F1 Driver Contracts 2026 — Expiries, Extensions & Open Seats
Formula 1's 2026 regulation reset restarted the driver market. Below is the current state of every seat on the grid — expiry year, contract status, and the leverage each side holds heading into silly season.
The 2026 grid — contract map
| Driver | Team | Expires | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 2028 | Locked | Performance clauses reportedly re-armed by 2026 regulation reset. |
| Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | 2027 | Option | Red Bull holds 2027 option; Silverstone form accelerates seat security. |
| Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 2027 | Locked | Multi-year deal signed Jan 2024. |
| Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 2029 | Locked | Extension through 2029 announced Jan 2024. |
| Lando Norris | McLaren | 2027 | Locked | Long-term deal; commercial multiplier well above base salary. |
| Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 2028 | Locked | Extension through 2028 — one of the cleanest value-vs-salary seats on the grid. |
| George Russell | Mercedes | 2026 | Expiring | Toto Wolff repeatedly framed as a formality; not yet signed publicly. |
| Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 2027 | Locked | Rookie deal; walk-away band has moved up materially since debut. |
| Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 2026 | Expiring | Green-car Adrian Newey era; retention likely if podium pace returns. |
| Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | Open | Rolling | Ownership-linked seat; contract mechanics not comparable to open market. |
| Carlos Sainz | Williams | 2027 | Locked | Multi-year Williams deal signed 2024. |
| Alex Albon | Williams | 2027 | Locked | Long-term extension announced 2024. |
| Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 2027 | Locked | Anchor role through Renault→customer-PU transition. |
| Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 2026 | Expiring | Development-driver-turned-race-seat; 2027 retention is the open question. |
| Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 2026 | Expiring | Bridge driver into full Audi era; retention dependent on 2027 seat plan. |
| Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 2027 | Locked | McLaren-managed rookie; long-term Audi project driver. |
| Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | 2027 | Locked | Ferrari-affiliated; Haas holds him under contract with Ferrari recall risk. |
| Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | 2026 | Expiring | Multi-year deal but 2027 activation not confirmed publicly. |
| Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 2026 | Option | Red Bull group option — junior-team seat, not a market-priced contract. |
| Sergio Perez | Cadillac F1 | 2027 | Locked | Anchor signing for Cadillac's inaugural F1 season. |
| Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac F1 | 2027 | Locked | Second anchor; commercial value tied to Cadillac US launch. |
The five contracts that move the market
Mercedes has signalled retention but not signed. Every day Russell remains formally out of contract, his walk-away leverage widens — and every rival team with a 2027 vacancy runs its numbers on him.
Aston Martin's Newey-era chassis is the variable. If the AMR27 is a top-4 car, Alonso stays; if not, the seat opens to the rookie stack or a Sainz-style veteran move.
Audi's full works entry starts 2026; Hulkenberg is a bridge. His 2027 depends entirely on whether Audi elevates Bortoleto's partner from inside or shops externally.
Both drivers sit on expiring deals with mid-grid teams whose 2027 plans are unpublished. This is where the rookie stack applies most downward pricing pressure.
Junior-team option seats look cheap on paper, but the real cost is optionality — Red Bull can rotate at any race weekend, which caps Lawson's own market value.