Which drivers are fighting for a seat in F1 2024 season?

Formula 1 (F1), being the pinnacle of motorsport, is a place where talent and performance reign supreme. It’s an arena that demands excellence and drivers who fall short of this standard face scrutiny. 

The second half of the season is in full swing and despite a tranquil summer break, there remain multiple 2024 F1 driver line-ups awaiting official confirmation. While a few drivers have secured contracts that extend till 2024 and beyond, others find themselves in less fortunate circumstances. Of the 20 drivers on the ’23 grid, 16 of them have already secured their spots for the 2024 season. 

With the recent confirmations and rumours, only four slots remain vacant to be confirmed for 2024. These include one seat at Alfa Romeo/Sauber, two seats at AlphaTauri, and one seat at Williams.

Let’s begin with having a look over the confirmed seats in the f1 2024 season:

Red Bull

Max Verstappen (end of 2028)                         Sergio Perez (end of 2024)

Ferrari

Charles Leclerc (end of 2024)                           Carlos Sainz (end of 2024)

Mercedes

George Russell (end of 2025)                            Lewis Hamilton (end of 2025)

Alpine

Esteban Ocon (end of 2024)                              Pierre Gasly (end of 2024)

McLaren

Lando Norris (end of 2025)                                Oscar Piastri (end of 2024)

Alfa Romeo

Valtteri Bottas (end of 2025)                              TBC

Aston Martin

Fernando Alonso (end of 2024)                          Lance Stroll (end of 2024)

Haas 

Nico Hulkenberg (end of 2024)                           Kevin Magnussen (end of 2024)

AlphaTauri

TBC                                                                            TBC

Williams

Alex Albon (end of 2024)                                       TBC

Now we’ll be continuing with the list of drivers who are fighting for a spot on the 2024 F1 grid.

Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)

A less-than-ideal opening to the 2023 season has seen Alfa Romeo slip towards the rear grid, despite hopes that the team would emerge as a strong midfield competitor, especially considering the uncertainty surrounding their future in Formula 1.

Considering Valtteri Bottas’ mediocre performance so far this season, Zhou Guanyu’s position is even less certain. He inked a year extension in 2022, with potential renewal based on his performance in the 2023 season.

Currently, Zhou is just 2 points behind Bottas and has finished in the points as many times. Only time will reveal if this level of performance will suffice for the Chinese driver.

If not, the team could opt for an alternate option. Alfa Romeo can go with their current team reserve, Theo Pourchaire, a Sauber junior driver for several years. He has been portraying an incredible performance and is most likely to win the F2 championship this season.

Logan Sargeant (Williams F1)

Joining the high-stakes world of Formula 1 as a rookie driver is no easy feat. The pressure to provide results is immense, especially when you have a teammate with prior F1 experience like Alex Albon. Logan Sargeant, the American driver making his debut in the sport, has been facing scrutiny for his performance, largely due to his challenges in keeping up with Albon. 

As of now, Logan Sargeant has completed 14 races in his Formula 1 career. Logan was impressive to start the year but exhibits signs of a lack of experience. This includes instances of exceeding track limits in Saudi Arabia, colliding with Nyck de Vries in Melbourne, and struggling to find a competitive pace in both Miami and Spain.

Daniel Ricciardo, Liam Lawson, Mick Schumacher, and Felipe Drugovich are all viable options to consider if the team seeks more F1 experience. However, more intriguing possibilities might arise from the IndyCar series. A high finish in the IndyCar series for Colton Herta and Pato O’Ward would give them enough points to qualify. But at the same time, a two-time Indycar champion, Alex Palou can also be a considerable option.

Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)

Yuki Tsunoda has faced a challenging situation at AlphaTauri, where the AT04 car presents significant handling difficulties, and the team has encountered additional issues. However, it would be unexpected to see Yuki Tsunoda replaced, despite his efforts to secure his future with the team since joining in 2021. He displayed promise initially but later exhibited inconsistent form, highlighting his lack of experience.

Yuki Tsunoda's contract received a one-year extension in September 2022.

He has shown improvement this season, despite the car's limitations, securing points in three races, which may solidify his position within the Red Bull team.

Daniel Ricciardo (AlphaTauri)

Daniel Ricciardo's contract with AlphaTauri runs until the conclusion of 2023, following his mid-season substitution for Nyck de Vries. The 2021 Formula E champion was pushed out in favour of Daniel Ricciardo. Ideally, this should have been a 12-race trial period to evaluate whether to extend his contract for the full 2024 season, possibly even securing a spot at Red Bull instead of Perez.

Unfortunately, a crash at Zandvoort resulted in Ricciardo sustaining a broken hand, forcing him to miss the Italian Grand Prix and potentially more races.

While he aspires to secure a Red Bull seat, his future beyond this season remains uncertain, possibly requiring some patience.