Plan B? Mercedes are already considering who could replace Lewis Hamilton

Will Lewis Hamilton end his career or not? This question has been on the minds of the media and fans around the world in recent days, but especially Mercedes itself. But if Hamilton does indeed leave the world of Formula 1, who could take his seat for the coming seasons?

The events of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix have made the seven-time world champion wonder whether it really makes sense to continue his already eventful career.

Not only did he not win the world title, but based on his statements and those of team boss Toto Wolff, he feels cheated. The battle for the title was supposedly decided by others, something both Mercedes representatives will reportedly never accept.

This is in fact, according to many experts, the main factor why Hamilton is currently seriously considering the end of his active career.

It was Wolff who recently stated that he very much hopes that Hamilton will continue to pursue a career as a Formula 1 driver. He is, in his opinion, the greatest racing driver of all time. It should be noted that Hamilton would make life difficult for Mercedes if he were to retire from F1.

In the sense, of course, that they would lose the team’s clear leader. Anyway, last Friday, December 17th, he was there to celebrate his eighth consecutive Constructors’ Cup title. He spoke to the staff and said goodbye to Valtteri Bottas, who is leaving Mercedes after five years to join Alfa Romeo.

However, none of what Hamilton said has been made public, so it is still just speculation, though probably very close to reality.

But who could replace the British champion? It cannot be assumed that Kimi Räikkönen is still eager to postpone his dream ending and race for another year. In the event of Hamilton’s departure, the emergency solution could be former Force India or Renault driver – Nico Hülkenberg. And even in terms of some sort of short-term commitment.

Objectively, however, we have to admit that the German driver has been without racing experience for a long time and it can also be said that Wolff’s phone would ring from a more famous, or rather better, address.

It should be noted, Mercedes almost certainly won’t want to risk engaging an inexperienced driver. Firstly, George Russell is also still a young driver and secondly, apart from a few tests and one stint, he doesn’t have much experience with Mercedes.

So although Nyck de Vries or Stoffel Vandoorne could join the team relatively quickly, it wouldn’t be the most realistic option. Given this fact, it’s more likely that Wolff and co. would reach for a name from the current start list.

The first one that comes to mind is undoubtedly Esteban Ocon. The Alpine F1 driver won the Hungarian Grand Prix in the 2021 season and put in a very respectable performance. He’s also already an experienced driver, having also picked up a lot from Fernando Alonso, and it’s possible that he could do little in a strong team.

Ocon was even Mercedes’ reserve driver in 2019. His move to the German stable would also guarantee a place at Alpino for Oscar Piastri, who dominated the F2 championship in his first season!

But there’s one problem. Alpine has invested a lot of money in its driver and is well aware of his potential. The future of the stable is more about him than about Alonso, whose contract expires at the end of next year.

There has also been talk for a while about Charles Leclerc. However, the 24-year-old Monegasque has a long-term contract at Ferrari and given the Italian stable’s plans, this is more of a science fiction scenario.

Well, we won’t presume to say how likely it is that Valtteri Bottas will stay with the team after all. The situation surrounding the Finnish driver has had too many variables this season.

In any case, we will have to wait a few weeks for the whole situation to be resolved. Speculation is rife at the moment and no one can know how it will all turn out.

Sources: Motorsport, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1