniors might not be the ideal situation for Haas, commercially speaking, but Câmara is so good that they won’t be able to turn him down. He’s a clear upgrade over Ocon and it also gives Ferrari a year to examine which of Bearman and Câmara is the better prospect.
Racing Bulls
Arvid Lindblad – Nikola Tsolov
Racing Bulls could certainly extend with Lawson, as the Kiwi pilot has scored quite a lot of points for them in 2026. But Lawson probably realises that he’ll never be promoted to Red Bull, so he might talk to other teams while his stock is high.
Lindblad is a driver that Red Bull have a lot of faith in, and he’s been decent (albeit unlucky) so far in 2026. He should be partnered by Nikola Tsolov, one of the top drivers in this year’s F2.
Audi
Nico Hülkenberg – Gabriel Bortoleto
A top driver still isn’t on the table for Audi. They tried to get Sainz, but without any luck. With Verstappen being locked in at Red Bull, it prevents a reshuffling among the top teams, and other top drivers like Russell and Piastri are likely to stay with their current teams. Audi should still try to poach someone like them, but it probably won’t work.
Hülkenberg is essentially the Audi ambassador and is there help the team develop in its early years. 2027 could be his final year, and then Audi would bring in a young talent in 2028 (Freddie Slater is first in line). But for now, the Hulk stays.
Bortoleto looks decent and deserves some more time so he can keep improving. He is a reasonably fast racer, but more suited for a number two role. That is okay for Audi though, as long as they bring in a future star eventually – either to replace Bortoleto, or to drive alongside him.
Cadillac
Sergio Pérez – Liam Lawson
Pérez has performed well for Cadillac so far, and he’s a very valuable driver for them. He also brings sponsorship. There’s no way he’s leaving unless something crazy happens.
Bottas, on the other hand, has been absolutely awful. Perhaps there’s a good reason behind it (maybe he’s running tests even in race sessions). This is a new team after all, and perhaps the two drivers don’t have entirely even duties. But if we assume all things are equal, Bottas is just way off Pérez’s pace. That means he has to get replaced, and one of the better options would be Liam Lawson, a driver that should be a great fit here, and he’d probably likely to seek out a bigger contract than the one he currently has at Racing Bulls.
Out of F1
Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas
Ocon and Bottas have been underperforming relative to their previous levels and relative to their teammates in 2026. The teams are allegedly growing tired of them, so they are most likely out for 2027. It is possible that a driver like Ocon can score another seat somewhere, but if the cards fall as predicted here, there’s just not any room for him.
The two new drivers coming into F1 would then be Rafael Câmara and Nikola Tsolov, as mentioned earlier. Well deserved, as they are the best current prospects in F2.
Don’t forget to check the 2028 driver lineup predictions as well!
