Several F1 drivers will part with their current teams after this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Some are moving elsewhere, while others have lost their seats.
Most of the cameras will be pointed at Lewis Hamilton, of course. Hamilton is ending his record-breaking partnership with Mercedes after the Abu Dhabi GP as he heads to Ferrari.
The victim of that move is Carlos Sainz, who will be in Williams colours as early as Tuesday for the post-season test. Nico Hulkenberg will also be donning the overall of his new team Sauber after leaving Haas.
| DRIVER | TEAM | DESTINATION |
| Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | Ferrari |
| Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | Williams |
| Esteban Ocon | Alpine | Haas |
| Valtteri Bottas | Sauber | TBC |
| Zhou Guanyu | Sauber | TBC |
| Franco Colapinto | Williams | TBC, likely reserve |
| Kevin Magnussen | Haas | Sportscars |
| Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | Sauber |
Teammate Kevin Magnussen heads to sportscars with BMW, having lost his Haas drive for the second time. Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are likely to stay in F1 as reserve drivers elsewhere after Sauber elected not to renew either of their deals.
Sergio Perez could also leave Red Bull after Abu Dhabi, but that’s yet to be officially confirmed. RB duo Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda are both hoping to replace him.
One driver who hasn’t even made it to Yas Marina is Esteban Ocon. 2025 replacement Jack Doohan will make an early start at Alpine instead.
Why some Alpine staff may be glad to see the back of Esteban Ocon
Ocon asked Flavio Briatore if he could test for Haas next week, but the de facto Alpine boss wanted it to be a mutually beneficial arrangement. As such, he called on Ocon to step aside to aid Doohan’s preparations for his rookie campaign.
The Frenchman joined Alpine in 2020 when they were still known as Renault. He scored four podiums, producing one of the best drives of the season at the Sao Paulo GP last month to finish a remarkable second, and won the Hungarian GP in 2021.
Ocon has ‘plenty of fans’ among his colleagues. However, according to The Race’s Edd Straw, there are also some who see him as ‘abrasive and difficult’.
Those individuals may welcome Doohan’s early arrival and Ocon’s abrupt departure. Pierre Gasly is staying put in the other cockpit after signing a new deal.
Naomi Schiff concerned about Jack Doohan as Abu Dhabi Grand Prix debut awaits
Karun Chandhok and Naomi Schiff disagreed on Alpine’s surprise driver move. Chandhok says Alpine had to release Ocon amid a mess ‘behind the scenes’.
Ocon has claimed that his car is inferior to Gasly’s, though he hasn’t alleged foul play. This may have offended some of his mechanics and engineers.
His proclivity for crashing into his teammate may also have hurt his reputation. He’s collided with the sister car on six occasions during his career, including two incidents with his fellow countryman.
Still, Schiff is concerned about Doohan ahead of his debut. He enters a high-pressure situation, with the Enstone team defending a five-point lead over Haas in the battle for sixth.
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