More than half a dozen changes took place in the teams’ driver pairings, with some drivers jumping ship, while others had to leave their seats to drivers with financial backing. The excitement is starting to build up as we watch how new drivers are head-to-head with each other and how the teams distribute their resources between this year and the 2022 car design.
Team Changes for Formula 1 Season 2021
Mercedes
- Valterri Bottas #77
- Lewis Hamilton #44 (contract not finalised yet)
Valterri Bottas was confirmed to drive for the team under a 1-year contract and will hopefully be joined by the 7-time champion Lewis Hamilton. As of latest news, a deal has yet to be finalised between Mercedes and Hamilton, with team principal Toto Wolff blaming legal curveballs to be the reason for the delay. The primary reason could be that three shareholders now own the Mercedes F1 team. Each of these shareholders—Daimler, energy sponsor INEOS, and Wolff—now own a third of the team, making it more difficult to reach consensus during contract negotiations.
Red Bull Racing
- Max Verstappen #33
- Sergio Perez #11
Engine: Honda
It is the first time since 2007 that Red Bull has recruited a driver from outside their development program. Red Bull announced the signing of Sergio Perez after the end of the 2020 season before Christmas. Max Verstappen will be the lead driver of the team, while Albon will take the duties of a reserve driver for the 2021 season. With this strong lineup, Red Bull is expected to be a formidable force against Mercedes. 2021 will be Honda’s last season in F1 as an engine supplier, although Red Bull is optimistic that they will continue in 2022 and beyond.
Aston Martin will no longer be the title sponsor of the Red Bull racing team because they have their own team on the grid this year.
McLaren
- Daniel Ricciardo #3
- Lando Norris #4
Engine: Mercedes
McLaren, who finished 3rd in the constructor's standings for the first time since 2012, looks to closing the gap from the top two teams and consolidate their 3rd position by the end of the year. McLaren will switch to Mercedes engine from the start of the 2021 season. With the best engine powering their cars, they’re hopeful of a much stronger season. Daniel Ricciardo will drive alongside Lando Norris who will start his third year as a McLaren driver.
Aston Martin
- Sebastian Vettel #5
- Lance Stroll #18
Engine: Mercedes
Aston Martin is back onto the Formula 1 grid as a works team for the first time since 1960. Lawrence Stroll, father of Lance Stroll, bought the majority shares in Racing Point in 2019, and he is also a major shareholder in the Aston Martin company. So the team has been rebranded as Aston Martin. It will be interesting to see how Vettel performs in this new team after a dismal final year with Scuderia. Lance Stroll did well on occasions last year but was not as consistent as Perez.
Alpine
- Fernando Alonso #14
- Esteban Ocon #31
Engine: Renault
Alpine will race in F1 for the first time as a works team. Alpine is the high-performance cars division of Renault. The rebranded team will continue to use Renault engine and will be driven by returning two-time champion Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon. Fernando stayed out of F1 for two years after retiring at the end of the 2018 season as a McLaren driver. Laurent Rossi will be the new team principal and CEO of the Alpine racing team.
Scuderia Ferrari
- Charles Leclerc #16
- Carlos Sainz #55
Ferrari had their worst season in F1 since the 1980s, and for the first time, they have no world champion in their lineup in a quarter of a century. Things did not go as planned for Ferrari. Hopefully, with Carlos Sainz joining them from McLaren and a newly redesigned engine, the team will be able to bounce back to the front of the field.
AlphaTauri
- Pierre Gasly #10
- Yuki Tsunoda #TBC
Engine: Honda
2020 Monza race winner Pierre Gasly will be joined by Rookie Yuki Tsunoda from Japan who impressed AlphaTauri on a test run during 2020 season. Yuki had a great rookie year in F2 and won many races. Just like parent team Red Bull, they are without an engine for the 2022 season and are hoping that situation will be resolved well before time.
Alpha Romeo
- Kimi Raikkonen #7
- Antonio Giovinazzi #99
Engine: Ferrari
Alpha Romeo is one of the three teams on the grid which had no change to their driver lineup. The team will continue with the experience of Kimi Raikkonen and the much-improved Antonio Giovinazzi for the 3rd consecutive year. The team's main aim will be to improve the car's performance, which should enable the drivers to score points on a regular basis.
Haas
- Nikita Mazepin # TBC
- Mick Schumacher #TBC
Engine: Ferrari
Haas will start the 2021 season with two rookies after replacing Kevin Magnussen and Roman Grosjean with Nikita Mazepin (Russia) and Mick Schumacher (Germany). Haas could not afford to pay their drivers as they need extra cash for 2022 season. Both did well in F2, with Mick winning the F2 title in 2020.
Williams
- George Russell #63
- Nicolas Latifi #6
Engine: Mercedes
Williams was the most improved team of the 2020 season, and if that trajectory continues, they might have a chance to finish above 10th place where they have been for the last two years. The team is sticking with their young driver pairing of George Russell and Nicolas Latifi. Both had a decent second year together as teammates last year, with Russell stealing the limelight at Sakhir for his stellar performance as Hamilton’s stand-in.
Keep Your Eyes Glued to More F1 Updates from Carpart.com.au!
We’re looking ahead for the real action to kick off in March 28 at Bahrain, but before that, you will hear from us about the latest Formula One news. We will keep you posted about any changes between now and March 12-14, the slated pre-season testing in Bahrain, which was also the host back in 2014. You may bookmark our page or, better yet, subscribe to our blog for quicker updates!