Most of the 2027 grid got settled during the summer break. Ten of the twenty-two seats are locked, and almost all of them are at the front.
For starters, Max Verstappen extended his contract into 2030. After months of speculation and reported performance clauses that could have let him leave, he finally re-signed. That single signature reordered silly season.
Albon signed a one-year extension with Williams for 2027 during the break, following his multi-year deal from previous years. Sainz signed the following day on a multi-year deal of his own.
Leclerc extended his contract ahead of the Monaco GP for what Ferrari called "the coming seasons," reportedly beyond 2030. Hamilton also confirmed his contract at Canada until 2027. Norris is signed through at least 2027, and Piastri's deal is believed to run to 2028.
Mercedes has not signed either of their current drivers, but they are widely expected back. There's just been no official announcement. So technically the current championship leader doesn't have a publicly confirmed seat in 2027.
Hadjar's deal only covers 2026, which technically leaves the second Red Bull seat open. Lawson and Lindblad both have contracts only until 2026 as well. Alonso, Ocon, and the second Alpine seat are open.
The grid is hardening from the top down. Every driver in the championship top five is either signed or expected back. The fights left are for the seats nobody's watching.
Ten seats down, twelve to go, and the driver leading the championship is in one of the twelve.