2025 F1 Predictions: Top 5 driver moves by the end of the season

The 2025 F1 grid is a result of a major shakeup with only two teams coming into the season with the same driver lineup that it had in 2024. Unlike last year, where the grid basically carried over from the one we had in 2023, 2025 has as many as 6 drivers competing in their first full season.

What this also means is that there aren't many drivers whose contracts are due to expire at the end of the season. With that being said, in F1, driver contracts are just not worth the paper they're written on. Drastic things happen over a 24-race calendar, and what that also does is need just one domino to fall and then see the entire thing collapse.

More often than not, one big move leads to another in the sport, and as we head into the 2025 F1 season, where things might be more intense than they have been in the past, we could potentially see such a domino effect as well. In this piece, we're predicting 5 driver moves that could potentially get announced during the season.

#5 Franco Colapinto to Alpine

This one seems more and more likely, and it wouldn't come as a surprise if the Argentine finds himself in an Alpine very early in the 2025 F1 season. Franco Colapinto has been hired by Flavio Briatore, and if the Italian has been willing enough to invest in a talent, he would not be keeping him on the sidelines.

Instead, the focus would be on giving the driver the opportunity in the car. This is exactly what the reports have suggested, as the writing seems to be on the wall for Jack Doohan.

It's almost a foregone conclusion that Colapinto would replace Doohan at Alpine, and it won't come as a surprise to anyone if he does it even before the season is done.

#4 Lance Stroll leaves F1 for WEC

Now, it's time for the spicy ones! First on the list is Lance Stroll finally deciding that it's time to move on from F1. This would be his third season alongside the epitome of consistency in Fernando Alonso, and this would also be on the verge of a regulations change where Aston Martin has to be as ready as it could be for a potential title charge.

Another year of losing to an experienced Fernando Alonso in a car that would continue to expose him is not easy for anyone mentally, and that's where the Canadian could potentially draw the line.

Aston Martin is spreading its wings in WEC, and Lance could potentially take a step back from F1 and be a part of a series that is possibly less demanding than being Fernando Alonso's teammate for a 24-race calendar.

#3 Yuki Tsunoda to Red Bull, replacing Liam Lawson, Arvid Lindblad to RB

There's a world in which this could happen, and that world is the one where Liam Lawson ends up getting battered by Max Verstappen. If Yuki Tsunoda, on the other hand, establishes his dominance over Isak Hadjar, who is still in his rookie F1 season, Red Bull's hand would be forced into picking the Japanese driver, who is still a known entity.

Liam Lawson's promotion has been haphazard, and in a way, it's safe to say that his career has not been handled in the best possible way. If the Kiwi does crumble next to Max Verstappen and the situation becomes untenable, it would make a lot of sense to give Yuki Tsunoda an opportunity and see how he fares.

At the same time, it's safe to say that Arvid Lindblad is more or less a lock at RB in 2026. The young teenager has already acquired his super license points, and if the start of this F2 season sees him perform well, it won't come as a surprise to see him at Racing Bulls in 2025 as well.

#2 George Russell to Aston Martin

As we move through the grid, let's not forget that George Russell's contract is up for renewal at the end of the season. While the British driver did establish himself as the team leader at Mercedes, with Kimi Antonelli joining the team and garnering most of the attention, one has to question where Russell fits into the equation.

If there is a sense that Russell is getting sidelined and he sees young Antonelli gaining more and more of the attention at Mercedes, he could decide to make a move elsewhere. With Lance Stroll's seat left vacant and Max Verstappen highly unlikely to make a move to that team in 2026, George Russell would be the ideal candidate for such a move.

#1 Carlos Sainz to Mercedes

Finally, with George Russell making a move to Aston Martin, a seat at Mercedes would be open, and Toto Wolff would want to put an experienced driver in that seat who has put together strong results recently. The driver that does fit the bill here is Carlos Sainz.

The Spaniard has been reported to have an exit clause if one of the top teams comes calling, and with a seat available, Sainz does become one of the better options on the F1 grid.