F1 2027 Driver Predictions - Who Will Move Teams Next Season?

With just under half the Formula 1 season to go, we take a look at which drivers are safe in their current seats and who should be looking nervously over their shoulders for a potential exit from the sport. Do you agree with our picks for which F1 drivers will be driving where in 2027?

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Video Transcript

Guys, I so wanted to do my mid-season grades.

I've not had time to do it unfortunately, and we've got the first race of the second half of the season after the summer break this weekend in Zandvoort, Netherlands, the final Dutch Grand Prix potentially ever in Formula 1.

It's a shame I've not been able to do the grades.

I really do love doing that.

I will try my best to do it at the end of the season.

But for now, let's look ahead to the driver lineups for 2027.

Of course, the lineups going from 2025 to '26 were pretty much identical.

Apart from Cadillac joining the sport and Arvid Lindblad joining Formula 1, and Yuki Tsunoda being brushed aside, there weren't really any changes from the end of '25 to '26 because all the teams wanted to stick with what they know.

They wanted to keep the drivers they had and build on the experience that they had in 2025 heading into 2026.

2027 though, as of the time of recording, there's a lot of spaces.

In fact, there's not that many drivers that have confirmed that they are going to be driving for whichever team, they're gonna be driving for in 2027.

In fact, only eight of the 22 spots on next year's grid have been filled.

Let's go through all of those guys, and let's also go through every single team and who I think is going to be driving where in 2027.

So what we'll do, guys, is we'll go in the order of championship finish from last season, partly because that does get two of the teams that have got their lineups actually confirmed for 2027 out of the way.

McLaren, despite the rumors of Max Verstappen joining the team in the near future, officially they have the world champion Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri contracted for next year, and it's the same story for last year's runner-ups Ferrari as well.

Charles Leclerc and Sir Lewis Hamilton are officially contracted to the team for 2027.

Then you've got Red Bull.

Now, Max Verstappen, unsurprisingly, he is contracted to Red Bull for next year, but Isack Hadjar is not, which is understandable.

Again, I mean, he only got his debut for the Racing Bulls in 2025, and you know the history of that second Red Bull seat.

It's not a good one.

And despite both Arvid Lindblad and also Liam Lawson doing a good job in the Racing Bulls car, I don't think either have really outperformed each other enough to warrant a promotion to Red Bull.

Also, as well, most importantly, Isack Hadjar I think has done a good job.

You have to say that Hadjar, with his performance compared to Max Verstappen, has been the most comparable and competitive teammate that Max has had at that Red Bull car since, well, probably Daniel Ricciardo in 2018, eight years ago.

Yeah, Perez had his moments here and there, but aside from that, literally everybody else has been swept aside, Liam Lawson, Alex Albon, Yuki Tsunoda, just to name a few.

But Hadjar's done a good job.

I mean, he's never gonna beat Verstappen.

Verstappen's one of the greatest of all time.

We know this.

But he's been competitive.

He's been in that leading group pretty much all season.

In fact, he's on a very good run of top five, top six finishers, which given the pace of that Red Bull, it's not the fastest overall by any stretch, it's probably third or fourth fastest in a given race weekend.

I think he's doing a decent job, so I'd be shocked if he's not retained for Red Bull for next season.

And then we head over to Mercedes next.

Surprisingly, neither of their drivers are actually contracted to the team for next year.

Now, again, there's rumors of Verstappen potentially joining Mercedes in 2027, but I don't really see it, to be honest.

I mean, you never say never in Formula 1, but I really do think that at least Andrea Kimi Antonelli, no matter what, given the fact he's leading the championship so comfortably and doing such an amazing job in only his second season, he has to stay at Mercedes.

Where is he gonna go?

They are the best team in Formula 1 right now.

Why would he wanna move?

It just wouldn't make any sense.

Now, George Russell, of course, he's had a very mixed season to say the least.

But given the fact that Verstappen is more than likely gonna stay with Red Bull Racing and there's literally nowhere he can go that's even close to that, I mean, that second Red Bull seat is the closest one to Mercedes that's available.

Aside from that, you have to go to, like, Alpine, I guess.

Maybe the Racing Bulls.

I mean, it's just not gonna happen.

So again, I would be shocked, I would be absolutely stunned if George Russell does not have a contract extension for next year.

Beyond that, you know, I mean, Verstappen's contract with Red Bull ends at the end of '27 or '28.

Maybe Mercedes will make a move for him then, but maybe they don't wanna rock the boat, as Mika Hakkinen said, when he was speaking about Verstappen potentially joining McLaren.

So again, I'm gonna go with Russell to stay put.

No changes so far, but could things be about to change for Aston Martin?

And it's a really interesting one.

I mean, Fernando Alonso, according to some sources, does have a contract for next year for Aston Martin.

Some sources though, including Formula 1, do not say that he has a contract, and it's the same for his teammate Lance Stroll.

And, you know, Stroll is daddy's boy, simple as that.

He's always gonna get a contract.

I'd be shocked if he's not retained.

Of course, he shouldn't be.

Of course, he's not good enough.

But with how bad that Aston Martin is right now, there's not gonna be many drivers that will want to drive it anyway, not many top drivers anyway.

So Stroll 100% for me is gonna stay at Aston Martin.

Fernando Alonso, now some people might say that given the fact he's 45 years of age now, the fact that he's been in Formula 1 for 25 years, he made his debut in 2001, before a lot of the drivers on the grid were even born, the likes of Hadjar, the likes of Piastri, the likes of Antonelli, not even born when Alonso made his debut.

You might think that he wants to quit.

He basically has said the opposite to what a lot of people think, though.

When he's been speaking about his potential retirement, he has said that, "Look, I- I'm gonna retire from Formula 1 on my own terms, which isn't really a surprise.

You would say that, of course.

But he also has said that he wants to leave Formula 1 on a high.

Now, whether that is winning his third championship over two decades after his second one, which again, just seems crazy to think about.

It would be 21 years in 2027 as well, by the way.

He won his second title in 2006.

Again, that's before even some of the other drivers were born.

Just mental stuff, really.

But he has said that he will leave when the car is good.

He doesn't wanna leave the car or the team, when, you know, that it's not performing particularly well.

So given that, I think he's probably gonna stick around, which again is just crazy to think.

But you can't predict Alonso.

There's one thing about the guy, you gotta say you can't predict him.

So again, I'm going with status quo at Aston Martin.

Not many changes so far, but is that gonna alter for Alpine?

Well, Pierre Gasly, their star man, of course, signed a contract extension, I think it was last year.

And Alpine, in fairness, are doing a lot better this season.

They've really picked it up with the Mercedes engine in the back of the car.

What about their second driver, though, Franco Colapinto?

Well, again, for me, I think he's improving and clearly Flavio Briatore thinks that he's a good driver.

And of course, there is the financial backing that no doubt helps.

But I think the biggest factor, really, that comes to Franco is that I think he's improved as well.

I think he's become a much more solid driver.

Not on the level of Pierre Gasly, but he's got a bit of settled, you know, a car that actually, you know, suits him a bit more as well.

So again, I think he's probably gonna be retained for next year.

And I'm not really going for many changes so far, am I?

It's quite similar from '26 to '27.

But what about Haas?

Well, neither of their drivers are confirmed for next year, but I'd be shocked if Oliver Bearman is not retained.

He's very much being groomed by Ferrari using their de facto B team there.

He's been there for a number of years now, and he's slowly improving.

He's getting better.

And when either Charles Leclerc or Sir Lewis Hamilton or both leave the team in probably the next few years or so, I mean, how long is Hamilton gonna continue for in F1?

Is Leclerc gonna give up with Ferrari eventually?

Who knows?

But he's the guy who's gonna be in there to be able to get that, position really at the team.

So I think he's gonna stay at Haas.

I'd love to see Bearman in, you know, a really good car.

I'd love to see him You know, we only saw him in that Ferrari for one race in 2024.

Was it?

At the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?

It must have been, 'cause it was Carlos Sainz.

Yeah, it must've been 2024.

You know, I wanna see him on a more consistent basis in a top team.

And if Aston Martin get their act together, I think it'd be an unbelievable signing for them.

But as it is right now, Haas are better than Aston.

But what about the second seat?

What about Esteban Ocon?

Well, he's very experienced now.

He's been in Formula 1 for over a decade.

He's been in since 2020-- he's been in since 2016.

And I'm not a big fan of him, as you know.

I'm not a huge fan of this guy personally.

I think he's really overrated.

I think he's really inconsistent.

He has, like, a few good results every single season, and that's kind of it.

So I really do think there is a chance that he's gonna be replaced.

He's the guy so far that I look at and think, "Yeah, I don't think you're gonna last too long in that seat."

But who's gonna replace him?

Well, Haas' reserve driver is Ryo Harikawa, the Japanese driver who's driven for, like, 20 different teams this po- at this point when it comes to free practice rounds.

But I don't really see him coming in.

I mean, he's a decent driver for sure, but what's he like racing a Formula 1 car?

I don't think it's really a move that's gonna happen.

Plus, he's no spring chicken.

He's 32.

It's not old by any stretch of the imagination, but it's almost unheard of for a, a driver to make their F1 debut in their 30s nowadays.

If you're over 25, that's almost unheard of in F1.

So who's gonna come in?

Well, I would love to see this personally.

I would love to see another Ferrari junior come into that team, none other than Rafael Camara.

You know, we went so long in Formula 1, way too long, without a Brazilian driver.

Gabby Bortoleto, of course, got his debut last year for Sauber, who are now Audi.

And I'd love to see another there as well.

Rafael Camara, I mean, he's a really exciting talent.

He's the F3 champion from last season.

I don't think he's gonna win the F2 championship in his debut campaign this time around, but he's still up there.

He's got every chance to be able to do so in his rookie season.

Even youngsters who have been very impressive in recent times, like Alex Dunne for McLaren, or Alpine.

I think he's actually at Alpine now, isn't he?

You know, he's been impressive, but Camara, on his debut season, has absolutely wiped the floor with him.

So I'd love to be able to see.

And there's gonna be some financial backing in there as well.

And of course, he's a Ferrari youngster, so I think it'd be really cool to see him in Formula 1, and I think he's ready for it.

I'd love to see him at Haas, and I wanna make it happen.

I wanna manifest it, so I'm gonna put him in there.

The first change compared to 2026.

And we're gonna get another one, spoiler alert, at Racing Bulls.

Now, Arvid Lindblad, I expect to get a contract extension.

He's done really well in his rookie season, the only rookie in 2026.

It's been a really big, steep learning curve.

So for him to be able to perform like he has done so I think is absolutely fantastic.

And I also think that Liam Lawson's done a really good job, too.

But we know what Red Bull is like.

They are very pushy.

They are very, very eager when it comes to youth.

And who is leading the F2 championship at the moment?

Well, it's none other than Nikola Tsolov from Bulgaria.

There's never been a Bulgarian Formula 1 driver, but that could well change next year.

He's doing a really good job.

He's been fantastic this season.

He's only in his second campaign in Formula 2.

Indeed, this is only his first full season, so he's a rookie in a sense as well.

He's been seriously impressive, including three back-to-back victories at the Red Bull Ring and also Silverstone.

So I think he's a really, really hot talent, and I think it'd be so unfair, so unfair for Lawson to get the boot.

But we know what Red Bull's like.

They're not fair, are they?

That's what they do.

Williams up next.

I mean, James Vowles says that he's got the best lineup in Formula 1 when it comes to the drivers.

I don't agree with that personally, but I do think that Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon are both excellent drivers.

I think they are very much wasted on that team right now.

They're performing really badly.

I do think they can recover it though, of course, but it's been a really disappointing season in 2026.

Williams, of course, traditionally doing really well when it comes to big changes in regulation.

But they've gone backwards this year.

They have absolutely gone backwards this year.

But you look at the seats that are potentially available.

I mean, some people might say that George Russell get out- gets ousted for, Carlos Sainz at Mercedes.

I don't really see it personally.

So I think they're gonna stay put.

I think they're gonna stay put, are Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon.

I don't really see Williams changing their lineup.

Audi is an interesting one though.

I mean, Gabby Bortoleto, obviously, you know, he's gonna get re-signed by them.

I think he's been excellent.

Hlkenberg though, Nico Hlkenberg's had such a unlucky season.

I mean, I mean, the car is very unreliable this season.

It's not the quickest.

It can trouble the top 10 in qualifying, but it does struggle to make the end of the race.

It's their first season creating their own power unit in Formula 1, Audi.

It's their first season as a constructor in this season in Audi, of course, as well.

So it's not really a surprise they're struggling the way they are.

Hlkenberg took a very, very long time before being able to get his first points in Formula 1 this season, the first points for him at Audi, of course.

But he's a very experienced competitor.

And what Audi need right now is experience.

I mean, you might say that maybe a young driver will come in, but I don't really think so.

I mean, I'm a bit biased.

I do like Hlkenberg.

I think he's a criminally underrated driver.

I think he's a serious talent.

I mean, people talk about Hamilton and Alonso being very old in Formula 1.

I mean, Hlk's like nearly 40, isn't he?

He's around the same sort of age.

He's 38 actually, turns, 39 maybe by the time you view this video actually on the 19th of August.

So you know, he's not far off of there either.

He's been around for such a long time.

I think he's one of the best drivers in the world at being able to drive a midfield Formula 1 car, simple as that.

So he's the exact guy that you want in your team.

I don't really see him being replaced by someone like Paul Aron, who has done some, practice sessions for Audi.

He's not really, really in that Audi, Audi Driver Academy as well that I look at and think, "Yeah, they're definitely ready for F1."

So I think overall that Hlk's probably gonna stay there for another season.

Obviously next season if Bortoleto outperforms Hlkenberg by a long way, then, then maybe you have to look at a replacement at that point.

But I don't really see it personally.

I think they're gonna keep with Hlk.

Plus, it is a German driver and a German team, so you know it makes sense.

The final lineup is of Valterri Bottas and Sergio Checo Prez at Cadillac.

And a bit like, a bit like Audi as well, you know, they, they do need that experience there, and that's what these drivers do offer.

The car is the worst on the grid.

It's rather unreliable, but they will get better over time.

And I, I think these are two really good drivers to be able to kind of weather that storm.

Of course, Colton Herta is a guy who's been groomed for that seat, but I don't think he's gonna be there by 2027.

I don't think he's gonna have enough super license points from his time in Formula 2.

He's not dominating that championship by any stretch of the imagination.

I mean, I had idiots in my comments say that, "Oh, well, you know, you know, bro, he's gonna be fine.

You know, he's so experienced.

He's so good from IndyCar.

He's, he's raced in formula racing like this before."

Well, it takes a long time to adapt to things like this.

It's rather difficult as well.

And so it has proved.

I mean, where is he?

He's 16th.

He's 16th.

He's below Sebastin Montoya.

No offense to Seb Montoya, very nice guy.

Spoke to him a couple years ago.

But you know, no one's saying that Seb Montoya is ready for Formula 1 right now.

Again, greatest respects to the guy.

Very nice guy.

But I'm just saying, his best result's fifth.

Y- you know, I mean it's, it's not really there, is it?

He's not ready, and he's not gonna be ready anytime soon.

So I think for now both of their, their drivers are safe, and they are both contracted to Cadillac as well for next year.

So there we go, guys.

Just a few changes, not really big sweeping changes.

You never know.

It only takes one, big driver move, only takes, I don't know, a George Russell being displaced or a Fernando Alonso being displaced, you know, something like that.

But I don't really see it personally.

As things are right now, I think that we're not gonna have that many changes.

We're gonna have Ocon be replaced by Rafael Camara at Haas, got Lawson being replaced by Solov at Racing Bulls, and that's it.

That's it.

They're the only changes I've gone with.

And again, it, it does make sense given the fact that, yes, these cars are not brand new in 2027, but they are still very new.

They're, you know, the teams are still understanding how to get the best out of them, and that experience of driving these cars regularly, 'cause they are nothing like you will drive in Formula 2 or any other racing series, nothing even like the cars in Formula 1 in 2025 and before.

You need that race experience, and these guys, obviously on the current grid, are the only drivers that have got any of that.

So I think that's really the differentiating factor here.

2028 could all change very much.

And of course, we'll be here to cover that and a whole lot more on Formula Reports, guys.

But get your predictions in the comments below, guys.

Who is going where?

Who's changing?

Who's staying put?

Who's twisting?

Who's sticking?

Let me know down below.

Like, share, comment, and subscribe as always, and we'll see you soon, guys.

Have a good one.

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