The grid for the 2026 Formula 1 season is beginning to take shape, but there are still a few seats that need filling.
Mercedes look set to dip out of the F1 driver market, with George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli set to see their contracts extended.
That would leave just four seats to be confirmed for the 2026 F1 season.
Alpine have signed up Pierre Gasly for next season, despite the team’s underperformance throughout the current campaign.
TEAMDRIVER 1DRIVER 2AlpinePierre GaslyN/AAston MartinFernando AlonsoLance StrollAudiGabriel BortoletoNico HulkenbergCadillacValtteri BottasSergio PerezFerrariCharles LeclercLewis HamiltonHaasEsteban OconOliver BearmanMcLarenLando NorrisOscar PiastriMercedesN/AN/ARacing BullsN/AN/ARed Bull RacingMax VerstappenN/AWilliamsAlex AlbonCarlos Sainz2026 confirmed F1 drivers
However, Franco Colapinto is still waiting to discover his fate, although he produced his best result of the season at the Dutch Grand Prix, narrowly missing out on scoring his first point.
The other three seats are all within the Red Bull family, with Max Verstappen’s teammate still undecided, and Racing Bulls yet to confirm a driver.
Isack Hadjar is being hotly tipped for a Red Bull promotion after achieving his first F1 podium at Zandvoort.
That leaves Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson sweating over their futures, and the emergence of youngster Arvid Lindblad is starting to complicate matters.
READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know
Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty ImagesLiam Lawson’s management ‘in a hurry’ for answer from Red Bull to avoid missing out on Alpine opportunity
It’s been suggested that the ‘most likely scenario’ is for Tsunoda to return to Racing Bulls, which would leave Lawson without a race seat if Helmut Marko pushes for Lindblad to make his F1 debut in 2026.
Jacques Villeneuve described Lawson as being ‘crushed’ earlier in the season, and while his form has improved in recent months, Hadjar has been the more impressive Racing Bulls driver thus far.
A report from Motorsport Italia has shared more details about the New Zealander’s Formula 1 future.
Position Drivers’ Championship PointsPts 1 309 2 275 3 205 4 184 5 151 6 109 7 64 8 64 9 37 10 37 11 32 12 30 13 28 14 20 15 20 16 16 17 16 18 14 19 12 20 0
They believe that both Tsunoda and Lawson’s management teams are ‘in a hurry’ to discover what Helmut Marko is going to decide for Red Bull’s future driver line-ups.
This is because they both know that a seat is still available at Alpine, which represents their only chance of staying on the grid.
However, if they only discover in October what Red Bull’s plans are, then it ‘might be too late’ to put their client forward to replace Colapinto.
READ MORE: All you need to know about Alpine F1 Team from team principal to lineage
Liam Lawson left ‘really disappointed’ after Dutch Grand Prix clash with Carlos Sainz
Lawson watched on as Hadjar scored Racing Bulls’ first podium since their rebrand at Zandvoort, while he missed out on scoring any points despite a promising start to the weekend.
The New Zealander qualified in the top 10 and looked set to score some decent points before a decisive moment with Carlos Sainz after the second safety car.
Lawson and Sainz collided at turn one, and the Spaniard was given a 10-second penalty, but both drivers suffered damage, which forced them to pit again.
CategoryIsack HadjarLiam Lawson2025 points3720Grand Prix results94Grand Prix qualifying103Grand Prix wins00Grand Prix poles00Grand Prix podiums10Best finish3rd6thRetirements13Retirements (classified finish)00Fastest laps00Grand Prix points finishes64Sprint results11Sprint Qualifying20Sprint wins00Sprint poles00Sprint podiums00The 2025 F1 teammate head-to-head battle of Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson
Speaking after his P12 finish, Lawson said: “I’m super happy for the team. Isack drove a great race, and to be on the podium is exceptional.
“The team have been working very hard and it’s so well deserved. As for my race, I’m really disappointed that the incident took place.
“The stewards decision echoes the rule book, and unfortunately, Carlos wasn’t ahead of me at the apex, and the contact ruined both of our races.
“That being said, the podium result shows the potential of the car, which is very positive as we head to Monza next weekend.”
Lawson needs some luck on his side to convince Racing Bulls to stick with him; if not, he needs to begin the charm offensive with Flavio Briatore to try and earn a move to Alpine for 2026.