2024 F1 driver market: Who is out of contract at the end of the season?
The 2024 F1 driver's market has been one of the most unpredictable in recent times and was shaken up early when Lewis Hamilton made his 'shock' move to Ferrari from Mercedes.
The seven-time world champion was contracted to drive for the German team until the end of the 2025 season but decided to activate his release clause to jump ship to Ferrari. His departure threw a spanner in the works for the rest of the F1 grid as many drivers had their contracts expiring at the end of the 2024 season.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was one such driver whose future looked up in the air but recently he extended his contract with the Silverstone-based team until the end of 2026.
Below is the list of F1 drivers who are out of contract at the end of the season:
Sergio Perez - Red Bull F1
The Mexican driver currently holds the most sought-after seat in the sport alongside Max Verstappen. However, his current deal with the world champions ends in 2024 with no news of an extension so far.
Carlos Sainz - Ferrari F1
The Spanish driver was let go by the Italian team in favor of Lewis Hamilton for 2025. Given his recent results, Carlos Sainz is the most sought-after driver for the rest of the grid with potential opportunities at Red Bull, Mercedes and Sauber (soon to be Audi).
Logan Sargeant - Williams F1
It has been a dismal start for the American driver as he has stayed behind his Williams teammate Alex Albon in terms of performance just as he did in 2023. He even had to give his car to the Thai driver in the middle of the Australian GP and watch from his garage.
It looks unlikely that he would get a new deal or a seat elsewhere on the grid given his results since joining the sport in 2023.
Visa Cash App RB drivers
Daniel Ricciardo was in the running for the second seat at Red Bull before the start of the season but now finds himself fighting for his seat at RB as his season hasn't turned the way he had anticipated.
On the other hand, Ricciardo's RB teammate Yuki Tsunoda has made a flying start to the 2024 season, having scored points in Australia and Japan, and has put himself as a solid option for other teams to consider.
Kick Sauber drivers
Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are out of contract as well but similar to the RB pair, they have been having opposite seasons, with the Finnish driver leading his young Chinese teammate in terms of performance.
With Audi joining in 2026, both drivers would be eager to impress the new owners and deliver noteworthy performances.
Haas F1 drivers
Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen have both made a solid start to the 2024 season, with the German leading his teammate three points to one in four races. But it's still unknown whether Haas would retain one or both drivers for the 2025 season despite some noteworthy performances at the beginning of the season.