Just two seats are left open on the 2023 Formula 1 grid – but it may be a while yet before we know the identity of the drivers who will fill them.
'Silly season' has been a particularly surprising one. It all began with the surprise news of Fernando Alonso quitting Alpine for Aston Martin, to replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel after his current employers failed to offer him the long-term deal he was after at the age of 41.
Then there was the Oscar Piastri fiasco – things didn't go to plan when Alpine tried to promote the 2021 F2 champion to a race seat. As it turned out, a month earlier he had signed a contract with their main midfield rivals McLaren, and after a legal battle the Contracts Recognition Board ruled he would be allowed to make the move.
And so, the identity of the man who would drive alongside Esteban Ocon at Alpine next year has remained the key piece of the rest of the jigsaw. All the while the Enstone team tried to find their top choice for a third time this season, the others still to fill their seats were forced to wait.
That was especially true for AlphaTauri, once Alpine decided Pierre Gasly was their man. But Red Bull were not willing to allow the Frenchman to leave a year earlier than his contract allowed unless they replaced him with someone "exciting". As such, Gasly's move looked dead in the water after Colton Herta's proposed F1 switch was blocked by the FIA.
But then they went for Nyck de Vries instead and the 26-year-old could make his Alpine switch after all. Those two deals were confirmed at the weekend in Japan, meaning we are now on the home straight when it comes to completing the 2023 grid.
Only Williams and Haas have a seat left open for next year now. But fans face waiting a while yet before finding out exactly who will be racing for those two teams, with Mick Schumacher's future uncertain and Nicholas Latifi set to be dropped from the sport.
On theme with the rest of silly season this year, neither of them are in a rush to fill those vacancies. But of the two, Haas look the most likely to blink first – Mirror Sport understands their current driver Schumacher is one of Williams' top choices if the American-backed team chooses not to keep the son of seven-time world champion Michael.
Haas chief Guenther Steiner has made it clear he has not felt the need to rush this decision. He could still decide to keep faith with Schumacher, though fellow German Nico Hulkenberg is a strong contender to replace him – Daniel Ricciardo no longer looks to be a candidate after he told reporters he will most likely not be on the grid next year.
So unless another name emerges as a major contender, Haas look likely to have one of the two Germans as their partner to Kevin Magnussen next year. If they opt for the experience of Hulkenberg for a year or two, then Williams may jump on that and hand Schumacher the lifeline he would need to remain in F1.
But their decision might not come until after the season is over. That is because the other major contender for the seat, F2 racer Logan Sargeant, still needs to meet FIA superlicence requirements and it will not be known if he has enough points until after the final race in Abu Dhabi.
So it may well be after that season finale that the 2023 grid is finalised once and for all. We don't know for sure who will fill those last two seats, but Schumacher looks likely to be in one of them while Ricciardo will be a much-missed absentee.
