Rumor: de Vries to Williams, Bottas to Aston Martin?
One man who was making the rounds in Budapest was Nyck de Vries, the Mercedes Formula E driver and an F1 reserve.
He would like to drive at a Mercedes team but Mercedes motorsports boss Toto Wolff is pushing him toward Williams, replacing George Russell who is strongly rumored to be taking Valtteri Bottas’ seat at Mercedes.
Below he is seen talking to Wolff in the Hungary paddock.
One really crazy rumor we heard last weekend was Lance Stroll becoming a Reserve Driver for the Mercedes team with the goal of moving him up alongside George Russel in two years when Lewis Hamilton retires. This would give the Mercedes team two relatively young drivers good for the next 5 to 10 years.
We find that to be a bit far-fetched as we can’t see Stroll leaving his father’s team. However, this then allows Mercedes to place Bottas at Aston Martin alongside Sebastian Vettel – a better option than Williams.
Mark C. reporting for AutoRacing1.com
| 2022 F1 Silly Season Page | ||||||
| Team | Engine | No. | Driver | Nat. | Rating | Comments |
| Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen | Ferrari | 7 | Kimi Raikkonen | Finland | Speculation | Kimi has had a rough season and says he doesn’t care who replaces him. |
| 47 | Mick Schumacher | Germany | Speculation | Schumacher is contracted to Ferrari. Do they keep him at Haas or move him to Alfa? | ||
| 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Finland | Speculation | Reportedly, Bottas has already spoken with Alfa about a 2022 seat. | ||
| 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Italy | Speculation | Giovinazzi is unsure of his future. | ||
| 53 | Callum Ilott | England | Speculation | Ilott one of many linked to Alfa Romeo | ||
| Alpha Tauri | Red Bull | 10 | Pierre Gasly | France | Strong | Gasly would like to go back to the senior Red Bull team but Alpha Tauri seems more likely. |
| 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Japan | Strong | Franz Tost seemed to suggest Tsunoda would get a second year with Alpha Tauri. | ||
| Alpine F1 Team | Renault | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Spain | Strong | It appears Alpine has an option on Alonso for 2022. |
| 31 | Esteban Ocon | France | Fact | Ocon re-signed with Alpine in June. | ||
| Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team | Mercedes | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Germany | Strong | Vettel is all but confirmed. |
| 18 | Lance Stroll | Canada | Strong | No confirmation, but Stroll could move to Mercedes as a Reserve Driver | ||
| 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Finland | Speculation | If Stroll goes to Mercedes then Bottas could replace him | ||
| Ferrari | Ferrari | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Monaco | Fact | Leclerc signed through 2024. |
| 55 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Spain | Fact | Sainz all set at Ferrari for 2022. | ||
| Haas F1 Team | Ferrari | 9 | Nikita Mazepin | Russia | Fact | Mazepin is signed for 2022. |
| 47 | Mick Schumacher | Germany | Strong | Schumacher is contracted to Ferrari. Do they keep him at Haas or move him to Alfa? | ||
| McLaren F1 Team | Mercedes | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Australia | Fact | Ricciardo signed for 2022. |
| 4 | Lando Norris | England | Fact | Norris inked a multi-year deal with the team in May. | ||
| Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team | Mercedes | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | England | Fact | Hamilton is signed for 2022. |
| 63 | George Russell | England | Strong | If you believe Gunther Steiner, Russell is headed to Mercedes in 2022. | ||
| 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Finland | Speculation | Despite the lack of performance, there are many who believe Bottas will stay. | ||
| Red Bull Racing | Red Bull | 11 | Sergio Perez | Mexico | Strong | Perez has endured a difficult stretch recently, but we expect he returns for a second year. |
| 33 | Max Verstappen | Netherlands | Fact | Verstappen is all set for 2022. | ||
| 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Finland | Speculation | Seems doubtful, but one rumor had Bottas possibly headed to Red Bull. | ||
| Williams Racing | Mercedes | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | Canada | Speculation | Not much word on Latifi for 2022. |
| 26 | Daniil Kvyat | Russia | Speculation | Kvyat has been linked to Williams. | ||
| 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Germany | Speculation | Hulkenberg has been linked to Williams | ||
| 63 | George Russell | England | Speculation | Williams doesn’t sound optimistic about keeping the talented Russell. | ||
| 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Finland | Speculation | Add Williams to the list of teams Bottas is linked to. | ||
| 45 | Guanyu Zhou | China | Speculation | Chinese F2 driver linked to Williams. | ||
| 21 | Nyck de Vries | Netherlands | Strong | The Formula E driver is one of many linked with Williams. | ||