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F1: A look at driver lineups for next season

On October 9, Red Bull's Max Verstappen clinched his second F1 world championship

f1-japanese-grand-prix-ap Action from the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan | AP/PTI

On October 9, 2022, Red Bull prodigy Max Verstappen clinched his second F1 world championship, at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka. The win came amid controversy and confusion as Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was given a 5- second race penalty in the dying moments of the race. This championship makes Verstappen a double F1 champion and joins the Spanish Samurai, Fernando Alonso.

Verstappen was on the top step of the podium 12 times this season and won the title with four races to go. He has 32 wins, just nine behind Brazilian maestro Ayrton Senna.

As the 2022 season is coming to a close, let us look at the driver lineup for the 2023 season.

1

Pierre Gasly

French driver Pierre Gasly’s move to Alpine from Alpha Tauri looks like its triggering the Formula 1 transfer market. Pierre Gasly looks to be the best contender for the move to Alpine for the next season after two-time champion Fernando Alonso moves to Aston Martin. Gasly is a good choice for Alpine as he is still young and even has a race win under his belt. He will be looking to form a great partnership with new teammate Esteban Ocon. Gasly has a Red Bull contract and plays an integral role in their sister team, Alpha Tauri and that is one problem. Red Bull seems okay to give away Pierre Gasly for a fee, of course. Alpha Tauri is replacing him with Nick de Vries, whose performance was impressive as he drove for Williams as a stand-in for Alex Albon.

2

Daniel Ricciardo

Out-of-contract McClaren driver Daniel Ricciardo most likely will not be on the grid this season, but will be eyeing a return to Formula 1 in 2024. The Australian will have to be satisfied with eighth-placed Haas or last-placed Williams if at all he wants to stay on the grid next year. The 33-year-old has won eight times in Formula 1, his latest victory coming during the Italian GP last season, handing them their first victory in nine years. Unfortunately, Ricciardo has not delivered this season, his best finish being fifth at the Singapore GP. He might have a reserve driver role at Mercedes alongside current drivers George Russel and seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton. Ricciardo entered F1 in 2011, making his debut for HRT at the British Grand Prix.

3

Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso announced that he will be moving from Alpine to Aston Martin at the end of the 2022 season. This announcement came as a bit of a shock to F1 fans and to the paddock. The 41-year-old will be replacing 4-time world champion Sebastian Vettel as he bids adieu to the F1 world. Alonso was out of his Alpine contract and was looking for big teams and finally found a team where he is partnering with Canadian Lance Stroll. Alpine, instead of wanting to continue with Alonso, wanted to try their luck with Nick de Vries. Alonso has not lost his ability to move up the grid and he has given some stellar performance this season considering his age. He shows no sign of slowing down. By the time Aston Martin gets comfortable in F1 and starts winning races and challenges for championships, Alonso will be 44-45 and that is a worry for the paddock. Fernando Alonso is not running out of steam unlike Sebastian Vettel, who did not do that well since joining Aston Martin.

4

Mick Schumacher

Mick Schumacher’s future in F1 is doubtful, with the German most likely to part ways with Haas as his current deal is due to expire at the end of the season. He might also cut ties with Ferrari’s junior programme at the same time. The Haas team is looking for a new driver to partner Kevin Magnussen in 2023 which means that Schumacher will be left without a seat next year if he doesn’t find a new team fast. On October 7, the 23-year-old crashed his Haas during Friday’s opening session at Suzuka ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix adding fuel to the fire regarding his future. His car slid through the gravel and slammed into the barriers causing damage to the VF-22, making him unable to participate for the second practice session. It is a ‘wait and see’ moment for Mick Schumacher as he is not clear about his future in F1. The F2 champion joined Haas in 2021 with 39 starts and 12 F1 career points.

5

Nicholas Latifi

The 27- year old is not continuing in F1 next year especially after Nick de Vrie’s performance for Williams at the Italian GP in Monza. On the other hand, teammate Alex Albon has signed a multi-year extension to remain with the Williams family. Even at the start of the 2022 season, there were talks that Latifi would not return to the team. Albon’s decent performance at Williams fuelled the idea that Latifi won’t be back and that Albon should be partnering with a better teammate. During the race at Monza, de Vries outqualified Latifi and bagged P8 in qualifying, while the Canadian was eliminated in Q1 itself. During the race, Nick de Vries did exceptionally well to hold on to that initial 8th position, but unfortunately finished in 9th. Nonetheless, he managed to score points for the struggling Haas team. Despite not having the slowest car on the grid, Latifi has not scored a point in the Williams. Formula 2 driver Logan Sargeant might be a possibility for Haas, as well as Nick de Vries.

TEAM

DRIVER

Alpha Romeo

77. Valtteri Bottas

24. Zhou Guanyu

Alpha Tauri

TBA. Nick de Vries

22. Yuki Tsunoda

Alpine

31. Esteban Ocon

10. Pierre Gasly

Aston Martin

14.Fernando Alonso

TBA. TBA

Ferrari

16. Charles Leclerc

55. Carlos Sainz Jr.

Haas

20. Kevin Magnussen

TBA. TBA

McLaren

TBA. Oscar Piastri

4. Lando Norris

Mercedes

44. Lewis Hamilton

63. George Russel

Red Bull Racing

11. Sergio Perez

33. Max Verstappen

Williams

23. Alex Albon

TBA. TBA

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