The 2023 board is starting to take shape
We are at the 2022 championship break and the transfer market is very active for the teams who have to deal with departures and more or less convincing performances from their drivers. Let's take a look at the 2023 line-up.
After the surprising announcement of Fernando Alonso joining Aston Martin from Alpine and Sebastian Vettel’s retirement, the transfer market predicts some movements within the teams.
At Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso will therefore replace Sebastian Vettel and form a duo with Lance Stroll. One legend is thus replacing another.
At Alpine, it seems that the announcement was a surprise and the team was not ready for it. Although Oscar Piastri seems to be considered as the successor to Fernando Alonso within the team, doubts persist about a possible loan of him to Williams. Other drivers are therefore being considered, such as Daniel Ricciardo who could make a return to Alpine.
In the McLaren team, the rumors surrounding Daniel Ricciardo could push the team to let him go and hire another driver. Colton Herta could be an option since the young American, who currently races in IndyCar, has conducted tests with the Woking team.
On the Williams side, Nicholas Latifi is in grave danger. Not very prominent this season, and with his contract coming to an end at the end of the year, he could see young drivers surpassing him, such as Oscar Piastri, who could be loaned by Alpine. His teammate, Alex Albon, on the other hand, is expected to have his contract renewed for an additional year.
The other teams should renew their teams for next season with certain contracts extended for an additional season. This is the case for the AlphaTauri drivers, namely Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda.
At Haas, Kevin Magnussen is expected to keep his seat after his surprising comeback and a convincing first part of the season. There is still doubt about Mick Schumacher, whose contract expires at the end of the season. Although he was said to be on Aston Martin’s radar, the German will ultimately not join Lawrence Stroll’s team, and his future remains uncertain for now.
The Mercedes and Red Bull teams should not undergo any changes unless there is a surprise. Lewis Hamilton has a contract until 2023 and could retire after that.
At Alfa Romeo, Valtteri Bottas will stay and the good performances of Guanyu Zhou could allow him to keep his place, although a possible arrival of Théo Pourchaire cannot be ruled out.
The drivers who still have a few years left on their contracts in each team could therefore take their place on the starting grid under the same colors next season.
