Across the bottom five teams in the constructors’ championship, nine out of 10 drivers are out of contract. The only exception is Alex Albon, committed to Williams until 2025.
RB currently head the pack with seven points, all of which were scored by Yuki Tsunoda. As it stands, Tsunoda is the favourite to keep his seat with the team ahead of an anticipated promotion for Liam Lawson.
Red Bull may not seem ‘bothered’ by the Japanese driver’s performances, but they should at the very least guarantee his future at the junior team. Daniel Ricciardo knows he must raise his game to avoid being dropped once again.
Haas are the only other member of that quintet to score points, with Nico Hulkenberg bagging four of their five. There’s uncertainty around both the German driver and teammate Kevin Magnussen.
That partly stems from the excitement around Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman. Bearman, who won driver of the day when standing in for an ill Carlos Sainz at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, will drive in six FP1 sessions for Haas this year.
At Williams, the feeling is that Logan Sargeant is battling to stay on the grid for the remainder of this year, let alone 2025. Bearman’s F2 teammate and Mercedes youngster Andrea Kimi Antonelli could be on the grid by Monza if the American continues to struggle.
Sauber are looking to best prepare themselves for their transition to Audi in 2026. That’s made them an active player in the driver market.
And finally, there’s no indication that Alpine are unhappy with either of their race-winning duo of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly. But they may proactively seek a way out in light of the team’s miserable performances.
Audi arrival expected to cost Zhou Guanyu his Formula 1 seat
According to BBC F1 reporter Andrew Benson, the future for Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas doesn’t look ‘great’. The CEO of the Audi team, former McLaren man Andreas Seidl, is determined to land Sainz.
And Hulkenberg is a ‘consideration’ for the German manufacturer too. Even if Sauber do decide to keep one of their current drivers, Bottas is more likely to get the nod.
The only thing that could save Zhou, the first Chinese driver in Formula 1 history, is the money he can bring. But it’s unclear how much weight that will hold.
Asked how things were looking for the Sauber duo, Benson said: “Not great, frankly. Sauber will morph into Audi in 2026, and be taken over by the German car company in the course of this year.
“Chief executive officer Andreas Seidl is chasing Carlos Sainz, with Nico Hulkenberg also a consideration. Valtteri Bottas also has a chance of being kept on – he is a very solid performer.
“Zhou Guanyu is not expected to be retained. But he has plenty of budget in which another team might be interested. But that’s only a might.”
Will Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg join Audi?
Audi clearly view Sainz as the statement signing they need to launch their project. They wouldn’t have expected to be in with a chance of landing the three-time Grand Prix winner, but Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari could play right into their hands.
According to Martin Brundle, they’re pushing Sainz hard for an answer. The intensity of their pursuit should not come as a surprise.
If they can land the Spaniard, then it could be a straight fight between Hulkenberg and Bottas for the other seat. David Croft directly asked the former about the possibility of a move to Audi, but he’s keeping his cards close to his chest.
While Zhou looks to be out of the picture at the moment, there are multiple drivers at other teams who may still enter the conversation. That group apparently includes Sergio Perez, as well as Tsunoda, Gasly and Ocon.
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