The 2021 F1 grid has gradually taken shape , with all the moves and official confirmations that have occurred over the past few weeks. One of the most persistent rumors was the possible departure of Sebastian Vettel from Ferrari, and this has now been confirmed. The Maranello-based team chose not to renew his contract due to the German driver's poor results and numerous errors that have cost him at least two potential F1 world championships in red.
On the other hand, Valtteri Bottas looks set to stay at Mercedes for another season, and his contract renewal is practically a done deal. His strong performances leave no doubt that he's a good choice to partner Lewis Hamilton. Of course, you already know that Vettel's replacement at Ferrari will be none other than Carlos Sainz, and that Sainz will be replaced at McLaren by Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian's seat will be filled by the bombshell of the season: Fernando Alonso's signing with Renault.
As the season progresses , gaps are being filled and contracts are being finalized , and we'll continue to see official confirmations in the remaining days. For now, one of the question marks is Sergio Pérez, as reports from Germany suggest Sebastian Vettel will take his seat at Racing Point, meaning Pérez would have to find a place on another team. But we'll see if these rumors are confirmed or just rumors.
In short, to avoid complicating things further, I'm going to show you what the 2021 F1 grid would look like with what we already know:
- Mercedes Benz: Lewis Hamilton / Valtteri Bottas
- Classic Ferrari for sale: Charles Leclerc / Carlos Sainz
- Red Bull: Max Verstappen / Alexander Albon
- Racing Point: Sebastian Vettel (if confirmed) / Lance Stroll
- McLaren: Lando Norris / Daniel Ricciardo
- Renault: Fernando Alonso / Esteban Ocón
- Alpha tauri: Daniil Kvyat / Pierre Gasly
- Williams: George Russell / Nicholas Latifi (officially confirmed yesterday)
- Alfa Romeo: Kimi Räikkönen (some rumors say that he could leave F1 and be replaced by Pérez) / Antonio Giovinazzi
- Haas: Romain Grosjean / Kevin Magnussen (another option for Pérez would be the American team)