With the Formula 1 summer break well underway, many eyes have turned to who will be lining up on the grid next year. Here’s everything you need to know about the F1 2026 driver line-up.
The 2026 ‘silly season’ has been relatively relaxed in comparison to last year, which saw over half the grid out of contract by December.
News of Lewis Hamilton moving to Ferrari in 2025 caused a massive shake-up of the grid, resulting in contract negotiations starting earlier than normal as drivers tried to solidify their seats for this year.
With Cadillac joining the 2026 F1 grid, an additional two seats have become available, with five drivers out of contract at the end of the year.
Let’s take a look at the confirmed team line-ups for the 2026 F1 season.
Photo by Mark Sutton – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty ImagesMcLaren – Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
Lando Norris – Multi-year contract (beyond 2027)
Oscar Piastri – Multi-year contract (beyond 2028)
McLaren have solidified their driver line-up until at least the end of the 2027 season, showing their commitment to their future with Norris and Piastri.
With the pair dominating the 2025 season, it is unsurprising that McLaren have opted to continue with their drivers going into the 2026 regulation changes.
Piastri extended his contract with McLaren in March of this year, with his previous contract set to expire in 2026.
Although the exact deadline of both drivers’ contracts has not been specified, it is expected that both will remain with the team for at least two more seasons.
Photo by Bryn Lennon – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty ImagesFerrari – Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton
Charles Leclerc – Multi-year contract (beyond 2027)
Lewis Hamilton – Multi-year contract (2026)
Similar to McLaren, the exact details of Ferrari’s driver contracts are relatively unknown past “multi-year contracts”, however, it is expected that both Hamilton and Leclerc will remain with the team until at least the end of next year.
Ahead of the 2025 season, Leclerc agreed to a new multi-year contract with Ferrari, which would reportedly cover “several more seasons to come”.
Hamilton is reportedly contracted to remain with Ferrari until the end of 2026, although with a difficult start to his first season with the team, focus will be on whether he remains in Maranello after next year.
Mercedes – TBC & TBC
Driver 1 – TBC
Driver 2 – TBC
Mercedes are the only top team that has both drivers out of contract at the end of the 2025 season. Speculation is growing around what decision team principal Toto Wolff will make with his line-up for the regulation changes in 2026.
At the Hungarian Grand Prix, Russell told Sky Sports F1 that there was “no rush” to sign a contract, adding “nothing’s going to happen over summer, because, honestly, I just want to have a rest and recharge.” Wolff also revealed in the same Sky Sports interview that there was “no reason not to plan with George long-term.”
Antonelli is also expected to re-sign with Mercedes for 2026, despite the 18-year-old admitting he is “struggling” with the car.
Photo by Clive Rose – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty ImagesRed Bull – Max Verstappen and TBC
Max Verstappen – 2028
Driver 2 – TBC
At the Hungarian Grand Prix, Verstappen revealed that he would remain with Red Bull for the 2026 season, despite heavy speculation that he could be making a jump to Mercedes next year.
Rumours began to grow after the team saw a significant drop in performance, leaving them fourth in the constructors’ championship. The firing of team principal Christian Horner further added to the speculation that Verstappen could also leave the team.
The second Red Bull seat is yet to be confirmed, with Yuki Tsunoda‘s contract set to expire at the end of 2025.
Williams – Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz
Alex Albon – 2026
Carlos Sainz – 2026
Williams started the 2025 season with both Albon and Sainz locked in for at least two years. The Grove-based team ensured that with multi-year contract deals, both their drivers would remain with Williams into the 2026 regulation changes.
Aston Martin – Fernando Alonso & Lance Stroll
Fernando Alonso – Multi-year contract (2026)
Lance Stroll – Multi-year contract (beyond 2026)
Stroll and Alonso will remain at Aston Martin heading into the new season. The three-time world champion has reportedly signed a multi-year contract to the end of 2026 and is showing no signs of retiring, despite completing over 35% of all F1 grands prix.
Stroll has also signed a multi-year contract and is expected to stay with the team beyond 2026. The Canadian’s actual contract terms with Aston Martin are arguably the blurriest on the grid, due to his father, Lawrence Stroll, owning the team.
Photo by Paddocker/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesStake F1 Team Kick Sauber – Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto
Nico Hulkenberg – 2026
Gabriel Bortoleto – 2026
Alongside the 2026 regulation changes, the Stake F1 Team will become Audi in the new season. With the amount of changes facing the team, it is no surprise that they have chosen to lock down both Hulkenberg and Bortoleto into 2026.
Visa Cash App Racing Bulls – TBC and TBC
Driver 1 – TBC
Driver 2 – TBC
Visa Cash App Racing Bulls are one of two teams where both drivers are out of contract at the end of 2025. With issues surrounding the second driver seat at sister team Red Bull, it causes speculation on whether either Isack Hadjar or Liam Lawson could potentially be moved up to the other squad to replace Tsunoda.
A potential signing for the team could be Red Bull junior Arvid Lindbland who is currently competing in F2. Earlier in the year, Red Bull pushed through a superlicence exemption for the 18-year-old, hinting at a potential move to F1 before the end of 2025.
Photo by Mark Sutton – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty ImagesHaas – Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman
Esteban Ocon – 2026
Oliver Bearman – 2026
Haas saw a full driver line-up change heading into the 2025 season, with both Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen being replaced by Ocon and Bearman. The team appear to have settled with their driver line-up into the 2026 regulation changes, keeping both the Frenchman and the Brit until the end of next year.
Alpine – Pierre Gasly and TBC
Pierre Gasly – 2026
Driver 2 – TBC
Alpine have undeniably faced heavy disruption in the 2025 season, including the replacement of Jack Doohan for Franco Colapinto after just six races. Despite the driver swap, Colapinto has also struggled in the second Alpine seat, with his 2025 future still remaining uncertain.
Alpine appear to have a rolling contract for Colapinto, meaning that the team’s driver line-up could change again before the end of this year.
With this year’s line-up still up in the air, it’s difficult to predict who could join Gasly at Alpine in 2026.
Cadillac – TBC and TBC
Driver 1 – TBC
Driver 2 – TBC
The most anticipation around the 2026 F1 line-ups surrounds Cadillac, which will be joining the grid next season. The American outfit are yet to announce who will race for them in the new year, with heavy speculation suggesting that Valtteri Bottas will take one of the seats.
It is expected that Cadillac could reveal their 2026 driver line-up by the end of the summer break.