The silly season for 2025 is going to be very interesting because there are far too many viable candidates who are not even in F1 right now. At the same time, there's a plethora of drivers who are out of contract by the end of this season.
What we can expect this season is a major change in terms of driver lineups for 2025. There are quite a few seats that have already been finalized, with Fernando Alonso being the one to commit his future to Aston Martin.
There are, however, a few drivers who might not make it past the 2024 F1 season. In this feature, we will take a look at three of them who are highly unlikely to get a seat next year. Who are they? Let's take a look.
#1 Kevin Magnussen (Haas F1)
Kevin Magnussen has had a decent start to the 2024 F1 season, scoring a point in Australia for Haas. Having said that, what has become quite evident this season is that the gulf between his performances and his teammate Nico Hulkenberg's is just too big.
The qualifying head-to-head is in favor of the German, and even in terms of points, Hulkenberg is clearly ahead. While Nico is expected to go to Sauber/Audi next season, Haas is still keeping its option open.
The biggest among them appears to be Ollie Bearman, who will graduate from F2 next year. To add to this, with Valtteri Bottas not getting an extension at Sauber, he could be looking at a new seat. In that case, Haas could pick him up.
As the pieces of the jigsaw fall into place, one thing that becomes clear is that Kevin Magnussen gets left out. The Danish driver has shown improvements this season, but it does appear that in the grand shuffle that takes place at Haas by the end of the season, Magnussen is the one who gets shuffled out.
#2 Logan Sargeant (Williams)
This is a bit of a no-brainer at this moment because Logan Sargeant has given Williams next to no reason to keep him. Yes, he's been a team player, as he gave his chassis to Alex Albon, but that's about it. The driver has yet to even once finish ahead of his teammate in a session.
The American has had enough chances in F1, he's run a complete season and is in his second year of racing. In a sport with such abundant talent waiting in the wings, you have to question how slow a growth trajectory the sport can be okay with.
Is James Vowles already looking at alternatives? Is Kimi Antonelli an option? These are the burning questions that should worry Logan Sargeant, as he has yet to give James Vowles a reason to keep him beyond the 2025 F1 season.
#3 Zhou Guanyu (Sauber)
Zhou Guanyu got a hero's welcome in the F1 Chinese GP, but somewhere deep inside, he would have been wondering if that was the last time he'd raced in Shanghai. The young driver has been part of the sport for almost three years. During this time, his partnership with Valtteri Bottas has been largely unfulfilling for the team and the drivers.
During the last two years, it's very hard to look at a few races that Zhou has taken part in and claim that the Chinese driver had done something exceptional. There are very few occasions where Zhou has turned heads with his performance either.
When you add to this the fact that Audi will be taking over the entire thing soon and will want superstars in the team, it does make you wonder whether Zhou's future in F1 is uncertain. The clock is ticking for Zhou Guanyu, and it's highly likely we won't see him on the grid in 2025.
