Carlos Sainz leads a group of high-profile F1 drivers still without a confirmed seat for the 2025 season. Sainz is being let go by Ferrari to make way for the arrival of Lewis Hamilton.
As a three-time race-winner and 22-time podium-finisher, the Spaniard looks like the most desirable free agent on the market. Despite that, F1 Oversteer understands that he’s headed to struggling Williams for next year.
There was another big development in F1’s silly season this week as Alpine confirmed that Esteban Ocon would be on his way at the end of the campaign. Ocon is also a race winner after taking the rebranded team’s first victory at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix.
Pierre Gasly, who stood on the top step at the 2020 Italian GP for AlphaTauri, still hasn’t signed a new contract with the Enstone outfit. It seems as if he wants to assess his options elsewhere first.
Meanwhile, former Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas could be without a seat after Sauber signed Nico Hulkenberg. Their buyers Audi are still after another driver and could target RB’s Yuki Tsunoda.
Tsunoda’s teammate Daniel Ricciardo is out of contract at the end of the year too. The ex-Red Bull star is now fighting to keep his spot on the F1 grid full stop.
Jolyon Palmer says Alpine face a ‘quandary’ over lack of interest
Speaking on the Weekend Warm-Up ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, F1TV pundit Jolyon Palmer suggested that there was little interest among the available drivers in joining Alpine. That’s despite the fact some of them risk losing their place in F1.
Alpine are currently second from bottom in the constructors’ championship after suffering perhaps the biggest drop-off of any team over the winter. They had finished sixth in 2023 with 120 points, but have only scored two so far this year.
This comes against the backdrop of major upheaval behind the scenes. CEO Laurent Rossi and team principal Otmar Szafnauer lost their jobs last summer, and the exodus hasn’t stopped since.
Alpine are fielding their academy driver Jack Doohan in place of Ocon for the opening practice session in Montreal. They may find that they need to promote from within if they can’t convince a bigger name to accept their offer.
“They’re in quite a quandary, Alpine, now,” Palmer said. “Where do they go? Jack Doohan’s in the car in FP1. He has got, out of nowhere, an absolutely golden chance.
“Basically, the drivers are all clamouring for seats everywhere else. No-one really wants to go to Alpine.”
Ralf Schumacher on chances of nephew Mick making F1 return at Alpine
Alpine are clearly in a bad place right now. Their reputation in the paddock would have taken a further hit after the Monaco Grand Prix, when Ocon and Gasly collided despite clear instructions from the team to hold position.
This may point to a lack of strong leadership, whether that’s from team boss Bruno Famin or the hierarchy as a whole. Still, though, Alpine are a works team with the backing of Renault, and that means they retain some appeal.
Which drivers are they looking at? One journalist says Tsunoda is a name that keeps being mentioned, while Bottas has also been shortlisted for a potential partnership with Gasly.
If current drivers decide to go elsewhere, then it could come down to a battle between Doohan and Mick Schumacher, who last raced in F1 with Haas in 2022. Schumacher represents Alpine in the World Endurance Championship and is ‘pushing like hell’ for an offer from Famin.
His uncle, former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher, has refused to rule out the 25-year-old making a comeback with the French brand. But he also accepts that ‘Alpine has its own youth programme’, which may be the first port of call.
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