Over half of the F1 grid have their contracts expiring at the end of 2024 with some teams already making moves on the 2025 driver line-up. The 2024 pre-season saw both Ferrari and McLaren lock down their drivers by extending their contracts with Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris respectively, while Ferrari also announced the hiring of Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 season.
With so many contracts running out in 2024, this is how long each driver has left:
Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes - Contract finishing at the end of 2024
Ahead of the start of the 2024 season, Lewis Hamilton shocked many by announcing he would be leaving Mercedes at the end of the year. The seven-time world champion activated an exit clause within his contract, giving him just one more season with the silver arrows before he joins Ferrari in 2025.
The news came four months after the British driver announced he had signed a contract with Mercedes to stay with the team until the end of 2025. This had dispelled the speculation that Hamilton was looking for a shock switch to a rival team, which had begun emerging at the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix.
Hamilton previously signed two contract extensions in a single year in 2021, putting pen to paper on a one-year deal for that campaign, before sealing his place through to the end of 2023. He joined Mercedes in 2013 and had previously stressed that he was fully committed to the team, saying in August 2023: “Obviously in the summer I signed, and obviously, at that time, I saw my future with Mercedes. But an opportunity came up at the end of the year, and I decided to take it.”
Carlos Sainz - Ferrari - Contract until end of 2024
Carlos Sainz will lose his seat at Ferrari at the end of 2024, with the team replacing him with Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton. The Spaniard joined the team in 2021 following six years racing for Toro Rosso, Renault and McLaren.
Sainz had previously said he was content to wait until the 2023/2024 off-season before starting contract negotiations with Ferrari, however he has now lost his seat to the seven-time world champion and it is unsure where he will end up in 2025. Paddock rumours have repeatedly linked him with a possible future move to Audi when it completes its Sauber takeover in 2026, but he has denied any talks with the automotive giant.
Sergio Perez - Red Bull - Contract until end of 2024
Sergio Perez is contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2024, per the terms of a deal he signed at the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix.
Perez’s form in 2022 and 2023 appeared to be in line with Red Bull’s expectations in terms of challenging team-mate Max Verstappen, but his lack of pace compared to the Dutchman was exposed when F1 left its now typical early-season street tracks and headed to higher-speed venues. This led to speculation he could be replaced by Daniel Ricciardo for 2024, although an assessment concerning a 2025 change is more probable.
Esteban Ocon - Alpine - Contract until end of 2024
Esteban Ocon exited his position as a long-term Mercedes junior when he signed to race in 2020 for the team then known as Renault. A year on he agreed to his current deal, which ties him to the rebranded Alpine squad until the end of the 2024 season.
Just a month later Ocon scored his first F1 win with his victory in the chaotic 2021 Hungarian GP. He has since claimed two more podiums - he took the first with second place in the 2020 Sakhir GP, and his third place finish at the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix.
Pierre Gasly - Alpine - Contract until end of 2024
Gasly’s current contract with Alpine was announced at the 2022 Japanese GP – a move that ended that year’s driver market saga, which had been kicked off by Vettel’s retirement and Alonso’s surprise departure from Alpine.
Having been a Red Bull junior since 2014, Gasly was promoted to its senior team as a replacement for Ricciardo alongside Verstappen for 2019. But he was replaced by Alex Albon after just 12 mostly underwhelming races and had no way to move back up from the AlphaTauri team he had been shipped to after this – despite Albon also struggling in 2020 to the point he was replaced at Red Bull by Perez for 2021 and Gasly winning that year’s Italian GP.
Having initially been confirmed as racing for AlphaTauri in 2023, an agreement was reached that meant his Alpine offer for 2023 could be accepted instead and the Frenchman finally exited the Red Bull family for good.
Logan Sargeant - Williams - Contract until end of 2024
At the end of the 2023 season Williams announced that it would keep Logan Sargeant for 2024. The American driver joined Williams as a junior driver in 2021 - following the British-based team being bought by US private investment firm Dorilton Capital from its founding family in 2020.
At the 2022 US GP, the former Williams team principal Jost Capito announced that then Formula 2 racer Sargeant would be promoted to F1 for 2023 if he secured the necessary superlicence points, which he did, via four 2022 F1 practice outings and taking fourth in that year’s F2 championship.
Despite a difficult rookie season where he scored just a single point, Williams team principal James Vowles said: “Logan has demonstrated immense skill whilst under the pressure of the world stage, making him a perfect fit for our team. We have great confidence in his abilities and believe that together we can achieve even greater success in the upcoming season."
Daniel Ricciardo - RB - Contract until end of 2024
Daniel Ricciardo rejoined the team where he raced towards the beginning of his F1 career in 2012-13 (he made his debut with HRT in 2011) ahead of the 2023 Hungarian GP, replacing Nyck de Vries.
Ricciardo is targeting a promotion back to Red Bull over Sergio Perez in the future, having secured a 2024 deal to race at AlphaTauri.
Yuki Tsunoda - RB - Contract until end of 2024
Yuki Tsunoda is the most recent driver to be promoted to F1 from Red Bull’s junior programme and has raced for AlphaTauri since the 2021 season. He signed one-year contract extensions in 2022 and 2023, and did so again to cover the 2024 campaign at his home round.
The Japanese driver has a reputation for wild, rapid driving, but he lacks consistency and has had several big crashes following enforced errors. He was also required to relocate to Italy from the UK (he previously lived near Red Bull’s Milton Keynes factory to drive its F1 simulator) to improve his training and work closer with AlphaTauri.
Zhou Guanyu - Sauber - Contract until end of 2024
After Alfa Romeo opted to release Antonio Giovinazzi at the end of 2021, when Kimi Raikkonen also retired, three-year Formula 2 driver Zhou Guanyu was signed to race alongside Valtteri Bottas on a one-year deal for 2022.
After having his original contract extended to cover the 2023 season ahead of the 2022 Singapore GP, Zhou effectively enjoyed the same situation 12 months later when a 2024 deal was confirmed with the Sauber-run squad on the eve of the Marina Bay Street race.
Valtteri Bottas - Sauber - Contract until end of 2024
After Mercedes opted to end his five-year stint as Hamilton’s team-mate and replace him with Russell for 2022, Valtteri Bottas signed for the Sauber-run Alfa Romeo squad on what was described when it was announced as a “multi-year” deal that commenced last season.
Bottas has shared that he believes if he agrees to another deal with Sauber in 2025, then he is likely to have earned an Audi seat in 2026. The Finnish driver said: “From my understanding, they're going to make decisions of the years ahead early [this] year. So not yet. I'm going to have those discussions in the first quarter of [this] year.”
Bottas was regularly re-signed on single-year deals during his time at Mercedes and is known to relish his long-term future in F1 being secure. He has already stated his desire to continue racing for his current team when it becomes Audi in 2026.
Kevin Magnussen - Haas - Contract until end of 2024
Back in 2020, Haas opted to drop Kevin Magnussen and his then team-mate Romain Grosjean as it moved towards F1’s 2022 car design rules reset with two young rookies. One of those was Nikita Mazepin, who lost his seat with Haas following the sanctions imposed on Russians in the wake of their country invading Ukraine in February 2022 and Haas terminating its title sponsorship agreement with his father’s company. Just four days later, Magnussen was rehired by Haas on a multi-year deal.
This was set to run out at the end of 2023, but Magnussen has earned an extension as part of Haas’s now settled future - following its late-2022 deal with title sponsor MoneyGram - and he will stay at the team until the end of 2024. The Dane and team-mate Nico Hulkenberg do not have the occasionally fractious relationship as that between Magnussen and Grosjean during their four years as Haas squad-mates (despite their famous “suck my balls, honey” bust-up at the 2017 Hungarian GP) and Mazepin and Mick Schumacher in 2021.
Nico Hulkenberg - Haas - Contract until end of 2024
Nico Hulkenberg is one of the first drivers with an expiring contract to reveal his plans for 2025. The German is set to leave Haas at the end of this season and will move to Sauber ahead of the Audi switchover in 2026 . Hulkenberg will return to the team after spending one year with Sauber in 2013.
He said: “The prospect of competing for Audi is something very special. When a German manufacturer enters Formula 1 with such determination, it is a unique opportunity”.
George Russell - Mercedes - Contract until end of 2025
George Russell was announced as a Mercedes driver back in September 2021, with the team stating he was signed to a long-term contract. Although there has never been any official confirmation of how long the Briton was committed, the deal was understood to run until at least the end of 2024.
However, news broke at the 2023 Italian Grand Prix that both he and team-mate Lewis Hamilton had agreed terms to remain with Mercedes until the end of 2025, extending their partnership to a total of four years.
Russell, who was a Mercedes junior driver from early 2017 and through his three-year stint with Williams commencing his F1 career in 2019, is well-regarded at the Black Arrows squad for his precise feedback and technical knowledge. He scored his first win for the team at the 2022 Sao Paulo GP. Russell is also the only active driver director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association.
Alex Albon - Williams - Multi-year deal
Alex Albon had been linked to various top teams following the news of Lewis Hamilton moving to Ferrari in 2025 but it has been announced that he has signed a new multi-year deal with Williams. The Thai-British driver has pledged his future with the team for 2026 and beyond, saying: "I am incredibly happy to be remaining with Williams Racing and to continue working with such a talented and dedicated team of people.
“It has been a difficult start to the year but since joining Williams we have made significant progress together and I have seen the huge changes happening behind the scenes to take us back to the front of the grid.
“This is a long-term project that I really believe in and want to play a key role in which is why I have signed a multi-year contract."
Albon was given a surprise move into F1 just when he was about to start a new career racing for Nissan in Formula E, when Red Bull signed him back to the junior programme he had been a part of for one season racing in Formula Renault in 2012 and gave him a Toro Rosso seat for 2019. This then became a spot at its main squad alongside Verstappen mid-way through that year, before, like Gasly before him, he was moved aside.
Albon then spent 2021 on the sidelines supporting Verstappen and Perez, before he secured a one-year deal to race for Williams in 2022. Over that season’s summer break, Albon was announced as continuing with Williams on a multi-year deal that is set to run until at least the end of 2024, but he too may have a ‘2+1’ option. The London-born Thai racer has shone in qualifying for Williams, is well-liked amongst his peers and the wider paddock group, and has scored several impressive points finishes with tricky cars.
Oscar Piastri - McLaren - Contract until at least the end of 2026
After Alonso’s departure left Alpine in the lurch in 2022, the Enstone squad was then left further wounded after it discovered at practically the same time that it had let then reserve driver Piastri slip away to McLaren for 2023, after the papaya team had decided to ditch the underperforming Ricciardo.
After a case that went to the FIA’s Formula 1’s Contract Recognition Board, it was determined that McLaren’s agreement to sign the Australian for 2023 was his only valid offer. Piastri then replaced Ricciardo as Lando Norris’s team-mate, and was announced on a “multi-year” contract that would run until the end of 2024.
In September 2023, McLaren secured the Australian to a new long-term deal keeping him at the team until at least the end of the 2026 season.
Fernando Alonso - Aston Martin - Contract until end of 2026
Aston Martin has recently announced that Fernando Alonso has signed another “multi-year contract” with the team ahead of his previous contract expiring at the end of the 2024 season. Team principal Mike Krack said: “We have built a strong working relationship over the last 18 months and we share the same determination to see this project succeed.”
The extension will see the Spaniard stay with the Enstone base team into the 2026 season when the regulations change.
During the 2022 summer break, Alonso shocked F1 by abandoning his previous contract talks with the Alpine team and joining Aston Martin following Vettel’s retirement announcement instead.
He was signed on a “multi-year contract”, which covered him until the end of the 2024 season. But with ‘2+1’ deals commonplace in F1, it stands to reason that the Spaniard would’ve signed on knowing he might be racing for Aston until the end of 2025.
Lando Norris - McLaren - Contract beyond end of 2026
Lando Norris has committed his Formula 1 future to McLaren in an unspecified contract extension which will run past the 2026 season. The British driver was expected to play a big role in the major shake-up of the F1 driver market, despite his previous contract with McLaren lasting until the end of 2025.
Norris previously signed his 2025 extension just ahead of the 2022 campaign, nine months on from his previous multi-year extension with McLaren being agreed in May 2021. Norris nearly won two races that year, but currently remains scoreless at the top level in single-seaters, which perhaps explains his often flippant comments this season about the performance of McLaren’s first ground-effect cars – given the orange team has slipped down the pecking order since 2021.
Norris is also regularly linked to a future Audi move and is a friend of Verstappen, with Red Bull having tried to sign him as an F1 junior back in 2018 before the first time he committed his long-term future to McLaren.
Max Verstappen – Red Bull – Contract until the end of 2028
Red Bull’s second world champion signed his current deal barely three months after sealing his first title at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which will keep him tied to his current team until the end of 2028. He had said after winning that race that: “I think they know I love them. And I hope we can do this for 10-15 years together. There's no reason to change ever. I want to stay with them for the rest of my life.”
Since then, Verstappen has regularly voiced his frustration at changes to F1’s format – primarily concerning expanding the sprint race arrangements – which some incorrectly interpreted as a threat to quit F1 at the end of his current contract. Elsewhere, this has been translated as a tactic to raise his salary.
Charles Leclerc – Ferrari – Multi-year contract
Charles Leclerc signed another contract extension with Ferrari on the 25 January 2024, however the Scuderia did not disclose the exact length of his deal. Although, it is expected that Leclerc will remain with Ferrari for the 2026 regulations change.
His contract extension was a long time coming after the two sides had “slowly” started talking in the summer of 2023 about a third new contract of the Monegasque’s stint in red. It came after Ferrari had identified him as its immediate new star in 2019 and not incumbent Vettel, who was effectively dumped just a few months later.
Leclerc waited patiently through Ferrari’s following fallow years in 2020 and 2021 – shining where he could around his team’s engine power deficit in those years – before leading its title charge after the rules reset for 2022. That challenge fell apart through a series of team and driver mistakes and poor reliability, while 2023 was really no better for either Ferrari or Leclerc.
Lance Stroll – Aston Martin – Contract duration unknown
Stroll has raced for the team now known as Aston Martin since 2019 when it was rebranded as Racing Point following the consortium headed by his father Lawrence buying what remained of the Force India squad (formed as Jordan in 1991) the previous year. In moving across, Stroll left the Williams team where he had started his career in 2017.
Given his status as the Aston chairman’s son, it has never been formally disclosed how long Stroll’s contract is with the green team, if indeed he has one in such typical terms, beyond the arrangement being called a "long-term deal" when it was announced in late 2018.
Although he has secured three podiums and one pole, his F1 future is often discussed given his enhanced ‘pay driver’ tag in his team-owning-family status. This speculation has intensified with Aston’s major performance improvement and his big points and pace gap to Alonso so far in 2023. His future is nevertheless secure so long as he and his father want to continue their F1 dream.
