This is the Formula 1 participant field of 2021

The top teams

At the very top not much seems to change before 2021. Mercedes has with Lewis Hamilton the ideal leader and now that the place at Ferrari has been filled, an extension of Hamilton will be a formality. With Valtteri Bottas the German race stable has also found an ideal second man, so it doesn't have to change.

The only one who can still throw a spanner in the works of Bottas is George Russell, but Mercedes has shown that the talent doesn't just pass on to the first team, which is testament to the contract that Esteban Ocon signed with Renault. At Williams, Russell won't be able to show much in 2020 either, so an intermediate step seems more appropriate.

Ferrari announced on Thursday that Carlos Sainz will be the replacement for the outgoing Sebastian Vettel. With Charles Leclerc and Sainz, Ferrari has recruited a young driver duo, with whom it can continue for years to come. At Red Bull Racing Max Verstappen has a long-term contract and Alexander Albon seems to be the ideal number two for the Austrian team.

McLaren and Renault

Behind it, the pieces of the puzzle now fall into place. McLaren chooses Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris in 2021, which leaves Renault with a hole. Esteban Ocon is already fixed for 2021 and the other place is a chance for Fernando Alonso to return to Formula 1. Renault also has two young talents in Formula 2 with Guanyu Zhou and Christian Lundgaard, who are also among the contenders.

The rest of the field is a lot more unclear for the time being. Sergio Perez has a contract with Racing Point until 2022 and Lance Stroll has a contract for as long as his father is in charge, but new rumours have also shown that Vettel could still qualify for the place at the new Aston Martin. However, the above contract situations make that rumour hard to believe.

What about the youth?

With the other teams it's always a bit of a delusion. Will Kimi Raikkonen stay in Formula 1 any longer and how is Antonio Giovinazzi performing in his second year? In addition, for Alfa Romeo the performance of Mick Schumacher is an important moment for the current drivers. If Mick performs well, there is a very good chance that he will F1 in 2021.

Another Ferrari talent that has already impressed is Robert Shwartzman, but also for him a good F2 season is essential to make the move. If Alfa Romeo only has one place available, Haas might also opt for a young talent. Gunther Steiner, however, has indicated that he prefers experience, but he can't hold on to Romain Grosjean for much longer.

At AlphaTauri, no driver is stuck any longer either, but Pierre Gasly and Daniil Kvyat are lucky that not many talents impress in the lower classes. Juri Vips is still an option, but the Est hasn't been able to build a big CV yet either. Williams has George Russell and Nicholas Latifi as drivers and will depend on their performance. Latifi does have a place in Formula 1 with his money, but Russell, with his qualities, might be able to take a step up in 2021.

Confirmed drivers for 2021 (Options for open spot between brackets)

Mercedes

(Lewis Hamilton)

(Valtteri Bottas) / (George Russell)

Ferrari:

Charles Leclerc

Carlos Sainz

Red Bull Racing:

Max Verstappen

(Alexander Albon) / (Pierre Gasly)

McLaren:

Daniel Ricciardo

Lando Norris

Renault:

Esteban Ocon

(Fernando Alonso) / (Sebastian Vettel) / (Guanyu Zhou)

AlphaTauri:

(Danill Kvyat) / (Juri VIPs)

(Pierre Gasly)

Aston Martin:

Sergio Perez

Lance Stroll

Alpha Romeo:

(Kimi Raikkonen) / (Mick Schumacher)

(Antonio Giovinazzi) / (Robert Shwartzman)

Haas:

(Kevin Magnussen)

(Romain Grosjean) / (Robert Shwartzman)

Williams:

George Russell

(Nicholas Latifi)