Every F1 driver out of contract at the end of 2025

Six drivers start the 2025 Formula 1 season knowing that they will be out of contract at the end of the year, and that their performances in the opening races could well decide their future on the grid.

Many teams have chosen to lock in their drivers for at least two years, to ensure consistency when new regulations are introduced in 2026. But several have opted to run rookies this year, and are hesitant to commit to long deals until their young hotshots have proven themselves.

Mercedes‘ Kimi Antonelli, Isack Hadjar at Racing Bulls, and Jack Doohan at Alpine will be aiming to impress during the early stages of the season, with the hope of earning an extension. Red Bull‘s Liam Lawson will also be looking to show that he can stand up to the pressure of being Max Verstappen‘s team-mate and earn an extension to 2026.

Elsewhere, George Russell is the most high-profile out-of-contract . The Mercedes been linked to Red Bull, but has options in his contract to extend his spell at Mercedes, which looks like the most likely option at the moment. Yuki Tsunoda‘s Racing Bulls deal ends at the end of 2025 and he could be set to test the market. This year offers a rare opportunity for anyone looking to move, with the arrival of Cadillac onto the grid in 2026, in need of two drivers for its debut season.

The opportunity is there for F1’s annual silly season to get into full swing, but don’t expect the speculation to be confined to the drivers coming to the end of their current deals. As Sergio Perez saw last year, the mere existence of a contract doesn’t necessarily offer job security. And with rumours of Max Verstappen eyeing a move, managers and lawyers could find their hands full as the season goes on.

F1 drivers out of contract at the end of 2025

George Russell

On August 31, 2023, George Russell penned a new two-year deal with Mercedes that ensured he would remain with the Brackley outfit until at least 2025. In the two years since, he has proven to be one of the F1 grid’s quickest and most consistent drivers, alongside Lewis Hamilton no less.

Although Russell’s current deal is set to expire this season, team boss Toto Wolff has already made clear that the Briton has various “options” to extend. Russell has made no secret of his desire to remain with Mercedes and expressed his confidence in the team’s ability to get back to the front of the grid from 2026, when new power units, with greater electrical energy recovery and deployment, will be introduced.

“I think you know the experience the team have had, the success in 2014 with the new powertrain, and then obviously the time in Formula E, the work that was done with the [Mercedes-AMG One] Hypercar,” said Russell at the 2024 Monaco GP. “There are a lot of individuals within HPP [Mercedes High Performance Powertrains] who have got so much experience with this future technology.

“I think that leaves us in a really great place to have a great engine. And the work [Mercedes fuel and lubricant partner] Petronas are doing on the fuel as well is looking really strong. So, on the engine side, I think we’re feeling very confident for that era.”

A move elsewhere appears unlikely for now but, Russell has been cited as a potential target for Red Bull. Christian Horner stated that his team would be “foolish” not to consider him — despite his various clashes with Max Verstappen.

Kimi Antonelli

Kimi Antonelli will join the F1 grid with Mercedes in 2025 on a one-year deal and it has already been confirmed that the Italian has “options” in his contract that should ensure that he stays with the team for 2026 and possibly beyond, as long as his performances live up to the hype.

Antonelli is seen as one of the most promising talents among the new generation of rookies, and impressed Mercedes in tests at Imola and Jerez as well as during his sole FP1 appearance at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix.

“I’m going to go with the mind[set] of trying to win, but of course you have to be realistic at the same time,” Antonelli explained of his approach. “I just joined the grid, I’m in a good team – I’m in a great team, I’m with Mercedes and I’m really grateful for the opportunity I got.

“But of course I will need to learn, I will try to make the least amount of mistakes, try to learn race by race and then also [try to be] achieving some great results, especially if the speed is there.”

Mercedes has already made clear that 2025 will be a “transitional year” for Antonelli, with the aim of preparing him for a more competitive campaign in 2026.

Liam Lawson

Liam Lawson impressed as a stand-in reserve in 2023 and 2024, but will face a new level of pressure in 2025 as he joins Red Bull to occupy a full-time seat.

The details of Kiwi’s contract are currently unknown, with team Christian Horner likely wanting to wait and see how he measures up against team-mate Max Verstappen who has a history of destroying those sat in the adjoining garage.

“Being Max Verstappen’s team-mate is probably the hardest job in Formula 1. But in Liam, I think we have got a driver who is incredibly talented,” Horner said. “We’ve tried very hard not to put pressure on him so far and he’s basically easing his way in.

“He’s in the US at the moment. He will be back in the simulator again next week. So he’s doing a decent job and we’re just trying to ease him in quite gently.”

If Lawson can be a consistent number two to Verstappen, Red Bull could be quick to lock the Kiwi down to a long-term deal.

But, should he struggle, there are other qualified candidates for Horner to consider — including Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda, as well as George Russell

Isack Hadjar 

Isack Hadjar is the latest Red Bull junior to receive an F1 promotion, as he steps in to fill the void left by Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls.

The Frenchman has been signed to a one-year deal after impressing in F2 last season — winning four feature races, securing three further podiums and finishing second in the drivers’ standings. He also showed strong pace during a post-season F1 test in Abu Dhabi.

“His journey to Formula 1 has been nothing short of outstanding. He has shown remarkable growth, with a series of impressive results in the junior single-seater ranks,” said team boss Laurent Mekies.

“He has the talent and drive necessary to compete at the highest level, and we have every confidence that he will adapt quickly and make a significant impact.”

Should Hadjar manage to run close to accomplished team-mate Yuki Tsunoda through the first half of the season, Red Bull may quickly sign the Frenchman to an extension — strengthening its junior squad line-up ahead of 2026. But should Hadjar struggle, the Milton Keynes could look to replace him with former F2 star and current Super Formula driver Ayumu Iwasa or look further afield to the likes of Felipe Drugovich.

Yuki Tsunoda

Yuki Tsunoda signed a one-year extension with Racing Bulls mid-way through 2024, which will keep him with the Red Bull junior squad until the end of 2025.

The Japanese driver has shown gradual improvement since his rookie season in 2021, and has become one of the grid’s premier talents having previously defeated the majority of his team-mates over the course of whole seasons. In 2024, Tsunoda also scored 65% of RB’s total points and finished 12th in the drivers’ standings — a performance that many believed should have been rewarded with a seat at Red Bull for 2025.

But after Lawson was selected ahead of him, Tsunoda could be looking elsewhere for 2026 particularly as the team will switch to its own power unit in 2026, away from Honda, which has backed Tsunoda.

“We’re acutely aware that if we’re not able to provide an opportunity for Yuki does it make sense [to keep him]?” said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.

“You can’t have a driver in the support team for five years. You can’t always be the bridesmaid. You’ve either got to let them go at that point or look at something different.”

That said, there could still be opportunities for Tsunoda to progress up through the Red Bull ranks in 2025 should Lawson struggle against Verstappen.

“I think he’s very determined,” added Horner. “He knows that things change very quickly. Who would’ve thought nine months ago we’d be sitting here talking about Liam Lawson being our driver for 2025?

“Things change quickly in this industry and he’s aware of that and knows that he needs to be the one demonstrating that he’s the one knocking on the door.”

Jack Doohan

After years on the sidelines at Alpine, Jack Doohan finally got his big F1 break in 2024, as he was announced as Esteban Ocon‘s full-time replacement at the Enstone outfit for 2025.

But after a low-key debut at the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP — in which he started last and finished 15th — Doohan’s F1 future may already be under threat.

Should the Aussie fail impress in the early races of 2025, Alpine loos poised to replace him with Franco Colapinto — who after impressing for Williams as a stand-in reserve in 2024, was signed as Alpine’s reserve driver in January and appears to have the backing of influential team advisor Flavio Briatore.

“We’ll start the year with [Pierre Gasly] and Jack, I can guarantee that,” Briatore told Le Parisien. “After that, we’ll see as the season progresses.

“I have to get the team in the right condition to get results and the driver is the one who has to conclude the work of nearly 1,000 people behind him. Everyone works for just two people.”