Daniel Ricciardo is the wild card, Nyck de Vries is the key, and Guenther Steiner is the mystery for the final 4 available seats in F1

Nyck de Vries, a 27-year-old reserve driver, appears to be the decisive factor for at least three of the four undetermined Formula One slots for the 2023 season.

Tuesday, Alfa Romeo announced that Zhou Guanyu has renewed his contract and will remain with the team through 2023. There are now 17 drivers under contract for the 20 available slots next season. Four, though, remain uncertain, including one at AlphaTauri, where Pierre Gasly is under contract but a move is possible.

For Alpine, AlphaTauri, and Williams, there are still two plausible alternatives and one less likely possibility, but they all rely on where de Vries resides next season.

Scenario 1: de Vries signs with AlphaTauri Nyck de Vries has a conversation with Pierre Gasly (left).

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This is the most probable outcome.

The Race’s Mark Hughes and Scott Mitchell-Malm report that Alpine has agreed to buy out the final year of Pierre Gasly’s contract with AlphaTauri, allowing him to join the French team. However, team principal Franz Tost stated that would only be the case if the team received permission to recruit American IndyCar driver Colton Herta, which now appears unlikely given the FIA has denied him a Super License exemption.

According to a new Dutch report, Gasly may still be permitted to join Alpine provided AlphaTauri signs de Vries.

A French story reportedly connected de Vries to the sister squad of Red Bull.

After his impressive performance at Monza, de Vries would appear to be Williams’ main contender to replace Nicholas Latifi. If Williams is unable to acquire de Vries, they will likely turn to Williams Driver Academy member Logan Sargeant, who finished a remarkable third in F2 this season and is an American.

De Vries signs with Alpine Logan Sargeant in Scenario 2.

Rudy Carezzevoli – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited courtesy of Getty Images

Despite being the first team to enter the Silly Season driver market, Alpine is taking its time to fill the seat left vacant by Fernando Alonso’s unexpected departure to Aston Martin.

One explanation may be the increasing supply of de Vries. If de Vries does not sign with AlphaTauri, he is likely to sign with Alpine, where he will receive testing time in the closing weeks of the current season.

If this occurs, Gasly will remain with AlphaTauri, while Williams will once more turn to Sargeant.

Three, de Vries signs with Williams
Nyck de Vries made his Formula One debut as a Williams substitute at Monza.

Following his ninth-place finish at Monza, de Vries would appear to be Williams’ top pick. However, they may need to outbid AlphaTauri and Alpine, whose vehicles are more competitive.

If Williams is able to acquire AlphaTauri, Gasly will continue with AlphaTauri.

Jack Doohan, an Australian F2 driver and Alpine junior driver, would become Alpine’s possible Plan C in this situation. Even if it might be a year early than the organization would desire, F1TV’s Will Buxton recently identified him as the “frontrunner.”

The mystique — Haas Guenther Steiner

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While the other teams appear to have a fairly clear direction, Haas appears to be confused and unsure of what they want to do.

Mick Schumacher is not under contract, and it is widely believed that his time with Haas is limited. Guenther Steiner, however, has not ruled him out for 2023, stating that he has a “50-50” chance of returning. On the other hand, Steiner has stated that anyone without a Super License contract is on their radar.

Former Formula One drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Antonio Giovinazzi are “very much in the running,” according to F1TV’s Lawrence Barretto. Giovinazzi is currently the favorite to return to F1 and land at Haas, according to an update provided by Will Buxton at the Italian Grand Prix, who stated that Gio’s agency is “very, very optimistic” it will occur. Hulkenberg is the current reserve driver for Aston Martin, whereas Giovinazzi finished last in Formula E with nil points.

Daniel Ricciardo, the wild card, is a
The ‘Honeybadger’ has gotten off to a rocky start at McLaren.

Ricciardo sounds as if he will not be competing in Formula One next season. If this occurs, it could be the end of his Formula One career.

Still, it would not be surprising if someone gambled on the brilliant driver who underperformed at McLaren this season.

According to ESPN’s Nate Saunders, Steiner reportedly called Ricciardo before the summer break to explore his desire to join Haas. Steiner remains open to the possibility, but stated that he would not pursue Ricciardo until the Australian called him to express interest.

Ricciardo has stated that he will not take a seat for the sake of taking a seat, indicating that he is holding out for a competitive car, even if it means waiting a year. This appears to diminish Haas’s chances and eliminate Williams entirely.

Ricciardo was rumored to return to Alpine, where he drove when the team was known as Renault, and this might still occur if they fail to sign Gasly and determine Doohan is not ready. However, Haas remains the most likely landing location for Ricciardo if he decides to remain in F1, mostly because Haas could still do anything at this moment.