Final puzzle pieces fall into place for the 2027 F1 driver market

At McLaren, both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris will also be the drivers for the Woking team in 2027. Piastri would have been the casualty if Max Verstappen had joined McLaren, but that didn’t happen. Piastri still has a contract through at least 2027, which is reported to contain a clause to continue the partnership for longer. Meanwhile, on Saturday morning, McLaren announced a multi-year contract extension for Norris, keeping the world champion at the team until at least 2030.

Mercedes have spoken of a multi-year deal with both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, which means they are also locked in for 2027. In Russell’s case, there was reportedly a 1+1 deal. The second year would be triggered by certain performances from Russell and, given his second place in the world championship, it can be assumed that this is the case. Mercedes has consistently communicated that it was a multi-year deal anyway, and that Russell would therefore be back in 2027.

At Red Bull Racing, the most important deal has been made. Max Verstappen extended his contract through 2030, seemingly bringing an end to an endless saga of speculation. Isack Hadjar only has a deal for 2026, but given his performances, he can already be penciled in for a second year at Red Bull in 2027. An announcement is expected soon.

Ferrari also has two drivers set for 2027. Charles Leclerc is even signed until after 2028, as stated in the latest press release about his new deal. Lewis Hamilton reportedly has a contract running through 2027, after which it will be up to Frederic Vasseur and Ferrari’s top brass to decide whether the seven-time world champion deserves a new deal.

Williams extended both Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz's stay at the team ahead of the Zandvoort race weekend. For Sainz, it would be a true extension, with a new 1+1 deal. Sainz wants to keep his options open should things not go as hoped at Williams. Albon has a deal through 2027.

The contracts of Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson expire at the end of 2026. Still, neither seems to need to worry about a seat in 2027. GPblog understands that Nikola Tsolov will take on the reserve role for both Red Bull teams in 2027, after which he may only make his F1 debut in 2028. This would give both Lindblad and Lawson another chance to prove themselves in the sport in 2027.

Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll both officially have expiring deals. There’s no doubt about Lance Stroll’s future: the son of owner Lawrence Stroll will also step into the Aston Martin in 2027. Fernando Alonso has held off so far, but GPblog also understands that it’s mostly a matter of waiting for the Madrid Grand Prix to announce that he’s staying.

Oliver Bearman signed a multi-year deal with Haas in 2024. Since his full-time debut in 2025, the Briton has impressed and, with the door at Ferrari firmly shut, it’s safe to assume Bearman will also drive for Haas in 2027. The expectation is that he will enter that season as team leader. Although Esteban Ocon firmly believes he will still be active in F1 in 2027, there are plenty of doubts about that in the paddock. Yuki Tsunoda, Leonardo Fornaroli, and Rafael Camara are among those mentioned as possible replacements for the Frenchman.

Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto both signed multi-year deals and are therefore both locked in for 2027.

After the Dutch Grand Prix, Alpine announced that Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly will also race for the team in 2027. For Gasly, with his contract through 2028, that was no surprise; for Colapinto, it was. He had a deal through 2026, but will be allowed to stay another year.

Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas both signed multi-year deals at Cadillac, so it was assumed that both would also race for the American outfit in 2027. Reportedly, Perez did look around at other teams, but no other doors opened for him, and so he remains with Cadillac in 2027.

With most seats set, only Esteban Ocon’s seat still seems to be a real question mark for 2027. Given Ocon’s performances, it’s no surprise his position is under pressure.

With his experience, the Frenchman should be the leader at Haas, but he has been relatively easily beaten by Bearman for a year and a half now. For Haas, it’s more logical to promote Bearman to the role of leader and benchmark and place a young talent alongside him. In that profile, Fornaroli fits best.