The news broke the internet when the seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton confirmed his multi-year contract with Ferrari from 2025. It is not surprising that Mercedes were the most affected by this and that leaves a vacant seat at Mercedes. Most of the drivers on the grid will be out of contract by the end of the 2024 season which leaves many options for the German team. In this post, we'll be speculating few of the realistic potential options for silver arrows.
Before speculating anything we need to understand the scenario of Mercedes. It's hard to find the replacement for Lewis cause it's the Lewis Hamilton we are talking about, arguably the best driver there is. So it would be great for the German-based team if they could find someone in the same League as Lewis for not only the image of the brand but also for the need for an experienced driver in the team. Remember it's only been five years for George into F1 so certainly he is still pretty young.
- Fernando Alonso
(Source: twitter.com/alo_oficial)
The 42-year-old Spanish driver might not be the most ideal choice for the team but a very solid choice in my opinion. It's understandable to not see Fernando as a long-term choice due to his age but he still seems to be performing at his best and shows no signs of being out of shape. Since there is going to be a regulation change in 2026 and everybody will be starting from scratch, having Fernando Alonso for 2025 seems just alright to me. Fernando's experience will bring a lot of value to the team (even more if he stays after 2025) as well as will be a good benchmark and mentor for George to assess and learn respectively. If I were in Toto's shoes I would have chosen Fernando for the 2025 season and looked elsewhere if Fernando decides to put down his shoes in 2026 or does not perform as intended. It's a risky move but well worth it.
- Oscar Piastri
(Source: twitter.com/oscarpiastri)
Though Oscar Piastri has a Mclaren contract till 2026, Ex-F1 driver and F1 pundit Karun Chandhok believes the 22-year-old Australian would be a great choice for the team, and Mark Webber who happens to be Piastri's manager certainly has the skills to exploit exit clause in the current contract. I believe Oscar has a resume and potential to be driving for Silver Arrows alongside George, I don't feel the transfer to be happening since the driver pairing would become inexperienced. However, it's coming from a credible source I had to put it on the list.
- Alex Albon
(Source: twitter.com/alex_albon)
Alex Albon is the safest and most probable option for Mercedes. Mercedes-Williams relations are evident to all of us. Additionally, George and Alex get along very well. Alex's last few years have redefined him after his early bad years in RedBull. It'll be wrong to say Alex lacks potential for the Mercedes seat. Driver pairing won't be that experienced but will be very mature.
- Pierre Gasly
(Source: twitter.com/pierregasly)
Pierre Gasly has shown potential to be a great driver from time to time since his alphatauri days. It's well known that Esteban Ocon has close relations with Mercedes and Toto yet, I would put Pierre on the list for a few reasons. Overall I believe Pierre is a better driver compared to Ocon. Esteban has had a history of incidents with teammates since his ForceIndia days. So relatively Pierre is easier to work with. His contract is ending at the end of 2024, which makes him overall a solid candidate for Mercedes.
- Carlos Sainz
(Source: twitter.com/carlossainz55)
It's no surprise that Carlos is on this list. I mean it wasn't even necessary for Ferrari to get rid of him in the first place. He performed pretty much on par with Charles if not better in some races. It's only because it was Lewis Hamilton himself open for the contract and not his performance. Carlos is a talented driver with decent experience under his belt. He would be a good and future-proof choice for Mercedes. Certainly a very safe choice.
- Sergio Perez
(Source: twitter.com/schecoperez)
This is an interesting one. You let me know how likely it is to happen. Currently, Checo's RedBull contract is ending at the end of 2024. Considering his performances in RedBull relative to Max cannot be called as good. If Checo keeps on performing the same he may likely lose his seat and be open for 2025. Checo would be a great choice for Mercedes since Checo himself is not at all a bad driver. The Red Bull data he will be bringing will be beneficial for the German team. His experience will put tremendous value in the development of Mercedes cars.
- Daniel Ricciardo
(Source: twitter.com/f1)
If Checo retains his seat at Redbull for 2025 or someone else replaces him apart from Daniel then I believe Daniel will be very much willing to join Mercedes if they are putting long-term faith in him. We all know how talented Daniel is. After a few bad years at McLaren which hampered his image as a driver, he seems to be getting back his rhythm, which is evident in his last few races with AT. I think Daniel is an amazing choice for Mercedes. I see the deal happening if Mercedes gives him a multi-year contract.
There are some honorable mentions too.
- Sebastian Vettel
As much as I want it to happen, Sebastian Vettel would not want to come back to F1. Even if he wants to, considering his last performances certainly Seb wasn't performing at his best so it's unlikely for Mercedes to be going with Seb however, I would love to have Seb in a Mercedes any day.
- Mick Schumacher
Mick would also be a great choice. He is also the reserve driver for Mercedes but he lacks experience and it would be too risky of a move for Mercedes.
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli
The 17-year-old Italian driver is a Mercedes Jr. driver and doing exceptionally well in junior formula categories but this might not be the ideal time to promote him since he hasn't even driven an F2 car.
These were my driver predictions for the vacant Mercedes seat.
What are your predictions? Let me know in the comment section below!
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