THE DRIVER MARKET AT THE FRONT OF THE GRID
Valtteri Bottas is not the only driver in the big three teams whose future is uncertain; only two of the six seats are locked in for 2019 – Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari and Max Verstappen at Red Bull.
Lewis Hamilton said earlier this year that he anticipated having a new deal signed by the Australian Grand Prix. That’s yet to happen, but the expectation is that a deal will be completed.
“There aren’t any sticking points, there just hasn’t been any rush,” said Hamilton in Monaco last month. “There’s no discussion with anybody else.”
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is relatively relaxed – even if he would rest easier knowing that his star driving asset is locked in.
“It’s a funny situation because we have been discussing for a long time,” said Wolff. “We get together and sort things out and then get busy in our daily jobs. We have great confidence in each other, nobody is pressuring each other.”
Daniel Ricciardo is also out of contract and hasn’t been shy about inviting interest from Ferrari and Mercedes, but is widely expected to remain at Red Bull. Except in the unlikely event that Hamilton were to pitch a curveball and leave Mercedes.
As for Ferrari, the Vettel/kimi Raikkonen axis seems to suit all parties, especially as Raikkonen has performed consistently this season. Charles Leclerc is starring for Sauber, so it’s not impossible he could be promoted to Ferrari in 2019, but the team has tended to be conservative in its driver choices and will likely give him another season to learn.