Antonelli, Schumacher, Sainz Jr., Ocon… What options will Mercedes have to replace Lewis Hamilton?

With 14 drivers reaching the end of their contracts, the silly season was expected to be eventful. While Leclerc extended his contract before the start of the season, it was another transfer that shook the world of F1. Despite Lewis Hamilton’s contract extension with Mercedes, the seven-time world champion will be joining Ferrari in 2025.

The announcement of this transfer shocked a lot of people, starting with Toto Wolff, executive director of Mercedes.

« 48 hours ago, I wouldn’t have thought that Lewis would tell me he’ll be driving for Ferrari next year. Now, it’s up to us to show that we can build the fastest car, not only in the short and medium term, but also in the long term, especially with the new regulations. And that will create opportunities afterward. The ball is in our court, » analyzes the Austrian.

An empty seat next to Russell.

George Russell is under contract with Mercedes until 2025. The former Williams driver is a pure product of the star brand. The question is whether Mercedes will favor the option of promoting a rookie or try to attract a more experienced driver.

He (Russell Note) was neck and neck with Lewis, and having a driver of this caliber with us makes the decision for the second seat much simpler. But I haven’t thought enough with the team yet to decide which direction we want to go, if we want to recruit a rookie driver or an experienced driver, says Toto Wolff.

The different options on the market.

Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon, Carlos Sainz… Mercedes is not lacking options to replace their seven-time world champion. The team still benefits from its status as a top team, having won all the constructor championships from 2014 to 2020. Therefore, all the drivers on the grid, except Max Verstappen, are capable of competing for the position. Especially considering that many drivers will be out of contract in 2025.

Esteban Ocon

Esteban Ocon still maintains important ties with Mercedes, despite his departure to Renault / Alpine in 2020. The French driver is still managed by Mercedes and was part of the young driver program of the German team. The Normand notably shone in junior series and was one of the few drivers to challenge Max Verstappen with closely matched performance machines.

Carlos Sainz Jr.

Carlos Sainz Jr. could be suggested by Russell, as suggested by his cryptic post on Facebook where the Briton is seen with the Spaniard. The Spanish driver has just lost his seat at Ferrari for 2025 and is rumored to be one of the favorites for Audi’s arrival in 2026. Indeed, his father, who is a driver for Audi in the Dakar rally, and the Sainz family are logically close to the Audi group. However, Audi will only arrive in F1 in 2026, so a seat for 2025 needs to be found. If Mercedes agrees to take on the Spaniard, it will be for at least two seasons. Carlos Sainz Jr. is on the list but he will have to say goodbye to his place at Audi if he wants to negotiate with Mercedes.

Frederik Vesti

Mercedes academy driver Frederik Vesti could be an option for the German team. The Danish driver finished as the vice champion in F2 in 2023, behind Théo Pourchaire. Despite being a rookie, Vesti will not be racing in F2 in 2024. Therefore, he could easily be integrated into the team and learn from Lewis Hamilton and George Russell to make his debut in 2025.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli

A gem. That’s how this young, still underage Italian is described. He has won every championship he has participated in since 2022 and will be turning 18 in 2025. He recently joined Mercedes’ young driver program, but he has all the qualities of drivers with great potential, like Lewis Hamilton before him, Max Verstappen, and even Oscar Piastri, who shined this year with McLaren. The rookie bet in F1 seems likely, especially considering that George Russell is becoming quite experienced in F1 and within the team.

Mick Schumacher

A return from Mick Schumacher is conceivable. Michael’s son is the team’s third driver and has never hidden his desire to come back to F1. He is currently racing in endurance with Alpine this year, which allows him to maintain good physical condition while being close to the Brackley team. A promotion is not to be excluded, but if that’s the case, the German Swiss driver will have to shine from his first races in such a team. It’s not certain that Toto Wolff will take the risk of experiencing a season like he had with Haas.

Sebastian Vettel

The star brand could also make an interesting move with the return of Sebastian Vettel. The driver is German, just like his team, and retired after growing tired of the world of F1 and, above all, to have more time for himself. He has mentioned several times his desire to drive again, even if it’s not necessarily in F1, and patiently waits to rediscover the pleasure of his passion. He would be a good option, considering that his last races in F1 were behind the wheel of a Mercedes-powered car (Aston Martin).

Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso has taken advantage of Sebastian Vettel’s retirement to take his place at Aston Martin. The Spanish driver has an option in his contract for 2025 that he is not obliged to activate. The team’s results in 2023 were surprising. It was the team that had made the most progress during the winter and had allowed the double world champion to return to the podium. Alonso is known for his strong positions and will not hesitate to leave Aston Martin, as he has done with his previous teams, if he sees a better opportunity elsewhere.

Sergio Perez

Sergio Perez is on the hot seat. In a team where everything revolves around Max Verstappen, he is not performing. The car doesn’t suit him, and Red Bull will inevitably consider parting ways with the Mexican driver in the coming months if he fails to consistently achieve podium finishes behind his teammate. In 2023, he finished as the runner-up in a challenging manner. Red Bull could replace him, and he could be of interest to teams like Mercedes, who are searching for performance and technical feedback, due to his experience with Red Bull.

What about Gasly and Albon?

The other drivers on the 2023 grid are not all good candidates. Pierre Gasly, for example, has long been mentioned as a replacement for Sainz at Ferrari. He performs well and has achieved good results in F1 with Alpine in such a machine, and has even stood on the top step with AlphaTauri. He could interest Toto Wolff, as well as Alex Albon, a Williams driver who is also under the Mercedes umbrella and has always been considered a very high-level driver.

Toto Wolff, however, appears to want to reflect on making the right decision. “I don’t think it would be beneficial for anyone if we were to start speculating now,” says the executive director of Mercedes, temporizing.