They need to have a change of heart and announce 2 new teams

I’ve said for a while, Checo may not be the fastest driver in that second seat but he is the best pairing for Max. The last person Jos wants in that second seat is someone who has the potential to take points off of Max.

Gimmie an Albon/Yuki Williams lineup and watch them dominate the midfield, and occasionally obliterate each other on track!

5 minutes ago, Theo Pourchaire was the next hot property for F1, but has he already been forgotten about?

It's a shame that a driver of Sainz's calibre is treated as a temporary option to have at a top team like Mercedes or Red Bull. Even when he was driving well for Renault and McLaren, he was just there temporarily for the short term, and they wanted to replace him with Ricciardo, and now at Ferrari, they replace him with Hamilton

I think Zhou would be the more interesting option for Alpine. Having a chinese driver is huge for their plans to establish themself in the chinese market. Not only that but he was also part of their junior program, so he already knows some people there (if they haven't already left). He is a decent and clean driver and a valuable marketing asset.

I was thinking that Ricciardo should leave F1, but Haas actually seems like a really good fit

I think this is an important consideration. Mercedes is in a much different position now then when it declined to sign Max as a teenager. They're even worse now than Red Bull was when they took a chance on Max. I think Kimi is gonna be driving for the varisty squad next year, not Williams.

If other teams are catching up that means Checo is getting directed to the door.

I think Checo might stay at Red Bull. But I doubt he’d still be there after 2026. If Max is genuine about leaving in 2028. Red Bull will want to prepare for the Post-Max era or to have a backup if he leaves before then. As for Merc. It’d be too soon for Kimi. And I don’t see Carlos going there and missing out on leading Audi. Which leaves Mercedes with not many options left. Ocon would probably make the most sense. George would most likely destroy/humble Ocon into the second driver role. And Ocon would want a better car than the Alpine.

With the way the Haas is performing with Hulk at the moment, I think Ricciardo/Bearman could be an extremely interesting team for next year.

Here's my predictions (made these March 21st) RBR - Max + Checo Merc - Russell + Antonelli Ferrari - Leclerc + Ham McLaren - Lando + Oscar AM - Alonso + Stroll Alpine - Ocon + Gasly RB - Yuki + Lawson Sauber - Sainz + Hulkenberg Williams - Albon + Bottas Haas - Zhou + Bearman

The biggest question mark for Me is Yuki tbf , I really Believe that there small chance he might get a year in red Bull before jumping ship to Aston .

To me it's highly unlikely at this point for Merc to not put Antonelli in their car next year. Thus Sainz has to go to Sauber/Audi; with Bottas going back to where it all started for him: Williams.

Curveball: for the initial WEC campaign in the AM Valkyrie one of the seats goes to Lance Stroll. That is the only way I see that seat opening ever.

Finally! A video that actually makes sense

I honestly think Bottas is going to Haas and Ricardo is going to Sauber. Ricardo and Hulkenberg have been teammates before, a consistent and good chem between the drivers are KEY for Audi's entrance into F1

My predictions below rely on Stroll being booted. But if he is, Aston Martin makes a better long-term option for Sainz. Mercedes can use Dan’s marketability abs experience to fill a gap before Antonelli takes the seat. This is more of a wish list than realistic list. Red Bull 1. Max Verstappen 2. Sergio Perez McLaren 1. Lando Norris 2. Oscar Piastri Ferrari 1. Charles LeClerc 2. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1. George Russel 2. Daniel Riccardo Aston Martin 1. Fernando Alonso 2. Carlos Sainz Alpine 1. Pierre Gasly 2. Jack Doohan VCARB 1. Liam Lawson 2. Yuki Tsunoda Williams 1. Kimi Antonelli 2. Alex Albon Haas 1. Oliver Bearman 2. Esteban Occon Sauber 1. Nico Haulkenberg 2. Theo Pourchaire Out * Lance Stroll * Logan Sergant * Kevin Magnussen * Zhou Guanyu * Battery Voltas Rookies * Jack Doohan * Liam Lawson * Kimi Antonelli * Oliver Bearman * Theo Purchaire

zhou's marketability I think is going to help him a lot. He will end up at either Alpine or Sauber to be Audi as his China backing is going to help car brands more with both wanting to expand more in the country. Ricciardo and Bottas are quite difficult. If neither of them get that Audi seat, there's no faster way that goes to the top so I could see at least one of them have a sabbatical or retire, rather than tag along in the midfield. Ocon seems the best option of that group of four for any team. But at the end of the day, it all depends what happens at Mercedes. If Antonelli gets the Mercedes seat, Sauber is Sainz and what's going to happen to the rest?

With how competitive McLaren and Ferrari has been recently, I think Red Bull will rethink their approach and sign Sainz to get more competitive. The cars are already amazing but they have 1 driver that is performing and one that is lacking. With Sainz slotting in that Red Bull seat, it’ll make the team more competitive as a whole. Sainz is going to be able to fend off the Scarletts and Papayas better than Perez can.

Hot Take: Checo just has to hold on to that seat til 26 when Ford starts the partnership. He'll have a bigger voice on then. Being the best driver from North America Ford will want to keep him. Unless Sargent starts driving like Senna or something like that

IMO anyone who thinks Audi will fire Zhou without hesitation has massively underestimated how important the hyper competitive Chinese car market is to them. Keeping Zhou is cheaper than any ad campaign.

Aldas is the definition of prisoner of the moment

I don't really know at this point if Kimi is going to be at Williams next season. Mercedes are also losing key people in the works because they are not delivering. Unlike their 2010-2012 Comeback with Schmaucher they wanted that 8th Championship success so badly with a 7 time Champion but Rosberg showed him up plus Rosberg didn't really have anything to lose Micheal did with the press. The thing is if Toto Wolff doesn't have the right management to Promote Kimi then what does that mean for the other Drivers

Honestly, I want Ocon to go to Mercedes, if he doesn’t go full war mode, him and Russell can be a very consistent duo

I won't be surprised if Bearman and Lawson replace Magnusen and Ricciardo respectively this year.

did this guy seriously just say that perez and max are one of the most dominant pairings in history what the actual fuck

Honda is going to push for Yuki, Lance, go wreck the hyper car.

why does everyone think antonelli gets a seat next season lol, he is not nearly enough experienced to be in F2 since hes not in top 5 even, its his rookie season yes, but there is a rookie currently top 1

Worth noting that Sainz' father has signed with Ford for Rally... perhaps Ford might want both?

Agree with the logic except Ocon vs. Bottas - makes no sense for Sauber to want to change both drivers and they'll want the more experienced one to help with their development (not to mention Ocon can get problematic with teammates). If I were them I'd keep Bottas and then wait to get Sainz in 2026 when Antonelli inevitably moves to Merc.

As a big Sainz fan I think his best move whilst he's in denial about it is just biting the bullet and taking the Sauber/Audi deal. They'll become a works team and he'll get a chance to lead that team and have stability, the car might even become a contender if they hit it out of the park with the 2026 regulations. Hulkenberg is a good #2 driver also. He should take the chance to finally be a number 1 at a team, the long term stalwart. Mercedes are in a weird spot, everyone knows they want to try and break the bank for Max, and if they can't do that then we all know that Kimi is the driver they want to try and build around. Sainz is coming into a garage with Russell where he will be the #2 at least to start and even though he can test Russell, even if he beats him if they bring in Max or they bring in a Kimi whose been shining at Williams he might be a #2 driver again. If they bring in Max he might not even be a #2. Also I think Ric is gone, he's going to lose out to Yuki and I don't think a team is going to be dying to bring him on unless it's for commercial reasons. Even if one did, I don't think he's motivated to drive for a back marker team. Haas should go for Bottas to pair with Bearman, Bottas I think would be a great driver to pair up as a #1 in the short term to mentor a hopefully emerging talent in Bearman.

I have Ocon at Merc and Antonelli at Williams.

I’m surprised that pouchaire was not mentioned for sauber

I would not be surprised if this turns out to be 100 percent spot on.

I have no idea why no one is talking about Fred Vesti, he should be in the Williams seat next year as a place holder for Antonelli to develop.

This isnt a brutal sport. its a daddys money sport

What about Jack Doohan for Alpine. He is their reserve driver and has said that he won't wait forever for a drive

Alpine kind of has to give a drive to Doohan. And I think he will be there beside Gasly. Ocon to Williams. Kimi to Mercedes and Sainz will have to go Audi… I think this is the worst scenario for Sainz because in normal circumstances teams would fight for his services, however, there is only one team which will be offering him long term deal… Audi Bottas will go to Haas I think

Pourchaire and Doohan get promoted imo.

I’ll be fucked if I can understand how Ricciardo still has a seat much less even be a consideration for the future anywhere

Zane Maloney/hulk would be actually wild

I think it's time Danny Ric considers Indy.

Driver market would be more interesting with a new team or 2 , like Andretti

The French team would keep 2 French drivers who are actually working pretty well together, despite fears they would clash. Look at Miami half a circuit wheel to wheel but somehow they kept it clean.

to the IMOLA grand prix i heard Kevin will be replaced with oliver bearman for this race

So quite a over optimistic prediction you are doing Kimi Antonelli is a great talent, but at this point it would not make sense for Mercedes to choose Antonelli over Vesti. People who believe Antonelli will be in F1 next year has clearly not been watching F2.

1:45 oooh I see the problem... and is very big! seeing after the last two GP if Perez start to be just like last year than Max will struggle to give them the constructor championship! 😅 6:24 yeah and 11 days ago you didn't even saw the Monaco crash 😂... I'm curious about this one! I heard that Ocon did have some contacts with HAAS but I cannot see him in that team, so what experienced team leader could get that seat? 🤔

My 24/25 Gird Redbull: Max, Sainz Ferrari: Leclerc, Hamilton McLaren: Norris, Piastri Mercedes: Russel, Perez Aston: Alonso, Stroll RB: Tsunoda, Lawson Haas: Bearmann, Ricciardo Audi: Hulkenberg, Ocon Alpine: Piere Gasly, Theo Pourchaire Williams: Albon, Antonelli

I want to see a yuki/K-mag duo

I'd lock in Yuki before Lawson Lawson was great, and he survived well in his few outings, yes, but he wasn't a generational talent tbf Yuki is much quicker, even compared to Daniel. He is more commercially competitive than Liam, has a bigger fan base, and comes from a more important market. Most of all, he is showing the pace without relying on engine modes like Lawson last year

Ferrari and McLaren are set in stone. I agree with you on RB and Williams. Sadly Aston looks like a forgone conclusion. Though, I wish that in a special case, Aston would split the year with Lance and Drugo, in order to see who makes sense. Red Bull is a variable forgone conclusion. Alpine should be Gasly and Zhou (he's not that bad). Sauber, Hulk and I think Sainz. Though to be honest, Sainz and Ocon could be open keys for both Sauber and Mercedes. Haas now, Ollie and Valtteri. Daniel is done. A one glimmer of hope each year is not enough. On a wild twist, much to the potential disappointment of a belligerent parent, if Red bull were to switch Checo with Sainz, then the former could vie with Ocon for the open key. In another wild twist, if Kimi is not chosen for Williams, then Ocon could go there and Zane Maloney could go to Sauber.

I hope Sainz goes to Sauber/Audi, 2026 regulation changes will even out the playing field, and I think that Sainz should try to get the #1 spot in Audi. Yes, this means that he "throws away" one year but realistically I don't see him doing that well in an Mercedes/Williams in 2025 either.

I think this will be the grid.. RedBull Max and Checo RB. Lawson and Yuki Williams Albon and Antonelli Sauber Hulkenberg and Sainz Mercedes Russell and Ocon/Bottas Haas. Bearman and KMag Alpine. Gasly and Bottas/Ocon Sainz will ultimately be attracted by the Audi-Siedel combo.. Mereced need a driver for around 2 years to fill until Antonelli is ready.. Sainz will know that and won't commit.. So Merc can recall Bottas, who knows the team and is a consistent points scorer and will be a solid number 2...or Ocon, who is still flirting with the prospect of being a Mercedes junior.. sounds crazy but that seems more logical than going for a driver like Sainz who may cause friction in the team due to his competitiveness.. which they don't need expecially now.. As for Haas, I dont believe they suddenly would want 2 new drivers in the team.. KMag will have one year to help Bearman settle and let go in 2026.. I think Ricciardo will loose his seat permanently to Lawson and will be sidelined for 2025.. Yuki would then be signed by Aston for 2026 due to the Honda connection.. and Ricciardo can return to the vacant RB seat if he wishes to carry on racing..

I don’t think Lawson is a lock, I think they’d be happy with keeping the current line up, and so what if Lawson goes elsewhere. He’s far away from being a threat to the main Redbull team and they can just bring him back in if he became won, he wouldn’t be too proud to turn down a Redbull seat

Since McLaren and Ferrari seem to have closed the gap to Red Bull, significant pressure will be put on Perez. I think we can safely say, Verstappen, Leclerc, Sainz, Norris, and Piastri are better drivers. With these teams seemingly have similarly good cars, Perez will start to finish more races in 5th and 6th rather than 2nd or 3rd. If that happens, it might be enough for Red Bull to think of dropping him for sainz, as they won’t have that dominant car that allows him to finish comfortably on the podium, way behind Verstappen. I think they would try to have a similar pairing to Ricciardo and Verstappen.

Lawson if he doesn't get a drive soon in 2024 should do some guest drives in the DTM for Ferrari again where he almost won the DTM championship...

PS Tim Hart is coaching Max on this track! Is GP leaving or getting a promotion!

I legitimately forgot that Alpine was a team on the grid

Sainz is more likely to be off the grid than at Mercedes lol

No Doohan at Alpine next year? What’s the point of having an academy

If I was Ricciardo I'd be aiming for HAAS or Williams 👍

To me, Sainz to Mercedes makes no sense. Everything points to them wanting to get Antonelli in there asap, so they’re only offering a 1 year contract Ocon or Ricciardo makes sense, not quite sure who else

here after checo P8 in imola

My predictions: Red Bull: Verstappen Perez Ferrari: Leclerc Hamilton Mercedes: Russell Bottas(For him to relive his glory days) Mclaren: Norris Piastri Aston Martin: Alonso Sainz(I have faith) RB: Tsunoda Lawson Haas: Bearman Zhou(After Miami, I think Magnussen should be done now) Alpine: Ocon Gasly Kick Sauber: Hulkenberg Vettel Williams: Albon Antonelli

I think Daniels will be commentating next year

There is a point. Perez will get m6 to p8 when the cars are closer (like Miami and Imola). This will lose Red Bull the championship. If he continues to struggle and they don't dominate, they have to replace him.

Haas can be a good place for logan i mean an american driver in an american team its like the perfect match, sargeant bearman for 25

No way this happens I’m sorry but do you pay attention to the market bc this isn’t realistic

having the same thoughts but i think unfortunately we’ll see Haas stay with Magnussen and I think Riccardo could go back to Alpine since he has driven for Reno before with either Gasly or Ocon alongside him and Bottas or Zhou still at Sauber (most likely Bottas)

I hope Mick can sneak a Seat

It's gonna be Albon and Bottas as Williams

DR is also in contention for RedBull. Regardless of his sub par performance so far this year, he is still Horners golden boy with Max and in a chance with the seat.

It think Ocon to haas Bottas to Williams Sainz to Sauber Antonelli to Mercedes

Sainz doesn’t pose a threat to Verstappen, he just won’t be compliant because he has too much ego because Ferrari haven’t put him in his place, Redbull and Verstappen would though so he’d be a good number 2 at Redbull

I can't see Ocon leaving Alpine for Sauber, I would give Pourchaire a crack in the 2nd Alpine seat instead, Ocon I think is also more likely to stay than Gasly. I think Mercedes' best bet would be sticking Antonelli in the Williams a la George Russell to give him a bit more experience. Letting him jump straight to the front of the grid in his 1st season is too risky. Mercedes should give Mick Schumacher a year or two to show what he can really do as I don't think he wax given a fair chance under Guenter Stiener at HAAS while Antonelli gets up to speed. As for Sainz, while atm Sauber would be a massive step down, Audi's entry in 2026 would be an enticing prospect for Sainz as Mercedes is a sinking ship right now whereas Audi could be the dark horse of the competition come the new regulations in 2026.

It's impressive Drugovich, Pourchaire, Maloney etc don't have a seat with so many drivers just making up numbers. Riccardo was supposed to be destroying Tsunoda. Bottas no longer has any shine. without mentioning K-mag, Stroll, Zhou and Sargeant. And I put Tsunoda on the list. But I'll wait for Lawson to enter. If he destroys Tsunoda, it will be clear that this rise has more to do with bad teammates than the Japanese's quality.

I think ocon to merc on a 1+1 deal Antonelli at Williams will decide whether ocon gets 2 years Sainz takes audi

I wonder if the F2 champion of this year could potentially cheek his way to a race seat in 2025. Imagine if someone like Hauger, Maloney or Hadjar wins the title. Would make it very interesting.

I personally don’t see sainz going to Mercedes. Sainz wants to commit to a long term project and Mercedes would not offer him that with antonelli coming up. I actually think ocon would be a decent shout. Solid driver but not good enough to challenge Russell and wouldn’t be in a position to bargain for a long term deal as he’s stuck at the back with alpine

Jolyon Palmer thinks Alex should have held out longer for a better seat. I don't know. This is a guy that was Perez before Perez. For like 3 years in a row, including his final F2 season, he didn't know if he had a seat. I can understand why now that he is in a position to make some moves, he would choose security over a better car. Williams does seem to have stabilized and is moving upwards, albeit a bit slowly. And the future looks pretty bright with Vowles at the helm. Perez is doing well at RB, and I don't see Max leaving the best car at least until the new regs. Mercedes seems pretty set on Sainz or Antonelli. And Ferrari and Mclaren are set for the next few years. Between the last available teams, I have to think Williams is his safest bet. Vowles is happy to have Alex as the number 1 driver and they look to have a great working relationship. I think staying at Williams is a smart decision. He won't be winning any championships there, but he should have a long and productive career at least.

Bottas to Haas w Bearman

I honestly don't think any team will take Riccardo in 2025. I like him, but lately, (including Mclaren days) his driving quality is no better than a cheaper rookie.

If ocon leaves i think alpine would put DOOHAN in

4 rookies bro

I think Zane Maloney is going to kick sauber and I also hope❤

Carlos should get a drive at Red bull or Mercedes

Alpine, Stake, RB, Sauber, Haas will all not happen like you said 100%

Can’t help but feel a tinge of racism at Red Bull. How is Yuki not even being considering for the Red Bull seat? Baffles me

the fact that Ferrari and Mclaren are catching up to Red Bull , Perez needs to be more consistent

Forget staying for next season, it’ll be a miracle if Logan finishes the season. Also, I’ve literally not seen a single person blame the team instead of Logan. Everyone knows he’s slow as molasses.

I like this grid for 2025, but I don´t see why Alpine should take Bottas. He will be 35 years old for the beginning of the next season and his time at Sauber wasn´t that convincing except for the first few races. I could imagine Ricciardo at Alpine and Bottas at Haas. I could also imagine Racing Bulls taking another young driver alongside Lawson and Tsunoda joining another team, maybe Haas or Alpine.

Pair Verstappen with Kmag at RB pls

Williams would be foolish to take on Kimi

I think Mercedes could get quite a toxic atmosphere if they take Sainz and Antonelli shows great performance at another team.

So many people are predicting Antonelli to F1 in 2025 but I can't see any way that happens. I know the kid has a ton of talent and as a fan of his since his FR days, I hope he makes it. But anyone who's watched his performances so far in F2 will tell you they have been nothing special. He's been mistake prone, over aggressive, and consistently off the pace of the podium runners. And that's normal for a young driver! But it indicates he needs more time to adapt to these faster, higher downforce cars, and throwing him into the top flight of motorsport after only one season in F2 - only 3 years removed from karting is irresponsible. Especially with much more accomplished talent waiting in F2 like Zane Maloney, Isack Hadjar, and Dennis Hauger. It would be irresponsible to throw him in the deep end at this age, with this lack of experience, and with the hype at absolute fever pitch. That second seat at Williams will be open in '26, and there will be new regs anyways that season. Give him more time to develop in F2. I strongly believe Mercedes and Williams see this same thing as well and there is no way we'll see him in F1, and rightfully so.

Don't you think, Gene has had his fair share of rookies wrecking his cars? (And Oli quite spectacularly wrecked his F2 car in Imola today.) Haas isn't Alfa Romeo, Ferrari has zero leverage over them. Haas needs "pay drivers", backed by plenty sponsor cash, such as Huelkenberg, Magnussen (or Zhou).

Someone needs to buy Stroll a new bike...

I think doohan or victor martins will have that place in alpine with gasly

Mind my words, if Ricciardo and Yuki are close by August i bet you that they will not want to give Lawson a seat. Also, Bearman is having a horrid F2 season, honestly i would not promote him if he doesn't massively improve.