Hey guys, we got another F1 column this week, and I’m going to give my predictions on the drivers on the grid next year, and what teams they will be on. 

There are some guaranteed drivers, so I’ll get those out of the way real quick.

Max Verstappen: Red Bull- There are rumors about him leaving for Mercedes, but I doubt anything will come to fruition, especially before the beginning of next year.

Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri: McLaren- They are both locked into contracts for the time being.

Fernando Alonso: Aston Martin- The Spaniard has agreed to a contract to essentially finish out his career with the team, along with provisions after he retires.

George Russell: Mercedes- The Brit will look to take over as the main driver after Lewis departs to Ferrari next year, depending on who Mercedes signs.

Lewis Hamilton: Ferrari- The seven time world champion will be taking his talents to the team in red next year in a bombshell move. 

Charles Leclerc: Ferrari- He will be looking to be able to beat the dominance of Red Bull with his new teammate

Nico Hulkenberg: Stake- He is probably making this move to get in on the ground floor when Audi takes over in 2026.

Now, on to the fun part, the unknown. I’ll go by team to set up the grid.

Red Bull:

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez-

As much as I’d like to see Carlos in this seat, I think Checo pairs so well with Max that the team will bring him back. All Perez has to do is get a solid P2 and not challenge Max that much, and he does that to a T. Of course, the minute this goes up, he’ll probably announce retirement or something, but right now, this is the most logical move.

Ferrari:

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc-

We all know these two are going to have the seats, so I won’t say much. However, with the amount of talent this pair collectively has, I wouldn’t be surprised if they actually challenged Red Bull next year.

Mercedes: 

George Russell and Kimi Antonelli-

Antonelli would be put into a seat in his first year of being allowed to race in F1, so this would be a very interesting team to watch. Of course, he would be trying to fit into very big shoes, replacing Lewis Hamilton, but he may be able to hold his own. Russell would be in unfamiliar territory, being the #1 driver on the team, but he has shown flashes of the driver he can be.

McLaren:

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri-

Again, we know these guys are under contract, so there’s not much to say. Oscar is shaping up to be one of the better drivers on the grid, and Lando is still up there with the top, just without a win yet.

Aston Martin:

Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz-

Keep in mind that this is my list and I can have as much wishful thinking as I want. If we were in a perfect world, Lance Stroll would be out and Carlos put in to actually make Aston competitive. But, Lance’s dad will probably keep him there, and they will be forced to stay a mid-pack team.

Visa Cash App RB:

Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson-

I like Daniel Riccardo as much as the next guy, but the man is not doing good racing this year. I wager that he may be gone before the end of the year. 0 points through 4 races. He may be in the Indy 500 next year.

Haas:

Kevin Magnussen and Ollie Bearman-

With Hulkenberg departing for Stake next year, that leaves a spot open at Haas, which I think could be filled with the rookie Ollie Bearman. He filled in for Sainz in Saudi Arabia, and got points, which is amazing.

Kick Sauber/Stake:

Valtteri Bottas and Nico Hulkenberg-

Unfortunately, I think Zhou Guanyu will be joining Danny Ric in Indycar, but with the tandem of Nico and Valtteri, if they have pit stops under 10 seconds, they may be at the top of the bottom. 

Williams:

Alex Albon and Lance Stroll-

I said that this was wishful thinking. As it is Williams, Stroll is an upgrade from Logan Sargeant (who could be at Daytona next year for all I care), but this move will still not make them competitive.

Alpine:

Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon-

They’ll bring them back, I mean, it’s not like they’ll exactly have teams in a bidding war to get them. They are not doing well this year. Some of it may be the car, but still. They have shown that they could be good drivers, but with the car Alpine is rolling out, they can’t do anything with it.

Remember stay scoutin’