Just this morning, Red Bull Racing extended Isack Hadjar for the 2027 season, hours before he will return to track after a wrist injury. His contract renewal closes one of the biggest questions of the silly season and leaves the 2027 grid almost full and finished. Only three teams haven't confirmed a pairing.
Hadjar's deal was announced this Wednesday morning. Verstappen will finally keep the same teammate for a second season, which hasn't happened since Pérez was dropped at the end of 2024. Mekies said that Isack has been great on and off track, especially considering this is only his second season in F1. He said that his performance made renewing his contract an easy decision for the team.
How did Hadjar earn to keep his position with the team? For starters, he has scored 71 points and is sitting eighth in the championship, despite missing three races. He also took a podium at Monaco in only his sixth appearance for the team. Lastly, he had seven straight top-six finishes before his injury, and he was qualifying within about two tenths of Verstappen.
Now, for the three remaining teams: Haas, Aston Martin, and Racing Bulls. They are the only teams without an official driver lineup for the 2027 season. For Racing Bulls, Lawson and Lindblad are likely favorites to continue driving for the team through 2027. As for Aston Martin, Stroll is expected to stay, and Alonso is looking increasingly likely to be back for the 2027 season as well. Nothing official, but nothing surprising either.
As for Haas, Ocon said himself today, Wednesday 9/23, that he is a "free agent for next year." He was asked if he was going to stay at Haas for the upcoming season and his answer was "Let's see." Nothing confirmed on this either, but it's not looking too promising for Ocon.
As for the candidates who could take his spot, Ferrari junior Rafael Câmara has been reported as the frontrunner, with reigning F2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli, along with reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa in the mix as well. Another contender for the spot is Jack Doohan, Haas' reserve driver, who tested at Jerez. Now while having him do some running and testing isn't unusual, it's still another name in a queue that's getting crowded.
The 2027 grid is basically done. One seat, one Frenchman, and a queue behind him.