Before the 2024 F1 season started, seven-time World Drivers’ Champion Lewis Hamilton driver surprised the racing world when he announced he would leave Mercedes-AMG to drive for Ferrari at the end of the season. Throughout the year, there have been announcements about drivers changing teams, leaving teams and possibly F1 altogether, and new drivers joining teams.
F1 is often called the pinnacle of motorsports. The competition is fierce because there are only ten teams and 20 drivers, and changes are common. The following information is current today but could change tomorrow. We’ll keep it updated as changes occur.
Teams change names as well as drivers, and at the same time as the announcement that Isack Hadjar will drive for RB Honda, the team also changed its name to Racing Bulls.
F1 drivers changing teams
Drivers shuffling between F1 teams can be the driver’s choice, but occasionally, a team will trade or loan a driver to another team. Here are the changes for the 2025 season so far.
Lewis Hamilton
From: Mercedes To: Ferrari
A seven-time World Champion, Hamilton’s move to Ferrari surprised Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff and nearly everyone else in F1 except Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur, who worked with Hamilton in his early days. Hamilton is 39, and moving to Ferrari fulfills an early dream. It also suggests that he thinks he has a better chance of winning his eighth championship with Ferrari than Mercedes. If he wins an eighth Championship, he will be the first to win more than seven times. The only other driver to take the crown seven times is Michael Schumacher.
Carlos Sainz
From: Ferrari To: Williams
Carlos Sainz was Charles Leclerc’s teammate driving for Ferrari. When Hamilton announced his move to Ferrari, Sainz’s role as the second driver was over. Next year, he’ll drive for Williams.
Liam Lawson
From: RB Honda To: Red Bull
Liam Lawson replaced Daniel Ricciardo for RB Honda partway through the 2024 season. After Red Bull management announced the release of Sergio Perez at the end of the year, Lawson will move to the primary Red Bull team as Max Verstappen’s partner.
Esteban Ocon
From: Alpine To: Haas
Nico Hulkenberg
From: Haas To: Kick Sauber
Nico Hulkenberg will drive for Kick Sauber in 2025. In 2026, Audi will take over Kick Sauber, so there could be more changes in store.
Valtteri Bottas
From Kick Sauber To: Mercedes (reserve)
Veteran F1 driver Valtteri Bottas leaves Kick Sauber after the 2024 season. Bottas has accepted a position as a reserve driver for the Mercedes team.
F1 drivers leaving teams (and maybe F1?)
Some drivers left teams without a contract to drive for another team.
Daniel Ricciardo
From: RB Honda To: ??
The Red Bull organization has admitted publically they didn’t give Daniel Ricciardo a good send-off when they replaced him with Liam Lawson in mid-season. Red Bull brought Daniel back to drive with Yuki Tsunoda on the RB Honda “second team.” Ricciardo has won Grand Prix, has excellent overtaking skills, and has an irrepressible good humor that endears him to all of F1, including the fans. It seems unlikely he won’t return to F1 in some role in 2025 or 2026.
Sergio Perez
From: Red Bull To: ??
After a strong start in the 2024 season, Sergio Perez signed a two-season contract extension with Red Bull in early June. Since then, however, he and Red Bull have been disappointed in his performance. After the season ended, Red Bull management announced that Perez would no longer drive for the Red Bull team as Max Verstappen’s partner. His role in the future, as part of Red Bull or another team, is not yet known.
Kevin Magnussen
From: Haas To: ??
Kevin Magnussen leaves Hass with no contract from another team. Perhaps he will retire as an F1 driver for another role in motorsports.
Zhou Guanyu
From: Kick Sauber To: ??
After driving for several seasons for Kick Sauber, Zhou Guanyu has no F1 driver contract for 2025.
New F1 drivers
Franco Colapinto
Team: ??
Franco Colapinto drove for Willams for the second half of 2024 but does not yet have a seat for 2025.
Kimi Antonelli
Team: Mercedes
Antonelli takes over Hamilton’s spot driving for Mercedes. Those are big shoes to fill, but Team Principal Toto Wolff believes he may be one of the greats.
Oliver Bearman
Team: Haas
Ollie Bearman has locked up a seat driving for Haas in 2025.
Jack Doohan
Team: Alpine
Jack Doohan will drive for Alpine in 2025.
Gabriel Bortoleto
Team: Kick Sauber
Sauber has replaced both 2024 season drivers. Gabriel Bortoleto will drive for Kick Sauber in 2025.
Isack Hadjar
Team: Racing Bulls
Isack Hadjar is the last driver named for one of the twenty F1 seats for 2025. Hadjar was the second-place finisher in Formula 2 racing as a member of the Red Bull junior program.
Hadjar’s placement is the last step, for now, in the series that started earlier this week when Sergio Perez announced he was leaving Red Bull at the end of the year. The next day, RB Honda (now Racing Bulls) driver Liam Lawson was promoted to drive for Red Bull. Hadjar now replaces Lawson and join sYuki Tsunoda as the second driver for Racing Bulls.
Drivers and teams staying intact
McLaren
Drivers: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
McLaren won the 2024 Constructors’ Championship. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Aston Martin
Drivers: Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll
Veteran driver and a two-time World Champion, Alonso has stated that, while this might be his last contract. He thinks Aston Martin is on a path to be more successful.
