F1 2023 driver market update - the key issues still to be resolved

Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Aston Martin hav♏e all got their driver pairings sorted for F1 2023.
Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas, Kevin Magnussen and Alex Albon will all lead their respecﷺtive teams’ charges next season but the identity of their teammates are still unknown.
How will things play out?
AlphaTauri
Starting with AlphaTauri, Red Bull’s junior team have already confirmed Pierre Gasly for next se🐼ason.
However, with Fernando Alonso moving to Aston Martin,🐲 Alpine are in need of a replacement.
Gasly is the firm favourite to replace Alonso, leaving💧 at least one vacanc♔y at AlphaTauri.

AlphaTauri are expected to retain Yuki Tsunoda for 2023 but 🌃are looking for a sꦚecond driver.
Highly-rated IndyCar star Colton Herta is at the top of Red Bull’s wishlist but that depends on the FIA’s giving him specia🦩l dispensation to race as he doesn’t have the required super licence points.
Given that F1 wants an American driver and Herta is clear provℱen in 💫IndyCar, surely it will happen eventually.
Alpine
Alpine have their eye⛦s set on Gasly, but what if that doesn’t happen?
If AlphaTauri are unable to find an adequate replacement for the French✃man, Christian Horner confirmed at Zandvoort then they wouldn’t let Gasly go.
Outside of Gasly, Alpine could opt to reunite with Daniel Ric♔ciardo - he drove for the team in 2019 and 2020 when it was called Renault.

Mick Schumacher ✅is also a potential option and 💯is Ocon’s favoured choice.
Sauber juniꩲor Theo Pourchaire is rated highly by Alpine but would be a riskier choice.
Similarl𓆉y with Alpine’s own junior driver, Jack Doohan, who probably needs another year in F2.
Haas
Haas have yet to confirm Mick Schumacher for next year, with Guenther Steiner reiterating that the 💜team is in no rush to decide Magnussen’s teammate for 2023.
Former Alfa Romeo driver Antonio Giovinazzi will drive for the team in two FP1 sessions, giving ♏the team crucial data about the Italian’s performance levels and whether he would be an upgrade on Schumacher.
In Schumacher’s defence, since his maiden 💫points finish at Silverstone, he’s enjoyed a notable improvement in pace and consistency, often being the quicker of the two Haas drivers.
Given the choice between Schumacher and Giovinaz🔯zi, the former is doing enough as of late to remain in F1.
Alfa Romeo
Team boss Frederic Vasseur has expre💃ssed🌳 his desire to keep Zhou Guanyu alongside Bottas.
While Zhou’s points tally is minimal, his improved form coincided with Alfa Romeo’s downturn in performance relative to the midfieldꦕ.

Zhou has managed tಌo out-qualify Bottas in recent rounds and has proven to be a capable driver in his rookie season.
Vasseur co🦂nfirmed at Zandvoort that a decision would be💜 made at the end of the month, likely to be Zhou.
Williams
Finally, Williams still🅺 need to decide who will team up with Albon in 2023.
With Piastri no longer on the driver market, t♌h🧸e Grove team have limited options.
꧂Nicholas Latifi has been told that his fu𒀰ture is in his own hands but he has shown very few signs of improving.
Logan Sargeant, who’s part of Williams’ academy, is a potential option but will need to finish the F2 season strongly to obtain the required amount of super licence po💃ints.
Formula E champion Nyck de Vries is another potential candidate and was tipped to join the team before Albon got the drive, how🌃ever, given that he’s driving for Aston Martin in FP1 at Monza, that seems less likely.


With a sharp eye for F1’s controversies and storylines, Connor is the heartbeat of our unbꦆiased reporting.