After my 2023 Formula 1 season predictions, I am now going to predict the driver line-ups for the 2024 Formula 1 season. The teams will be in order based on how confident I am in my predictions.
Ferrari: Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz
I would be very surprised if Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz aren’t teammates at Ferrari in 2024. Both Charles and Carlos are Formula 1 race winners and they’ve worked well together in their 2 years as teammates. I expect both drivers to perform well this season and I can’t really see any better options out there for Ferrari. Both drivers’ contracts are up in 2024.
Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll
Fernando Alonso has only just joined Aston Martin and I expect him to have a very good 2023 so there should be no reason as to why Fernando would quit. Lance Stroll’s father runs the team so I can’t see him leaving, but I also expect him to have a good season anyway. Both guys have multi-year deals with the Silverstone-based team.
Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton and George Russell
Unless Lewis wins the World Championship this year, there’s no reason as to why Lewis and George won’t be Mercedes Formula 1 Drivers in 2024. Both guys are incredibly talented and I fully expect George to stay at Mercedes for a very long time, basically like Lewis Hamilton. Both guys’ contracts are up at the end of the year, but I expect them both to sign contract extensions.
Alpine: Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly
Esteban Ocon has proved himself as an excellent asset to Alpine and I see no reason why that won’t continue for years. I think Pierre Gasly will have a solid first year with Alpine so I’d be very surprised if he isn’t driving for them in 2024. It’s also a dream for Alpine to have two French drivers racing for them and both guys’ contracts are up at the end of 2024. The only way this prediction doesn’t come true is if Ocon and Gasly’s end up costing Alpine P4 in the Constructors and they promote Formula 2 race winner Jack Doohan up to the main team.
McLaren: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
Lando Norris is an amazing racing driver so there is no way that McLaren would ever get rid of him. Oscar Piastri is a bit more of an unknown, but even if he struggles this year, McLaren would want to keep him for another year. Oscar’s contract is up at the end of the 2024 season whilst Lando’s contract is up at the end of 2025. The only way Lando isn’t at McLaren in 2024 is if Lewis Hamilton retires at the end of the season.
Williams: Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant
Alex Albon is a great driver to have if your Williams. He’s consistent, he’s quick and he’s got good Racecraft. I also think there isn’t really anywhere else for him to go and I expect him to do three seasons with the team like George Russell did. Logan Sargeant is a rookie in 2023 and I expect him to do a decent job. Considering Logan’s come up in the Williams Driver Academy, I’d be very surprised if Williams wouldn’t give him more than 1 season to prove his worth. Alex’s contract is up at the end of 2024 whilst Logan’s contract is up at the end of this season.
Haas: Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg
I believe Haas will keep the same line-up for 2024, but I’m not super confident with it. I believe Haas will have a pretty good season in 2023 and I think Nico Hulkenberg will prove himself as a very good midfield driver. My only worry is with Kevin Magnussen. I think K-Mag is a good driver, but will his reputation be hurt if he gets beaten by the Hulk this season? Nico’s contract is up in 2024 whilst Kevin’s contract is up at the end of this season. The thing that I think saves Magnussen is as much as there’s a lot of talent in Formula 2, the only one associated with Ferrari is Ollie Bearman and I don’t think he’s ready for Formula 1 yet.
Sauber: Valtteri Bottas and Theo Pourchaire
In 2024, the Alfa Romeo name will no longer be on the Formula 1 grid meaning the team will go back to being called Sauber. I expect Valtteri Bottas to stay on as he’s very experienced and he will help Sauber try and improve their car. As for their second driver, I’m going with Theo Pourchaire. Even though I don’t think Theo is going to win the Formula 2 Championship this year, Pourchaire has been a part of the Sauber Driver Academy since he was 16 so it just makes from a marketing point of view to have him step up when the team renames back to Sauber. Valtteri’s contract is up at the end of 2024 whilst Zhou’s contract is up at the end of 2023. All I’ll say about Zhou is I think he’s a really solid driver, but I’m not sure that’s going to be enough to keep him on the grid unfortunately.
Alpha Tauri: Nyck de Vries and Dennis Hauger
Nyck de Vries is about to enter his first season in Formula 1 and I can’t vote against this guy. He’s a former F2 and Formula E World Champion so I expect him to beat Yuki Tsunoda to the seat for 2024. As for his teammate, I think it will be Dennis Hauger. I’ve predicted Hauger to win the Formula 2 title this year and if you read my 2023 Formula 1 predictions, I said that the F2 winner will be on the Formula 1 grid in 2024. Nyck’s contract is up to 2024 whilst Yuki’s contract is up at the end of this season. I just don’t think Tsunoda’s going to be given another season to prove himself. I will say I’m not super confident with this prediction though because who knows how well de Vries is going to do. Also, Red Bull might want to promote Zane Maloney instead of Hauger so we’ll see.
Red Bull: Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo
This is my bold prediction for 2024. I fully expect Max Verstappen to win his third World Championship this season and he will probably be at this team until he retires. As for his teammate, I’m going with Daniel Ricciardo. I talked about this a bit in my 2023 predictions and I do genuinely think Max and Checo will clash a lot in 2023 to the point where Red Bull ends up getting rid of Sergio and Checo ends up retiring from Formula 1. Max’s contract is to 2028 whilst Sergio’s contract is to 2024, but Perez knows from previous employers that that doesn’t really matter. However, my dilemma is who takes Perez’s seat. I’ve gone with Daniel Ricciardo based on the fact that he’s Red Bull’s reserve driver in 2023 and Red Bull know how to set up a car for him, something McLaren weren’t able to do for the last 2 seasons. However, I’m also not very confident in this because I’m not sure if Danny Ric will ever get back onto the Formula 1 grid. If that’s the case, I really have no idea who they’d pick up as they wouldn’t promote a driver from their academy and I doubt they would want Lando Norris or Esteban Ocon.
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