14 F1 drivers out of contract in 2024 as silly season could be biggest yet

Summer driver market chaos tends to come in waves, and while 2023’s silly season turned out to be relatively tame, next summer promises to bring a whole host of drama with 14 different drivers entering the final year of their contracts.

Of the six drivers contracted to teams beyond the end of 2024, four of those are the McLaren and Mercedes duos, while Max Verstappen is tied to a long-term deal at Red Bull and Logan Sargeant is yet to earn a contract to take him into a second season with Williams.

With the threat of the 2026 technical regulation changes also hanging over the drivers’ heads, many will be reluctant to commit to long-term deals. Express Sport takes you through the state of play in the driver market ahead of crunch time in 2024.

The frontrunners

With Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris all tied down for 2025, plenty of the driver market will revolve around Sergio Perez and what Red Bull decides to do with their Mexican driver.

The 33-year-old is unlikely to sign a new deal after struggling to match his team-mate throughout 2023. These struggles will be exacerbated if Red Bull’s rivals close up next year, and this could prompt the Milton Keynes-based team into an early decision. 

Elsewhere at the front, both Ferrari drivers are yet to put pen to paper on new contracts, but with Charles Leclerc an indispensable commodity for the Scuderia and Carlos Sainz impressing with his performances since the summer break, both racers are expected to commit to extensions of two years or longer. 

Finally, Aston Martin will need to convince Fernando Alonso that their project is worth a renewal. Mike Krack’s team have slipped backwards this year and will need to hit the ground running in 2024 to lure the two-time world champion into an extension. Lance Stroll’s renewal, however, will be more of a formality.

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Chaos in the midfield

One of the most interesting situations to watch play out will be at Alpine, where both Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon will enter the final year of their deals. Gasly has delivered as expected since signing from AlphaTauri and will likely stay put barring an unforeseen dip in form. 

Ocon, however, could be tempted to look elsewhere. Following years of consistent performances against strong team-mates, the Frenchman is held in high regard within the F1 paddock and could be a strong option for McLaren to consider should Norris jump ship to Red Bull.

Now a regular contender in the midfield thanks to the work of Alex Albon, Williams will also have a decision to make in 2024. Retaining the 27-year-old is a no-brainer for James Vowles, but they will need to make more strides forward to convince him to stick with the project.

On the other side of the garage, Logan Sargeant is expected to stay for 2024, but this renewal will be a one-year deal at best with his long-term F1 future far from a given following a crash-filled rookie season.

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Life at the back

Haas gave both of their drivers one-year contract extensions for 2024 with Guenther Steiner favouring stability after being burned by the rookie recruits Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher in 2021. This does, however, mean that both Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg are out of contract again next year.

With few valuable alternatives on the market, both drivers are likely to be retained for 2025 sparing any disasters, although Ferrari-backed Oliver Bearman could be an option for Haas if he lives up to expectations during his sophomore year in the Formula 2 championship.

AlphaTauri’s line-up was announced ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix with Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo both earning one-year extensions. 2024 will be a make-or-break year for both drivers with replacing Checo at Red Bull being the end goal. 

Liam Lawson will almost certainly drive for them in 2025, so if the season gets off to a rough start for either Tsunoda or Ricciardo, don’t be surprised to see them look outside of the Red Bull program. Ayumu Iwasa could also play a factor with the Japanese talent expected to follow in Lawson’s footsteps and transition to the Super Formula series in 2024. 

Alfa Romeo’s line-up remains a mystery with the clock counting down to their 2026 rebrand under Audi ownership. Zhou Guanyu needs to take a step forward if he is to break free from the cycle of one-year renewals and with F2 title hopeful Theo Pourchaire waiting patiently on the sidelines, the Chinese racer is at risk of losing his place on the F1 grid.

Then comes the issue of Valtteri Bottas. The Finnish driver was a marquee signing when he moved over from Mercedes, but his results have been unspectacular and many have questioned the 34-year-old’s hunger and motivation to drive at the back of the field beyond 2024.

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