The (almost) confirmed 2020 F1 Driver line-up

Not so long ago the line-ups for each Formula 1 team for the 2020 season was left to question with various drivers awaiting confirmation about their positions after this year. But the names on the grid are nearly complete. Let’s take a look at who will be driving for who in 2020.

Mercedes – Lewis Hamilton & Valtteri Bottas
 
Hamilton was already set to be at the Silver Arrows in 2020 but the big decision up in the air was whether Bottas would remain at the team or be replaced by reserve driver Esteban Ocon.
 
During the summer break before the Belgian Grand Prix the announcement was made the Finn would remain for another season, a decision that has brought two wins since, with Ocon moving to Renault.
 
Ferrari – Sebastian Vettel & Charles Leclerc
 
Ferrari have only taken Leclerc on board this season from Sauber (now Alfa Romeo) and Vettel was already contracted until the end of 2020 so their line-up had already been confirmed.
 
But the poor start to their season and few mistakes from the German brought speculation that he could move elsewhere, such as a return to Red Bull.
 
Performances picked up after the summer break and still looks as though the Scuderia will remain as they are next year.
 
Red Bull – Max Verstappen & Alexander Albon
 
Well, an interesting season for Red Bull driver wise. Verstappen was already confirmed for 2020 and has produced one of his most consistent season in F1 this year.
 
But the second seat at the energy drinks team has been through a series of speculation with Pierre Gasly being demoted for Albon in summer.
 
Christian Horner and Helmut Marko wanted to use the second half of the season to determine who would join Verstappen next year and finally decided upon Albon after impressing since his promotion.
 
McLaren – Carlos Sainz & Lando Norris
 
Sainz and Norris were a brand new duo for McLaren for 2019, replacing Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne.
 
A partnership that has excelled so far with the Woking-based team looking as though they will finish fourth in the constructors championship.
 
Both are confirmed for 2020.
 
Renault – Daniel Ricciardo & Esteban Ocon
 
Ricciardo’s move from Red Bull to Renault on a two year contract at the end of 2018 means he was already confirmed for the French team and potentially further.
 
But the Aussie’s current teammate Nico Hulkenberg has been dropped, with Ocon making his return to F1 after being replaced at Racing Point for this year.
 
Toro Rosso – Daniil Kvyat & Pierre Gasly
 
The sister team to Red Bull have gone through several drivers the past couple of years with Kvyat being promoted, demoted and dropped in 2017.
 
But the Russian made a return this year and impressed enough to secure another year at Toro Rosso (to be named Alpha Tauri) in 2020.
 
Gasly started the year out with Red Bull but was swapped with Albon mid way through the season after poor performances.
 
He’s regrouped himself though and four points finishes in seven races has encouraged the team to stick with him.
 
Haas F1 – Kevin Magnussen & Romain Grosjean
 
A very poor season for Haas it has been after a P5 finish last year. They sit P9 in the standings.
 
But Grosjean and Magnussen have come into situations this year, colliding with each other and making mistakes, leaving many to think free agent Hulkenberg would join them next year.
 
Not to be the case as Haas announced to keep their current two.
 
SportPesa Racing Point – Sergio Perez & Lance Stroll
 
A line-up that was perhaps no surprise to continues into 2020, with Perez signing a contract to take even further.
 
Stroll, who’s father Lawrence Stroll owns the team, hasn’t had the best qualifying season to his teammate but has impressed in some races, a high of a P4 finish in Germany.
 
Alfa Romeo Racing – Kimi Raikkonen & Antonio Giovinazzi

Raikkonen made the move back to the team where it all started for him in F1 on a two year contract and will be seeing it through until the end of 2020.
 
Giovinazzi, who has made his debut in F1 this year, had a bad start to the season but since the summer break ramped up his performances with boss Frederic Vasseur praising his maturity and talent to keep him on for another year.
 
Williams – George Russell & ???????
 
And finally. The only team yet to decide the final place on the grid for 2020.
 
The team themselves have been stuck at the back this year by a long mile but Russell has produced the most he can out of  the car he’s been given and will be doing the same next year.
 
The other seat though is up for grabs with Kubica set to leave the sport at the end of the season.
 
Nicholas Latifi, their reserve driver, is the obvious choice after Hulkenberg ruled out a move to Williams, but the team will not make a decision before the end of the season.
 
There we have it. The (almost) 2020 F1 driver line-up.