When does each 2026 F1 driver's contract expire?

Save for the significant arrival of a new Formula 1 team and two returning drivers, there were scarcely any changes to the grid for 2026.

But that could all change over the remainder of the season, as more than 50% of the field are due to be out of contract come the end of the year.

Here's what you need to know about when each driver's contract ends.

McLaren

Lando Norris - 2027
Oscar Piastri - 2028

Norris's current deal - announced in January 2024 - confirmed he would be with the team until the end of 2026 along with Piastri, although the "long-term" wording used by McLaren means Norris is likely tied up for the 2027 season, too.

Piastri extended his contract in March 2025 with a "multi-year" deal that you'd suspect will keep him at McLaren until the end of 2028 at least.

Mercedes

George Russell - 2027
Kimi Antonelli - 2026

F1 2026's two title protagonists were only officially confirmed for this season in October last year.

Russell's contract is understood to run into 2027, though the way it was presented could still leave both team and driver free to do something different next year.

Red Bull

Max Verstappen - 2030
Isack Hadjar - 2026

After months (well, years) of speculation about Verstappen's future at the team, Red Bull made the surprise announcement ahead of the 2026 Dutch GP that the four-time F1 champion had agreed a new deal that is due to keep him there until 2030.

Hadjar was brought into the Red Bull line-up at the expense of Yuki Tsunoda - that announcement stated only that he would be part of the 2026 line-up - and has compared reasonably well to Verstappen in his first season in the senior team, even if the car's overall competitiveness has been a limiting factor.

Ferrari

Charles Leclerc - 2030+
Lewis Hamilton - 2027

In announcing Charles Leclerc's deal had been renewed, Ferrari released an ambiguous statement ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix that was light on details and stated merely that he would "continue to wear the team's colours for the coming seasons".

As Leclerc's existing arrangement (also publicly announced at the time only as being for "several more seasons") was in place until 2029, The Race understands that the new deal is an extension to that and as such will keep him at Ferrari until beyond 2030 - the current longest F1 driver contract.

While the length of Lewis Hamilton's contract has never been made official, it was widely accepted to be a two-year-minimum affair and the seven-time champion said at the recent Canadian GP that he was committed at least until the end of 2027.

Williams

Alex Albon - 2027
Carlos Sainz - 2028

Williams used the week leading up to the Dutch GP to separately announce that both drivers would be staying on beyond the end of the 2026 season.

In the case of Albon, his deal was presented as an "extension" for 2027 - although his existing contract was thought to cover next year already. The Race understands no new racing contract had been agreed and, instead, that the 2027 confirmation relates to exit clauses that existed in the contract.

Sainz, meanwhile, agreed a multi-year contract extension that did not specify the length of his contract but will include options over forthcoming years.

Racing Bulls

Liam Lawson - 2026
Arvid Lindblad - 2026

Lawson regrouped well following his demotion to Racing Bulls just two rounds into the 2025 season, sufficiently so that he was retained for 2026.

Lindblad, the only rookie in this year's field, scored points on an eye-catching debut at the Australian GP and added to his tally in the Canadian GP sprint race.

They have been presented as Racing Bulls's drivers for 2026 only.

Aston Martin

Fernando Alonso - 2026
Lance Stroll - 2026

Two-time champion Alonso and Stroll are currently contracted only until the end of a gruelling first year (that is at least on an upward trajectory) of Aston Martin's works partnership with Honda.

Haas

Ollie Bearman - 2026
Esteban Ocon - 2026

Though both Bearman and Ocon are contracted until the end of the current season, Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu recently had to shut down "bulls***" speculation of a rift between Ocon and himself, and the possibility of a mid-season split.

Audi

Nico Hulkenberg - "multi-year"
Gabriel Bortoleto - "multi-year"

Audi's having a mixed first season in F1 - with a decent turn of speed being paired with more reliability issues than it would like - and should really have more points on the board than the two Bortoleto scored at the season opener.

The 21-year-old is racing alongside Hulkenberg for a second season, following the team's transition from Sauber into the works team.

Hulkenberg's deal includes 2025 and 2026, though reports have suggested 2027 is in the mix as well.

Alpine

Pierre Gasly - 2028
Franco Colapinto - 2027

Gasly's Alpine deal was extended further into the future in the second half of the 2025 campaign.

Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore initially held out on committing to Colapinto - keeping his options open in case Verstappen moved to Mercedes and one of Russell or Antonelli became available - but the 23-year-old has since been retained for 2027, which will be his second full campaign in F1.

Cadillac

Sergio Perez - 2027
Valtteri Bottas - 2027

Grand prix veterans Perez and Bottas were both signed on "multi-year" deals that brought them back to the grid with the new Cadillac team.

Perez has generally been the more impressive of the two so far in 2026, though speculation that Bottas's place could be at risk - for now or for 2027 - appears to be wide of the mark.