The Formula 1 edit

Article by Finley Ever

For months, us F1 fans have got into our minds that certain drivers were fed up with their teams and maybe even the sport as a whole. Personally, I was expecting at least 1 retirement announcement this year, and while there is still time for that, many drivers have announced contract renewals at this halfway point in the 2026 season, while others that seem obvious still haven’t been confirmed, let’s take a look!

Red Bull

The most notable of all the multi-year extensions is Max Verstappen at Red Bull, this came as a complete shock to me! Pretty much every rumor this year has revolved around whether the Dutch was going to sign with a different team or even retire, but not yet! He’s staying with the Austrian team until at least the end of 2030, which is when the contract extends to. His teammate, on the other hand, Isack Hadjar, has not secured that second seat for 2027 yet. Hopefully the curse of the second RB seat continues to prove false for the Frenchman and we’ll see him next to Max next year.

Racing Bulls

VCARB has still not confirmed either of their drivers for next year. With Racing Bulls and Red Bull being sister teams, I guarantee that when Red Bull announces their second driver, VCARB will follow closely behind.

Williams

Surprisingly, with the unfortunate way that Williams has been performing this year, both of their drivers have entered into new contracts. Carlos Sainz on a multi-year and Alex Albon until the end of 2027.

McLaren

Both McLaren boys are sticking with the papaya, and I hope this lasts forever because man how I love Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri as teammates!

Ferrari

Following in McLaren’s footsteps, Ferrari has both of their drivers secured for 2027. Charles Leclerc signed his contract very early on in the season, and Lewis made it known to everyone that he wasn’t planning on retiring any time soon, so of course, he’s staying with the Italian team that helped him achieve his victory in Barcelona.

Alpine

Pierre Gasly is sticking with Alpine, but that second seat is still up for debate. With the way Alpine cycles through second drivers, we can only hope that Franco Colapinto will return in 2027.

Cadillac

The American team, who will be going into their second year, is keeping their same driver lineup as this year: Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez. Hopefully, with more experience as a F1 team, 2027 will treat them well!

Mercedes

Now comes the crazy news! Mercedes, Constructors and WDC leaders, have not extended EITHER of their drivers’ contracts yet. This is quite surprising, but I also have a hard time believing that George and Kimi will be going anywhere. Toto verbally confirmed that the duo will be with the German team next year, but the contract is yet to be announced!

Haas

Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman aren’t signed either, although Oliver did extend his contract and ties with Ferrari for the coming years. I guarantee that when Lewis, let’s hope not anytime soon, retires, Ollie will take his place at Ferrari. There is also the possibility that Esteban will be replaced by Haas’ reserve driver, Aussie Jack Doohan, for next year. I love Jack but Estie Bestie is not allowed to go anywhere!

Audi

Audi, formally known as Stake Kick Sauber, hasn’t extended either Nico Hulkenberg or Gabriel Bortoleto’s contracts, but there’s no separating Gabico so we hope to see the announcements of renewals soon.

Aston Martin

Finally, Aston Martin. The British team still hasn’t renewed Lance Stroll or Fernando Alonso’s contracts yet. Rumors have been circulating that Lance will retire soon, but he’s like a Canadian Cockroach, the chances of seeing him retire before Fernando are very very slim!

Most likely, we will see quite a few contract renewals by the end of this race week, but what are the chances we’ll see a driver moving to a different team? Everything is up in the air ahead of Zandvoort! Happy race week!