Questions are now being asked as to who the drivers are
Formula One fans have been left in limbo after reports emerged that two unnamed teams are set to swap their drivers midway through the season.
Although there has been no indication about which teams are involved in the trade, questions are now being asked, with many just guessing names at this point.
Lewis Hamilton has been at the centre of the speculation
Some speculation has even touted that Lewis Hamilton could be one of the drivers who could be set for a change mid-season, given his awful start to the campaign with Mercedes.
The seven-time world champion endured another torrid weekend in Imola as he once again struggled to find any form of pace during practice and qualifying on Friday, as well as Saturday’s sprint session.
Hamilton’s fortunes failed to improve on race day as he settled for 13th place on the grid and was also lapped by winner Max Verstappen.
His difficult start to the 2022 season has now led to rumours that he may call time on life at Mercedes sooner rather than later, however, it is unlikely he would leave mid-season.
But according to F1 journalist Alberta Fabrega, there is set to be a shake-up on the grid, with talks already underway between the respective parties.
“The market is moving and something is happening,” he said before adding: “I am not surprised by those who leave, but I am surprised by those who arrive. Well, it is a change of drivers between teams.”
🚨 ATENCIÓN a la BOMBA que suelta @AlbertFabrega en su directo
"Se está moviendo ya el mercado. Se están moviendo cosas pero no lo puedo decir porque me dijeron que no dijera nada."
"El que sale no me sorprende, el q llega sí. […] Bueno, es un cambio de pilotos entre equipos" pic.twitter.com/gg70yrV0af
— ElReyGuiri (@ElReyGuiri) April 24, 2022
Who else has been touted for a possible swap on the grid?
One of the possible driver swaps being talked about is between Daniel Ricciardo of McClaren and Pierre Gasly of AlphaTauri. Ricciardo has failed to live up to the hype since his move from Renault in 2021 and continues to be well behind Lando Norris regularly.
The Australian has just 11 points to his name in the driver’s championships this season and having previously raced for Red Bull, who have strong links to AlphaTauri, a move wouldn’t seem implausible.
Gasly, however, has been impressive on the track and over-performed for AlphaTauri last season, finishing with almost three times as many points as teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
Sesbatian Vettel of Aston Martin is also rumoured to be one of those in contention to swap seats, potentially moving to Williams while Alex Albon takes his position.
However, Fabrega’s supposed insider has also touted the idea of a driver not currently assigned to a team taking over from the four-time world champion, which could spell an end to the 34-year-old’s F1 career.
Williams’ Nicolas Latifi could also be one who is replaced following his poor start to the season and could even be swapped out for promising Formula Two driver, Oscar Piastri.
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