Eight seats are yet to be confirmed on the 2026 Formula 1 grid as discussions rumble on over new contracts or new signings across the field.

Mercedes are the highest team in the championship yet to announce whether George Russell and Kimi Antonelli will remain beyond this year.

Yuki Tsunoda‘s seat at Red Bull is far from certain and his future will inevitably impact what happens to Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar at Racing Bulls.

Alpine’s Franco Colapinto is also not secure, then there is the matter of new entry Cadillac who have not named their first driver line-up.

Sky Sports F1 takes a look at which drivers are likely to fill those remaining seats.

Russell and Antonelli expected to keep Mercedes seats

Speculation around Max Verstappen’s future in July about a shock move to Mercedes raised eyebrows if you were in Russell or Antonelli’s camp.

However, Verstappen confirmed ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix at the end of last month he would remain at Red Bull. Verstappen has a Red Bull contract until 2028 but it is understood to have performance clauses.

With Verstappen to Mercedes now off the cards, at least for 2026, expect Russell and Antonelli to get new contracts. However, there is unlikely to be an announcement before the next F1 race at Zandvoort.

“I’m going straight on holiday, I’m going to do 10 days off!” Russell told Sky Sports F1 after the Hungarian Grand Prix.

“He [Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff] has got nothing to be worried about, I’ve got nothing to be worried about.

“Nothing is going to happen in the summer because I want to have a rest, recharge and come back stronger for the second half of the year.

“I don’t want to rush it. I’ve been waiting 12 months. I’m not just going to rush it over the course of two weeks. We will sit down when the time is right.”

Russell also stated “there is no time pressure” so is he inferring that the negotiating power is now in his hands and he can push for a longer multi-year contract to ensure Mercedes don’t replace him with Verstappen for 2027? That will be the fascinating detail to look out for.

Antonelli’s current contract also runs out at the end of this year, but his performances offer him less of an advantage when it comes to a new deal. However, Mercedes have effectively raised the 18-year-old to get him into F1 and the team continue to back Antonelli.

What about Red Bull and Racing Bulls?

Nearly seven years after Daniel Ricciardo left Red Bull, they have not found a driver who can be consistently close to Verstappen and Tsunoda is the latest driver to struggle alongside the Dutchman.

Team principal Laurent Mekies’ first major driver decision will be whether he decides to give Tsunoda another chance, promote Hadjar or even go outside of the Red Bull stable.

Red Bull have never re-promoted a driver after demoting them, so it’s hard to see Lawson return to the main team after his two race weekends as Verstappen’s team-mate at the start of 2025.

If Tsunoda can string together two or three strong results, that might be enough to earn a new contract and bring stability to Red Bull.

Asked by Sky Sports F1 about the second Red Bull seat, Mekies said: “The priority is to give Yuki what he needs to perform. With regards to the second seat, that’s where the priority is. It’s what the team is concentrated on.

“They have been trying that for a number of races now. We are trying to find ways together to make a further step. Spa was very positive, certainly from that perspective, Hungary was a tricky weekend overall, so it’s probably a bit more difficult to judge.

“But there is no reason why Yuki’s performance cannot be what we have seen in the past. And that’s what we are concentrated on right now.”

Uncertainty about Red Bull’s competitiveness next year with the new 2026 regulations and their downward trend makes them a less attractive team to join for any driver right now.

Red Bull are abandoning Honda to build their own power unit from next year in partnership with Ford and new engine manufacturers, history shows, lack performance compared to the established outfits such as Mercedes or Ferrari.

Who are Cadillac looking to sign?

Last month, Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon revealed they are in “advancing discussions” with a “number of drivers”.

Cadillac are joining the grid as the 11th team next season, with the project launched in partnership with American automotive giant General Motors and TWG Global, who also have interests in sporting entities including Chelsea and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The addition of two new seats to the F1 grid from next year has, according to Lowdon, led to Cadillac being contacted by “a long list of very, very good drivers who are keen” since their entry was confirmed in March.

After losing their respective places on the grid at the end of last season, multiple race winners Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas are thought to be among the leading contenders.

Bottas, who is currently in a third driver role at Mercedes after losing his Sauber race seat at the end of last season, caused a stir on social media last month when he posted a video of himself next to a Cadillac road car and posed the question: “Do we like this seat?”

Former Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu and Aston Martin reserve Felipe Drugovich have also been linked with Cadillac.

If Cadillac sign an American driver, it will be 20-year-old Jak Crawford who is enjoying his best Formula 2 campaign yet after seven podiums, including three wins, to be second in the Drivers’ Championship behind Ireland’s Alex Dunne.

In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News from their UK base at Silverstone, Lowdon said: “The good thing is we know a lot of the drivers who are out there.

“Both the younger guys who have been coming up through Formula 2 and also the more established drivers who have a lot of Formula 1 experience. We talk to these people all of the time and we try and spend time in the paddock as well.”

Bottas and Perez have also been linked to Alpine, so if one, or both, miss out on the Cadillac seat, they will be a front-runner to replace Colapinto at Alpine.

Colapinto will need to impress Alpine in the final 10 rounds to keep his seat and save his F1 career.

Formula 1 returns after the summer break with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on August 29-31, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime