Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle has named three drivers Mercedes could consider as replacements for the departing Lewis Hamilton.
Mercedes will be getting their thinking caps on quickly as they look set to lose the greatest driver in their history.
Lewis Hamilton is almost certainly moving on at the end of the season, and speaking to Sky Sports News, Martin Brundle has shared his thoughts on where Toto Wolff will be looking next.
It raises an awful lot of questions about Mercedes’s future now that Hamilton has made this decision.
He spotted clear potential in the team 10 years ago when he decided to leave McLaren for the Silver Arrows.
They were a decent midtable team before he arrived but soon went on to dominate the sport.
Lewis Hamilton has won six titles under Toto Wolff’s management but now looks to be bringing his time with the team to an end.
Martin Brundle has now suggested three possible replacements Mercedes might be looking at for 2025.
MORE F1 STORIES
The driver market is going to benefit Mercedes considering more than half of the grid is out of contract at the end of the year.
However, they won’t be short of cash and if they believe the best driver is already under contract, Wolff will make sure they do everything to convince them to join the team.
Brundle names three drivers Mercedes might consider as Hamilton replacements
Asked about the make-up of the team going forward, Brundle said: “Mercedes have George Russell, what a brilliant young talent he is and he’s really ready for the future.
“They can bring somebody else in now, whether it’s a [Carlos] Sainz, an [Alex] Albon, they’ve got access to Esteban Ocon for example.
“Let’s see who else they’re looking around at. But I think both Ferrari and Mercedes must see this like a reset and an opportunity.”
Carlos Sainz is an obvious replacement for Hamilton as he’ll definitely be leaving Ferrari at the end of the year once the announcement is made.
He’s one of the best drivers on the grid and the only driver who broke Red Bull’s winning streak in 2023.
Alex Albon had a terrific season with Williams last year, scoring almost every point for the team as they finished seventh in the Constructors’ Championship.
He’s also out of contract at the end of the season and will be considering his options.
As Brundle says, Ocon’s connection with Mercedes means he’ll be near the top of the list of replacements for Hamilton.
He was a junior driver with the team and they still manage the Frenchman.
That would make any deal straightforward, but he would need to up his game to jump to the front of the queue to replace the seven-time championship winner.
Leave feedback about this