F1 team line-ups for the 2027 season

F1 team line-ups for the 2027 season – an updated table with information about Formula 1 drivers’ contracts. The descriptive part of this article also includes details about possible changes and transfer moves.

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As in previous years, I have prepared a summary text of the F1 team line-ups for the 2027 season. It was created in the same form as in previous years. The table contains only confirmed drivers and information about the length of their contracts. As new contracts are announced, I will update the table and add updates in the descriptive part. Below the table, in the mentioned descriptive section, I summarized the situation of each team as of June 21, 2026. For teams that have not confirmed their line-ups by that date, I wrote about their transfer possibilities.

The order of teams in the table and in the text corresponds to the constructors’ championship standings in mid-June 2026.

F1 team line-ups for the 2027 season

The table contains only the names of drivers whose contracts are officially confirmed. The asterisks in the table are explained in the text for each team. Clicking on a driver’s name allows you to check articles about them on the blog.

All predictions regarding line-ups in the descriptive part for individual teams will not be changed in the coming months. I allow only minor, cosmetic changes that will not affect the essence of the predictions. I do this deliberately to see after a few months how the situation in Formula 1 has changed and whether the rumors and predictions from mid-June have been confirmed or if there have been surprising moves. Every new confirmed announcement concerning a given driver will appear next to the respective team as an update under the descriptive part. This format of the article will later allow the transfer season in F1 to be chronologically reconstructed.

George Russell and Kimi Antonelli signed new contracts with Mercedes in October 2025. It was officially announced then that both drivers would stay with the team for the 2026 season, but nothing was mentioned about subsequent years. However, both drivers signed longer contracts, but we do not know the specific details. Antonelli recently advanced from the junior program; such drivers are always tied to their parent teams for several years, and the team decides on contract extensions. So we can safely assume that Antonelli will stay at Mercedes for many years. From media information and Russell’s statements, it appears he signed a 1+1 format contract. It is supposed to work in such a way that if at a specific moment in the 2026 season he meets the set sporting goal, the contract will be automatically extended for the 2027 season. We do not know the details here, but it may involve achieving a specific position in the general classification at a given moment in the season or earning a certain number of points. Russell is said to have negotiated a significant salary increase and limited sponsorship obligations, but to continue driving for the team longer, he must meet certain sporting goals.

For Mercedes, the only alternative is Max Verstappen, who has been regularly linked with the team for two years. It is hard to say whether Mercedes really wants to hire him, as it would completely change the team dynamics. It may be an element of pressure exerted on current drivers, similar to how Bottas was treated in the past, always receiving one-year contracts.

The situation with Ferrari drivers is very simple because both remain for the next season. Charles Leclerc signed a new multi-year contract with the team at the beginning of June 2026. According to media reports, this is currently the longest contract in F1, covering even the 2031 season (details). However, as is standard in such contracts, there are options allowing early termination, but only after some time. Leclerc will therefore stay for the 2027 season, and his partner will remain Lewis Hamilton. The Briton signed a contract with Ferrari in February 2024, covering three seasons, thus valid until the end of 2027. There are some uncertainties about his contract because initially, it was said to be a 2+1 format, meaning the 2027 season was an option. Hamilton said at the beginning of the 2026 season that he has a valid contract for the next year, so either this option was quickly activated or it covered three years from the start. Ferrari has no need and does not plan to change the line-up for the 2027 season.

McLaren drivers have long-term contracts covering the 2027 season, but we do not know their exact length. Statements from both drivers and team management suggest the line-up will remain unchanged for the next year. Oscar Piastri had a contract until the end of the 2026 season but extended it for several more years in March 2025. It was stated that it is a multi-year commitment, but according to unofficial reports, the new contract covers even the 2029 season, so it was signed for four additional seasons (with termination options). Lando Norris made a very similar move but a year earlier, extending his contract in January 2024. We know his new contract covers the entire 2026 season, but it should include options for at least the 2027 season, and possibly the 2028 season. McLaren has a good line-up; the drivers cooperate well, and there is no need for change from the team’s perspective. The drivers’ contracts certainly include early termination options, but they have no transfer options to a better team on the market. McLaren will keep the line-up for the 2027 season; changes may only occur in case of major transfer market reshuffles caused by a possible Verstappen transfer.

Max Verstappen is the leader of the Red Bull Racing team, driving under a contract signed at the beginning of 2022, which binds him until the end of 2028. Despite having such a long contract, rumors regularly appear in the media that the Dutchman will shorten his contract, move to another team, or leave F1. We know from certain sources that Verstappen can very easily terminate the contract after the 2026 season. It is enough that he does not occupy a TOP2 position in the general classification at the end of June or the end of July (media report different deadlines). At the time of writing this summary, there is no indication that he will reach such a high position. Verstappen therefore has three options: stay at Red Bull, move to another team, or leave F1. Personally, I bet he will stay at Red Bull for another season because there is hope for car performance improvement. The only alternative in F1 for him would be a transfer to Mercedes.

The second Red Bull driver seat has been a hot seat in recent years, but it seems Isack Hadjar is doing well in this role. The Frenchman has a contract until the end of 2026 but is certainly tied to Red Bull with a long-term development contract. I bet Hadjar will stay for the next season if his form does not collapse in the later part of the season. It seems to me that Hadjar’s position is not related to Verstappen’s decision. Hadjar works well as his partner, and if Verstappen left, Hadjar must stay to maintain some stability in the team.

In September 2025, Pierre Gasly signed a new contract binding him to Alpine until the end of 2028. The Frenchman extended his previous contract, in which subsequent seasons were only optional. The situation regarding the second driver looks more interesting. Franco Colapinto has a contract until the end of the 2026 season. Last year, the Argentine’s position in the team was not strong, and his engagement was decided by sponsors. In the first phase of the 2026 season, Colapinto significantly improved his form and sporting results, so extending his contract should be a formality. It is not so due to the improvement in Alpine’s form and the acquisition of a major title sponsor for the coming years. Alpine now has a strong position and has become an attractive team for top drivers. According to Flavio Briatore’s statements, they will wait longer before deciding on the line-up. By mid-June, Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz were already linked with Alpine. Colapinto is a safe option, but if there is an opportunity to hire a recognized driver, Alpine will take it, and the Argentine will have to look for another team.

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Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad represent the Racing Bulls team in 2026 under one-year contracts confirmed in December 2025. It is a junior team, so almost always young drivers associated with Red Bull drive there. Juniors from this academy, after promotion to F1, are tied by multi-year contracts, where the team decides whether to activate the next year. Lindblad is this year’s debutant, who is doing well and must stay in this team 100%. Lawson has been driving in F1 for four seasons, starting this year’s competition very well. The New Zealander probably has no prospects of promotion to the main team, as he was once demoted from it. It looks like the Racing Bulls line-up for the 2027 season will remain unchanged.

Another Red Bull junior who may join this team is Nikola Colov. The Bulgarian is competing for the championship in Formula 2 this year. If he were to be promoted to Racing Bulls, it would probably be in place of Lawson, but I personally expect Colov to enter F1 in 2028.

The situation with Haas’s line-up is interesting for several reasons. Oliver Bearman is driving very well, regularly beating Esteban Ocon in the first phase of the 2026 season. Bearman is a Ferrari junior; Haas does not have full rights to him. There is no indication that a place will open for the Briton in the factory Ferrari team, so Bearman should stay at Haas for the 2027 season. Esteban Ocon joined this team under a multi-year contract. We do not know its exact length, but probably the 2027 season is only optional. It is hard to say whether the team will use this option. Ocon is much more experienced than Bearman but is losing to him this year. If this continues, a replacement of the Frenchman is possible, and this is where it gets interesting. Haas is closely linked with Toyota; regular tests are organized for drivers of the Japanese manufacturer, where Ryo Hirakawa stands out. The Japanese, together with Jack Doohan, are reserve drivers this year. Yuki Tsunoda is also linked with Haas, and in June they organized a test for Leonardo Fornaroli. There were rumors that Ferrari would like to place Rafael Camara – another talented junior – at Haas. If Haas changes Ocon, they must decide whether to hire a driver indicated by Toyota/Ferrari or someone independent.

Alexander Albon signed a contract in May 2024 binding him to Williams until the end of 2027. The Thai will definitely stay at Williams for another year; he is strongly connected with the team. The second seat looks much more interesting. Carlos Sainz has a contract until the end of the current season, but it includes extension options (James Vowles suggested in an interview last year that Sainz will stay with the team until the end of 2028, so he has a 2+2 contract). Sainz is a very good driver who has grown into the leader of Williams; the team will definitely want to extend his contract. The Spaniard is, however, disappointed with the car’s level; he expected the team to enable him to fight for better positions. Sainz will certainly look around the market, and if there is an option to transfer to a better team or one offering better conditions, he will take it. If Sainz leaves, Williams has very broad options. They can offer a contract to a talented rookie, try to bring back Franco Colapinto, or Esteban Ocon or Valtteri Bottas may be available.

Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto joined this team under multi-year contracts ending after the 2026 season, but they almost certainly include options for the 2027 season. Hulkenberg’s contract was presented in the media as 2+1, meaning until the end of 2026 with an option for 2027. Gabriel Bortoleto is a young driver bought by Audi from McLaren. Young drivers usually do not have strong cards in negotiations and accept the offers given by teams to debut in F1. Hulkenberg and Bortoleto drive well, and the team has no reason to think about changes. Audi operates according to a multi-year plan; they aim to develop gradually. They will not be able to lure any top drivers at this stage, and only then would a change in the line-up for the next season be logical.

Audi should not change the line-up for next year for one more reason. There is much talk that Freddie Slater will join them in 2028, an extremely talented teenager who has been their junior since the beginning of this year. Several F1 teams wanted to hire him for their academies, but he chose Audi because, according to unofficial reports, he has a guaranteed place in the F1 team from 2028.

Lance Stroll, as the owner’s son, drives for Aston Martin under special conditions. The team announced in June 2024 that the Canadian signed a contract “beyond the 2025 season,” but for Lance, official announcements do not matter; he will drive as long as the family arrangement works and father and son want to continue it. Various rumors appear about Lance, but there is no indication that he would leave F1 after the current season, especially as the team hopes for significant improvement in the coming years. In my opinion, if Stroll gave up driving, he would be replaced next season by junior Jak Crawford from the USA.

The second seat remains unknown. Fernando Alonso’s contract expires after this season, and at this moment it is hard to say what the Spaniard will do. He may stay for his last season hoping for a much better car, retire, or make a surprising transfer to another F1 team. Aston Martin is in such a position that it will not find a better driver, so everything depends on Alonso. If the Spaniard decides to leave, Aston Martin will have a big problem. In my opinion, then their priority will be Carlos Sainz, as they probably will not be able to lure any driver from top teams, and Aston Martin must have a recognizable driver in the line-up. Alonso’s departure would trigger several personnel changes in other teams.

Cadillac announced in August 2025 the signing of multi-year contracts with Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. The team never disclosed the exact length of these contracts. Sergio Perez said during his press conference in Mexico that he signed a two-season contract with an option for a third. Valtteri Bottas wanted to commit to this team longer, so it is very likely that his contract is similar. Cadillac is the weakest team in the 2026 season; it is not an attractive place to interest many drivers. Perez’s position is stronger due to several sponsors associated with him. Bottas is recording weaker sporting results at the beginning of the season; if this continues until the end of the year, the team may consider a change. In such a situation, reserve driver Zhou Guanyu may get a chance, whose engagement would help the team marketing-wise.

Cadillac wants to have an American driver in its line-up eventually; 99% sure it will be Colton Herta, who is strongly connected with the team and competes in Formula 2 during 2026, fulfilling the conditions to obtain a super license thanks to participation in F1 training. In my opinion, Herta will join Cadillac rather in 2028 because his sporting form is still far from expectations.

Drivers who may return / debut in F1 in 2027

Since 2026, there are more seats for drivers in Formula 1, but that does not mean the competition for them is easier. Several drivers hope for a debut or return after a short break. Among juniors, the standouts are: Leonardo Fornaroli, Rafael Camara, Colton Herta, Paul Aron, Nikola Colov, Jak Crawford, and Alex Dunne. An experienced Ryo Hirakawa, who already has considerable success with Toyota, would also debut in F1; driving in F1 would be the crowning achievement of his career. Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu, and Jack Doohan want to return to Formula 1 after a short break. Realistically, we can expect a maximum of two seats for new drivers.

Complete information about the 2027 Formula 1 season is available in the special category at this link.

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