Vettel, Alonso and Other Drivers Without a Seat in 2023 As F1 Silly Season Begins

The F1 silly season is about to begin soon. There are many drivers on the grid whose contracts are up at the end of the 2022 season. Drivers like Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso will probably draw the most attention, as their decisions may cause a ripple effect.

There will be several seats in the midfield that would be up for grabs at the end of 2022. Many teams, like AlphaTauri and Williams, might have both seats up for grabs for potential drivers.

Which drivers have their contract expiring at the end of 2022?

As reported by The Race, 2023 will be a crucial year for the teams in midfield, as they would look to close the distance between them and the top teams. With one year of knowledge of the new regulations under their belt, the teams would look for drivers who can take them forward.

Pierre Gasly has his contract with AlphaTauri, expiring at the end of this season. But he has ties with Red Bull that will end next season. Yet he will not be driving for the Austrian team after Perez‘s contract extension this week. So it is very much possible that he might continue with the Italian team for one more year.

His teammate Yuki Tsunoda also has his contract expiring in 2022. But his recent surge in form might help him stay with the Italian team for another year.

Williams‘ pair of Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi also have their contracts up. While Alex has started his Williams career with flying colors, the same cannot be said for Latifi. In his third season, the Canadian has struggled massively and the team might not retain him for next season.

Mick Schumacher and Guanyu Zhou also will be in the market during the silly season. But while Zhou might get a helping hand from Alfa Romeo, who might end up keeping him, Schumacher’s case is different.

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He will be an asset to any team because of his last name, but his performances have been under fire at Haas. Hopefully, he can secure his future in F1 soon and prove his critics wrong. Lance Stroll‘s contract extension is a formality as his father owns the Aston Martin F1 team.

Will Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel stay in F1 beyond 2022?

At the end of the 2022 season, we might lose one or two of the true icons of the sport. But Alonso has mentioned that he would like to continue racing in Formula One, as he believes he can still give his best in the car.

While there is a doubt over Vettel, he too has not yet decided about his future in the sport. But it seems highly likely that he might end his career at the end of the season as he might not enjoy fighting in the lower midfield any longer.

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The 2022 driver market may be one of the most important in recent years. With legends like Seb, Fernando, and Hamilton in their twilight years, the new generation of drivers are knocking on the door. Let’s see how the 2023 grid shapes up at the end of the season.