F1-Silly Season 2023 in full swing: who will grab the last seven seats?

Perez longer at Red Bull

On Tuesday it was annonced by Red Bull Racing that Sergio Perez has extended his contract through 2024. The Mexican has already made a good impression in his first year at Red Bull, but the step he has taken in 2022 is remarkable. He is even competing for the world title after his victory in Monaco.

Perez is not the first to have a deal for 2023 in his pocket. Twelve drivers previously signed a contract giving them a seat for the coming year. Seven of them, including Perez, have a deal that runs even longer with Max Verstappen as the ultimate example. He has a contract with the Austrian racing stable through 2028.

The 2023 F1 grid

In addition to Perez and Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris, Daniel Ricciardo, Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly, Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen also have long-term contracts. Lance Stroll can be considered driver number thirteen since with father Lawrence at the helm he won't have to worry about his spot.

Yet not every driver with a contract under his belt is so sure of his place. Ricciardo in particular is under fire and there will most likely be escape clauses in the contract for the Australian, but also for the team. Gasly may also want to look a door down the road now that Perez is tied down longer at Red Bull Racing.

Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull Racing have confirmed the lineup for 2023, giving away the most interesting seats. McLaren is not satisfied with Ricciardo's performance and that would potentially open doors for other drivers. Think for example of Gasly who would like to take a step up or Fernando Alonso who might leave Alpine.

The battle for Piastri

The contract of the Spaniard expires at Alpine and with Oscar Piastri on the bench the French team is in a luxurious position. Alonso is keen to stay in F1 and is still proving his worth on the track, but with Piastri the team has perhaps the most talented driver of his generation on the bench after winning F3 and F2 as a rookie. Should Alpine retain Alonso, Piastri will have to find refuge elsewhere.

For him, there are possibilities with the other teams on the grid. For example, Aston Martin is still looking for a replacement for Sebastian Vettel. The contract of the German expires and there is a good chance that he will retire from F1 after this season. Mick Schumacher is also in the picture for this, as he has come under pressure at Haas. Aston Martin also has Nico Hulkenberg still on the bench as a possible replacement.

At AlphaTauri, they will be pleased with Yuki Tsunoda's development in 2022. If Gasly does decide to leave, then the Japanese driver will have to pull the cart. Prior to the 2022 F2 season, Red Bull seemed to have a good team on paper, but Liam Lawson and Juri Vips are currently not showing why they belong in F1. In that respect, Red Bull has done well to keep Albon on board. The team has the option to bring Albon back before 2023 if necessary.

Schumacher under pressure

At Alfa Romeo, Valtteri Bottas has a longer contract, but Guanyu Zhou is all but certain of his place. The Chinese driver's performance has been pretty disappointing so far, whereas Theo Pourchaire is performing very well in F2 as part of the Sauber Academy. The young Frenchman is second in the championship.

At Williams, both contracts expire and anything can still happen. Albon seems to be the ideal replacement for George Russell, but Red Bull still can get the Thai back at the end of the season. Williams is logically not satisfied with the performance of Nicolas Latifi and it is not surprising that Nyck de Vries is therefore once again associated with the team from Grove. Last year he just missed out on a seat when the team chose Albon, but now his chances seem better. Piastri however is also an interesting name and driver for Williams.

At Haas, Magnussen has signed a multi-year deal, but Schumacher's future at the team is in question. The German crashes a little too often, but the question is "who then"? Ferrari doesn't have the next talent ready to go, so then Haas will have to draw on talents from other courses as well. Felipe Drugovich is still free, so maybe the F2 championship leader is an outside chance for the American team.