Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has disclosed a list of drivers potentially in line to fill the vacancy left by Lewis Hamilton. The 7-time world champion is set to move to Ferrari at the end of this F1 season, aiming for an unparalleled eighth World Championship.
As Mercedes prepares for a future without their lead driver, Wolff has named four drivers who could potentially take up the mantle alongside George Russell. The announcement comes amid Hamilton's impending switch to Ferrari under the management of Fred Vasseur. This move has ignited one of the most speculative and dynamic chain reaction of driver movements in the sport's history, with Mercedes at the centre of speculation about their next moves.
Hamilton's departure marks the end of an era for Mercedes, a team that has struggled since the beginning of 2022 to replicate its former dominance. With Hamilton not securing a win in two years and the team battling to even understand the behaviour of their car, the W15, the need to find a strong replacement for the 2025 season is paramount. Wolff's candidature list unsurprisingly includes the promising young talent Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who at just 17 years of age is already turning heads in Formula 2. However, Wolff expressed caution, aiming to manage expectations and the pressure on Antonelli carefully.
"I think it depends also on what Max [Verstappen] does," he admitted to Fox Sports Australia. "Then we have a young kid [Andrea Kimi Antonelli] that is very promising and I don't want to put more extra pressure on him, but it looks like he can be one of the great ones.
"But we also don't want to drown him by jumping so quickly in an F1 car at 17.
"So, there are a few options that we play with him. Obviously, there's Fernando [Alonso] who is very exciting, and Carlos [Sainz] is very good.
"So there are a few ones. I'm going to make the play like a bride - difficult to get!"
Both Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz have proven their mettle on the track, with Sainz, in particular, drawing attention after a commendable performance at the Australian Grand Prix a mere 16 days after surgery. Making the most of Max Verstappen's DNF when his Red Bull caught fire, the Spaniard created a strong lead and took his first win of the 2024 season, solidifying his place as the only non-Red Bull driver to win a Grand Prix since the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2022.
It's clear that Wolff has a lot of thinking to do. But if he fails to move fast enough, with 12 driver contracts confirmed to be coming to an end at the end of this season, it's likely that those in his crosshairs could be snapped up by the competition.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Alex Harrington has been a journalist for 8 years, specialising in technology, automotive, and motorsport coverage for the likes of ... Read more
