Williams confirming their unchanged driver line-up for the 2024 Formula One season means a rarity is occurring within the sport: no changes will be made from the twenty drivers who lined up in the final Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, to the opening race of next season in Bahrain.
However, fourteen of the grids and twenty drivers all see their contracts expire at the end of the 2024 season, meaning there will be several who are fighting to save their seats in motorsports premier competition. These are the five drivers whose positions appear to be under the most threat:
1. Logan Sargeant
Embed from Getty ImagesIt should come as no surprise that the man who was last to secure his seat for the upcoming season is under the most pressure to retain it. He was slower than teammate Alex Albon in every qualifying session this season, including all sprint shoot-outs. The pairs race record also saw Albon outclass Sargent, taking the chequered flag first in 19 of the 22 races.
Albon also amassed 27 points, to Sargent’s solitary point in Austin, which came only due to the disqualification of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Clearly, Sargeant was outclassed by his more experienced teammate for the duration of the season, and seemingly the fact that he was a rookie, with limited experience, the only factor allowing him another chance to prove himself.
However, if similar results continue, with Williams looking to keep progressing through the midfield, they will undoubtedly explore different options to find an equal driving pairing, both extracting the full potential of their car.
2. Sergio Perez
Embed from Getty ImagesIt was a torrid season for Sergio Perez now all has been said and done. After the first four races, he had two wins to his name and looked to be able to challenge Max Verstappen for the World Championship. However, these turned out to be the only two races he would win, or even look like winning, with these victories providing the only occasions Perez finished above his teammate.
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Their qualifying record was equally in Verstappen’s favour, seeing him start ahead of Perez on 20 occasions. This was Perez’s third season with Red Bull, and it unfortunately only showed signs of regression, with Max’s dominance likely saving him his seat, as Red Bull was so comfortable in both championships that there was no need to destabilise their driver partnership.
However, they will be expecting and preparing for both a Mercedes and Ferrari resurgence and therefore will need a driver to at least be somewhat competitive with Verstappen to regain the championship.
With Perez only having one more year confirmed, unless he finds form once again, his seat is certainly vulnerable, particularly as fan favourite Daniel Ricciardo is perfectly poised at sister team Alpha Tauri to make a remarkable fairy-tale return to Red Bull.
3. Lance Stroll
Embed from Getty ImagesAnother driver who was completely over-shadowed by their teammate this season was Lance Stroll, who finished 132 points behind two-time world champion Fernando Alonso. Alonso dominated Stroll in both race and qualifying performance, winning these head-to-heads 18-4 and 19-3 respectively.
Notably, Alonso stood on the podium 8 times in 2023, with Lance only managing a 4th place finish as his highest of the year. This was in a car that, for the first half of the season, looked either the second or third quickest on the grid.
It is well documented that Lance has benefited from his father Lawrence being the owner of the Aston Martin F1 team, however, this season was Lance’s most frustrating, as shown in Qatar when an early qualifying exit saw him physically push away a member of his team in the garage.
If Alonso again out-drives Lance to the same extent he did this season, serious questions will be raised as to whether Lance has the genuine pace to be in a team that is eager to challenge at the front of the sport.
4. Kevin Magnussen
Embed from Getty ImagesThis season marked Kevin Magnussen’s sixth season with American team Haas, meaning one would expect him to be completely comfortable within the team, and able to outperform a teammate, who whilst being very experienced himself, was coming off a three-season stint of not having a permanent drive in F1.
However, it was Magnussen’s teammate Nico Hulkenberg who won this head-to-head, in terms of both qualifying and race pace, starting ahead of ‘K-Mag’ in 15 of the 22 races, and crossing the line first 13 times. Magnussen also only managed to amass a third of Hulkenburg’s World Championship points, earning 3 to Hulkenburg’s 9.
With Haas finishing last in the constructor’s championship this season, neither driver will feel particularly secure with their seat, however, Magnussen’s position can be viewed as more precarious due to the extended amount of time, and the opportunities that follow this, with the team.
Haas may feel that a younger, hungrier driver may be what is needed to see progress, and with Hulkenburg having links to other teams, it is Magnussen who will need to impress the most to be driving in 2025.
5. Zhou Guanyu
Embed from Getty ImagesZhou Guanyu had a steady second season in Formula One, however, was once again beaten by his more experienced teammate Valtteri Bottas. They were competitive with one another in terms of race performance, with Bottas just edging Zhou 12-10.
However, it was the one-lap pace where Bottas outshone his younger counterpart, winning that head-to-head 15-7. Overall, it was a disappointing year for the team, who reverted to the Sauber F1 team name next year, ending Alpha Romeo’s involvement in the sport.
Whilst Zhou showed signs of progress, yet again he was unable to get the better of Bottas, who now looks far off being the same driver that drove alongside Lewis Hamilton during the years of Mercedes dominance.
With reigning Formula 2 champion Theo Pouchaire waiting patiently in the wings for his chance, who also happens to be a member of the Sauber driver academy, Zhou undoubtedly requires a far more impressive year to remain in the sport.
The Alpha Tauri duo of Daniel Riccardo and Yuki Tsundoa also find themselves with one year left on their contract, however, with Daniel’s reputation as a proven race winner, and Yuki outperforming every teammate he had this season, both drivers appear to be more comfortable than those mentioned above.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz also see their Ferrari contracts conclude at the end of 2024; however, rumours are already circulating that both drivers will be re-signed, and neither will have any serious concerns about securing their seat.
Out of the drivers who have multiple years left on their deal it is George Russell who will feel he will need a much-improved season. His teammate Lewis Hamilton outperformed him comfortably this season, in terms of World Championship points, however, Russell’s standing and long-held ties to both Mercedes and team principal Toto Wolf mean his seat also appears more than secure for the future.
Zhou Guanyu could draw the short straw here