Shock change: How the F1 2023 grid is shaping up

With Sebastian Vettel's retirement, a game of musical chairs has been set in motion in Formula 1. Fernando Alonso will succeed the German at Aston Martin, providing opportunities for juniors at Alpine and further down the line other duels will arise for the last spots on the grid for 2023. This is what next year's grid looks like for now, based on the contracts signed between drivers and teams.

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Judging by the signed contracts, there are no less than six open spots for 2023. It is likely that Guanyu Zhou will extend his contract at Alfa Romeo and so will Alexander Albon. The drivers do not disappoint. For Nicholas Latifi, Yuki Tsunoda and Mick Schumacher, the future seems more uncertain and in the rumours of driver changes, their names are more frequently mentioned. There is a possibility of some rotation between the available seats, but up-and-coming talents are also knocking on the door. Oscar Piastri has a claim to the Alpine F1 seat and Nyck de Vries is also a contender for the Williams seat, leaving not enough room for the five drivers mentioned who are in the greatest uncertainty. It is also worth bearing in mind that there are always unexpected outsiders from the junior teams.