Farewell to F1: Where will these drivers potentially out of seat compete?
General
- Ludo van Denderen
With Williams' signing of Carlos Sainz for the '25 season, another piece in the great who-drives-where puzzle has fallen into place. A number of F1 drivers are still busy looking for a new place in Formula 1, though some of them are surely aware that the F1 adventure ends after the season. And then? GPblog lists where the current free agents could end up if nobody within Formula 1 wants them.
Logan Sargeant
If there is anyone who knows there is no place for him in Formula 1 after this season, it is Logan Sargeant. In a year and a half in the sport, the American has barely managed to impress - also due to circumstances. Williams, with Sainz and Alex Albon, has already committed two drivers for '25 onwards, which means there is no more room at his current team anyway. Among the other teams with vacant seats, Sargeant is not mentioned. Meanwhile, the American makes no secret of seriously looking at options outside Formula 1. Most likely is a move to IndyCar, where the new Prema team is keen to sign him up.
Guanyu Zhou
Time and again, Guanyu Zhou stresses it: No, he is definitely not looking at options outside Formula 1. Because, his assumption is, once out, it is virtually impossible to return. But isn't Zhou sticking his head in the sand a little too much here? Once he does make it known he wants to race outside Formula 1, the red carpet will be laid out for him in Formula E. After all, China is the market for electric vehicles and Zhou would be an excellent advertisement for any electric car brand. Moreover, with ERT Racing, there is a Chinese team in Formula E. Now let them still have both seats available for '25....
Valtteri Bottas
Valtteri Bottas is an avid cyclist these days. Not a day seems to go by without the Finn posing next to his bike for an Instagram post somewhere in the world. Yet a career as a professional cycling driver is not what Bottas is aiming for. At least not yet, as the Finn hopes to continue his F1 career after this difficult season for him. A new contract with Stake F1 is now the most obvious option. If it does not come to that, the World Endurance Championship would suit Bottas perfectly: only eight race weekends, plus plenty of time to go out cycling.
Kevin Magnussen
Haas driver Kevin Magnussen is realistic and realises he is entering his final months of his career as an F1 driver. Earlier in his career, the Dane thought his F1 retirement had arrived, after Haas thanked him for services after the 2020 season. In the following year, Magnussen enjoyed competing in the US IMSA championship. A return to that class is probably the first thing Magnussen is thinking of, to continue his racing career in.
Daniel Ricciardo
When the F1 calendar for next season comes out, Daniel Ricciardo always looks directly at when the Grands Prix in the United States are scheduled. The Australian is wedded to the US, even has a house there and is also a huge fan of NASCAR. Ricciardo has always had the dream of competing in this class for tough guys, and a farewell to Formula 1 could just make that a reality. Incidentally, we shouldn't immediately think of a full-time season then, as Ricciardo is rather fearful of the ovals in the series. But on a so-called road course, he might just make some guest appearances, as, for example, Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Button did before.