With Lewis Hamilton out of contract and rumours raging in regards to contract discussions between the Brit and Mercedes, we take a look at potential replacements if he departs the Silver Arrows.
Although Hamilton departing Mercedes seems difficult to believe given their success together, it is a real possibility given how long negotiations have been ongoing to an extent, where it is potentially time to ponder a replacement just in case no agreement is reached with Hamilton.
Add in regulations changes and rumours of discontent between both parties in regards to terms and even length of new contract, it leaves you wondering just who would be a suitable replacement if Mercedes were to need a new driver with every other team having finalised their 2021 line-ups already.
Fans therefore could well be scratching their heads as to who could replace the seven-time champion, so here are four worthy candidates who could have a shot at securing Hamilton’s seat if there is a split ahead of pre-season testing, starting with the obvious in-house contenders.
George Russell
Should Hamilton fail to sign a new contract then George Russell would certainly be a sure-fire contender to take his compatriot’s seat, although there is just one issue standing in his way.
Russell is currently contracted to Williams for a third consecutive season which fits with some of the reported contract issues between Hamilton and Mercedes, if joint owners – Damler favours Russell for a race seat next season ahead of a four-year deal with Hamilton.
That point is strengthened by Russell’s impressive performance when he stepped in for his compatriot at last season’s Sakhir Grand Prix and nearly won the race, only for a messed-up pit stop and puncture to deny him.
Williams though will be a stumbling block if contract talks between Hamilton and Mercedes broke down, because it would be the second time that the Silver Arrows unexpectedly poach from one of their customers in this hybrid era after signing Valtteri Bottas to replace Nico Rosberg in early 2017.
It could therefore come down to a case of Mercedes conceding a cut-price deal on power unit supply to Williams in order to secure Russell, although the latter do have their own driver academy from which to replace the Brit.
Nyck De Vries
Should Mercedes be unable to get Russell until 2022 and questions surrounding Valtteri Bottas if he underperforms, perhaps the Silver Arrows should look to give 2019 F2 champion and their current Formula E driver – Nyck De Vries a shot.
At 25 years-old, De Vries would certainly provide fresh blood on top of having driven for the team in last month’s post-season test, which in turn would provide Bottas with the ultimate test to see whether he is capable of being a no.1 driver and mounting a proper title challenge.
Another way of looking at switching De Vries from Formula E to F1 would be proving a young talent with a good chance to deliver in a top F1 car, with a view to potentially keeping him on alongside Russell in 2022 for stability if Bottas disappoints once again and departs the team.
De Vries therefore deserves decent consideration if the worst case scenario happens and Hamilton departs, especially because stability for 2022 could be key with various regulation changes coming in.
Stoffel Vandoorne
Given that he was a potential replacement for Hamilton ahead of Sakhir GP only to lose out to Russell, Stoffel Vandoorne would be a decent bet if Mercedes wanted to replace Hamilton with a former F1 driver who is already ingrained within the team’s setup.
Vandoorne however is the team’s lead driver in Formula E and spoke to us in November of having ‘pretty high targets’ for the new season, which indicates that he seems settled in the series and Mercedes’ Formula E team certainly won’t want to lose last season’s vice-champion.
F1 however didn’t treat Vandoorne kindly during his McLaren tenure with the Belgian hinting in our interview at politics playing a factor, which would a return to the sport with Mercedes that sweeter given that they’re the constructor to beat and he is already involved in the testing aspect of the F1 team.
Moving Vandoorne from their Formula E to F1 team would therefore be a curious situation to ponder as would effectively be promoting from within without much contract wrangling, or needing to play patient game with in early races unlike De Vries due to Vandoorne’s previous experience with McLaren.
Nico Hulkenberg
Should Mercedes be unable to sign Russell and opt not to promote De Vries or Vandoorne from their Formula E team, how about bringing in Nico Hulkenberg on a one-year deal given his part-time exploits in 2020.
Hulkenberg has shown over the years that he can consistently deliver if given a car that plays to his strengths even after adaption, which was evident when he stepped into both Racing Point cars which weren’t designed for him at all yet he managed to adapt quickly in contrasting circumstances.
Putting Hulkenberg into a Mercedes would also provide an answer for critics who believes that the German would deliver in a top car, because we would get a chance to see whether he has that quality needed to fight at the front which he rarely got the opportunities to do outside of wet races.
Either way, Hulkenberg wouldn’t be a crazy punt if came to the crunch because he brings over a decade of F1 experience, plus would provide Mercedes with a huge publicity boost in having a German driver racing for a German team again since Rosberg retired at end of 2016 season.
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