Nine drivers without a contract for 2027: Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson at Red Bull and Racing Bulls, Arvid Lindblad at Racing Bulls, Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon at Haas, Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto at Audi, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll at Aston Martin. At the post, a driver without a contract is someone who hasn’t signed the sign-in sheet. You don’t let him on track without that.
The heated room says nobody has a pen, but everybody has a seat. I know how that goes. The sheet goes round, nobody signs, and yet every seat is filled. That’s the driver market: everyone waits for the first one to write his name, and since nobody moves, we all stay standing in the corridor, badge and thermos in hand.
Thirteen drivers already signed, nine waiting. The document exists, the “signature” column stays empty. I don’t sign for other people. I note. Nothing further to report.
Max Verstappen has extended to 2030. As soon as he signed, everyone went quiet. They call it the green flag that freezes the field: nobody makes a move, nobody wants to be the first to take a risk. Someone has to get going.
Meanwhile, some already have their hand on the pen. At Audi, they say they are satisfied with Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, whose options may already have been taken up. Oliver Bearman would reportedly stay at Haas, there being no seat at Ferrari. And for Lance Stroll, whose father remains the owner of Aston Martin, a fresh confirmation is expected.
But signing is not announcing. As long as the column stays empty, we wait. A double yellow is respected. Same as a signature: you don’t lift it until someone puts his name down. Nothing further to report.
It’s true, we checked: Nextgen-Auto.
