The Formula 1 summer break is upon us and driver contract talks will be ramping up as teams look to solidify their 2026 line-up.
Five drivers are anticipating their contracts expiring at the end of the year, and will be hoping to keep their F1 dreams alive with a seat for next season.
All eyes are on Mercedes and Red Bull, who could potentially see significant shake-ups to the line-ups as they head into the new 2026 regulations.
With Cadillac joining the grid next year, an additional two seats being added to the grid are also increasing in the speculation about who could be racing with the American outfit.
Five F1 drivers face contract negotiations during 2025 silly season
With five drivers out of contract at the end of the 2025 season, contract negotiations are likely to continue over the summer break.
Although this year’s silly season is not expected to be as dramatic as 2024, when Hamilton announced he would be moving to Ferrari, there are still many eyes on some key seats for 2026.
Photo by Clive Rose/Getty ImagesMercedes are still yet to solidify 2026 line-up
A team with arguably some of the most speculation around their 2026 line-up is Mercedes, with both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli out of contract at the end of the year.
Rumours had previously been circling that Max Verstappen could be joining the Brackley-based team in the new year, after Red Bull saw a significant drop in performance. However, ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Verstappen confirmed he will remain with Red Bull for 2026.
As a result, the fate of both Mercedes drivers were also pulled into the discussion, with speculation growing on who could have been potentially replaced by Verstappen. Although it now appears that both drivers could be safe in their seats with the team next season.
Russell has said he’s got “nothing to be worried about” when discussing his future with Mercedes, telling Sky Sports F1 that “nothing’s going to happen over the summer because, honestly, I just want to have a rest and recharge and come back stronger for the second half of the year.”
Antonelli is also likely to remain with the team, despite admitting that he is struggling with a lack of confidence. The 18-year-old has faced a difficult spell in the latter portion of the first half of the season, scoring points in just two races and retiring from four.
Red Bull are still considering who will partner Verstappen in 2026
The second Red Bull seat is always a subject of great discussion, with none of their drivers being able to match the driving ability of Verstappen. This came to a head again at the start of the 2025 season, when the team opted to replace rookie Liam Lawson with Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda after just two races.
Tsunoda, along with both Racing Bulls drivers, Isack Hadjar and Lawson, are all out of contract in 2025, and with pressure growing on Tsunoda to perform, many are wondering who will take the second seat at Red Bull next year.
It is not yet known if Tsunoda will continue with the Milton Keynes-based team into the 2026 regulation changes or if he will be demoted back to Racing Bulls.
When asked about when Tsunoda could hear about the second Red Bull seat, team advisor Helmut Marko told F1-Insider: “Our driver evaluation traditionally takes place after the summer break”
Photo by Jayce Illman/Getty ImagesCould an F2 driver get a shot at a Racing Bulls seat next season?
With both Racing Bulls drivers also out of contract in 2025, this leaves the team with the potential to bring more of their academy drivers up into the top tier of racing.
Formula 2 driver and Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad is speculated to make the jump up to F1 next year if they do not retain their current drivers. Red Bull rushed an FIA Super Licence exemption through earlier in the year after a rocky start with their second seat, which would have allowed him to move up if needed.
A decision is set to be made later in the season about the fate of the two Racing Bulls, with Hadjar and Lawson entering the summer break in 13th and 15th in the drivers’ championship respectively.
Will Colapinto remain with Alpine in 2026?
Whether Franco Colapinto will even remain at Alpine for the remainder of the 2025 season, makes the future of the 2026 line-up even more unclear. The Argentine was called in to replace Jack Doohan after just six races following a difficult start to the year for the Australian rookie.
Colapinto is not technically out of contract at the end of the season, as he is running on a race-by-race situation, and there remains an underlying threat of being replaced.
The 22-year-old’s future with the team appears under threat for the remainder of the year, after he admitted that he is ‘struggling’ with driving the Alpine car.
Alpine reserve driver Paul Aron has recently been taking part in a Pirelli tyre test for the team at the Hungaroring and seems the most likely contender for the seat next season.
Mercedes’ third driver Valtteri Bottas has also revealed that he is open to a ‘short-term’ move to the team for the remainder of the season.
Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesCadillac brings two more seats to the table
Alongside the driver contracts, heavy speculation is circling around who will take the two new Cadillac seats in 2026 when the American team joins the grid.
Cadillac is yet to announce who will be driving for the team in 2026, with ‘many people’ within the paddock believing they know who has signed with the team.
Speculation is growing that Bottas will join the team next season, with further rumours that he could be joined by former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez.
It is expected that Cadillac will make its driver announcement in the coming weeks, confirming who will join the American team for its F1 debut.