Now that the inaugural Model F1 season is in the books, it’s time to start wildly speculating on what the teams will do, driver wise, in 2016. I’m not including potential teams this time around.

Manor

Current drivers: Max Chilton, Sergei Sirotkin

Manor had a tough season. They came out with only 5 points, all attributed to Chilton. On paper both drivers should be fairly equal, but Sirotkin has failed to keep up with Chilton. Both drivers are however pay drivers, which begs the question if Manor can afford to let either go. A great target for Manor could be to replace Sirotkin with Esteban Gutierrez – Another pay driver who’s currently available but looks to have better stats.

Wild guess for 2016: Esteban Gutierrez, Max Chilton

J-Sport BRM

Current drivers: Felipe Massa, Robin Frijns

BRM had a tumultuous season and were unable to keep up with the other Band B teams. Rumors are circulating that neither driver will be retained for 2016. They’ll be looking to sign a strong first driver, and perhaps a pay driver to boost the team coordinates.

Wild guess for 2016: Daniil Kvyat, Sergei Sirotkin

Toro Rosso

Current drivers: Kimi Raikkonen, Esteban Ocon

Toro Rosso came only 7 points short of beating Lotus in the Constructors Championship. Both drivers secured decent amounts of points considering the team budget. The team seem to be in an okay shape, and could possibly keep the same lineup.

Wild guess for 2016: Kimi Raikkonen, Esteban Ocon

Lotus

Current drivers: Sergio Perez, Roberto Merhi

Lotus has a solid first driver in Perez, who brings in both decent stats and extra benefits as a pay driver. Merhi also brings in a pay driver bonus, but not enough to counter his below average stats. Lotus could bolster their crew by dropping Merhi in favor of Juan Pablo Montoya or Kamui Kobayashi, however both those drivers are heading towards the end of their careers, while Merhi received an upgrade in the Midseason Driver Update.

Wild guess for 2016: Sergio Perez, Roberto Merhi

Sauber

Current drivers: Lewis Hamilton, Nicolas Prost

Sauber’s Hamilton will move to a Band A team next season, if we are to believe rumors. With the team winning Band B and possibly having aspirations to become a Band A team, they will no doubt be looking for a strong replacement in form of another top 5 driver. If the trade rumors are true, we’ll see Ricciardo join the team for 2016.

Wild guess for 2016: Daniel Ricciardo, Antonio Felix da Costa

Red Bull

Current drivers: Jenson Button, Kevin Magnussen

Red Bull came in last of the Band A teams after a season plagued by poor results and Button receiving a quite substantial downgrade. With Kevin Magnussen returning to racing in 2016, he is poised to receive upgrades, and it might be time to start focusing on the future. Grosjean is available and would be a great partner for Magnussen.

Wild guess for 2016: Romain Grosjean, Kevin Magnussen

Mercedes

Current drivers: Valtteri Bottas, Nico Hülkenberg

A decent season for the German manufacturer, seeing Bottas setting a record for most consecutive wins. Unfortunately the last half of the season was very underwhelming. The team has a very strong lineup – Arguably the strongest on the grid – and a change don’t seem likely.

Wild guess for 2016: Valtteri Bottas, Nico Hülkenberg

Ferrari

Current drivers: Daniel Ricciardo, Felipe Nasr

Ferrari is the prime target for the rumored Hamilton trade. They’ll want to keep Nasr in the team, taking advantage of his sizable pay driver bonus, making them absolute favorites to take home a title in 2016.

Wild guess for 2016: Lewis Hamilton, Felipe Nasr

McLaren

Current drivers: Fernando Alonso, Max Verstappen

McLaren got off to a great start, taking the lead in both the WCC and WDC early on. However following Alonso’s downgrade they’ve been struggling to consistently score top spots. Verstappen was voted Best Young Driver by the community, and is unlikely to be replaced. The prime target for the team would be Nico Rosberg, who’s both within budget and now has better stats than Alonso.

Wild guess for 2016: Nico Rosberg, Max Verstappen

Williams

Current drivers: Sebastian Vettel, Pastor Maldonado

Williams secured the Drivers’ Championship with Vettel and will without a doubt keep the German in their lineup. Maldonado brings in the biggest pay driver bonus on the grid, but the trade off is low reliability. If they want to go for back to back WDC titles, the bonus he brings will be valuable in giving Ferrari a run for their money – However they might need to do a changeup to have a chance at the WCC. Trading Maldonado to Ferrari in exchange for Nasr, could be a solution, but is very unlikely.

Wild guess for 2016: Sebastian Vettel, Pastor Maldonado