What Does Mercedes Do if Hamilton Leaves?
Toto Wolff has come out to say recently that there is no backup plan for the Mercedes F1 team if Lewis Hamilton decides to retire, or race in another car. Surely this is truly the case, as we are 3 races in out of a 24 race calendar, but a replacement opportunity has to be lurking in the back of the minds of all Mercedes employees.
Mercedes is not a team who often takes a gamble. Since 2010, Mercedes has only had 5 drivers, who share 15 drivers championships. Their opening year in F1, Mercedes was able to bring in 7-time World Champion, Michael Schumacher to partner with young superstar Nico Rosberg.
Nico had already achieved 2 podiums in his time for AT&T Williams, so when the move to Mercedes in 2010 was announced, and Rosberg scored 3 podiums, it seemed as though it was a natural evolution. Then 2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton announced that he would be joining the team, where he would go on to win 6 more in his 11 years with the team.
What if it’s time for Mercedes to think about life without Hamilton. As of now the rumors around the paddock lead us to one of two conclusions. Either we are seeing the last season of Lewis Hamilton ever, or we are seeing glimpses of the Lewis Hamilton that we might see next year under the Ferrari emblem.
Keeping Lewis in Formula One is best for all fans of the sport, but the relationship between Mercedes and Lewis has been something so special to watch for the past decade, that even if he spent time at Ferrari, it couldn’t hold up to the precedent that he’s set over the past years of his career.
However, if a move is imminent, what is Mercedes to do? The way I see it, they have a few options.
Lando Norris: Lando is a special, young talent that we have seen grow as both a driver and as a man. Lando has spent his time in Formula One for Mclaren, where he has seen the up’s and down’s of Formula One. Lando is a clear sky in Russia away from being a race winner, but even on a resume that does have any Gold Medals, Lando still has an impressive record. Lando has 6 podiums, and a pole position, as well as solid Championship finishes, only finishing outside of the top 10 in his rookie year. If Lando were to exit early from his ‘Long Term’ deal at Mclaren, it would be a welcome fit for the British driver, as he pairs up with his good friend, and former F2 championship rival, George Russell.
Charles Leclerc: Ferrari’s wonder boy has done nothing but show out in his time with the Prancing Horse. Leclerc’s move to Ferrari would be triggered by Lewis’s, but also the move might be in the works from the other direction too, as Ferrari and Charles have been hesistant to put pen to paper. Charles inked a 5 year deal at the end of the 2019 season, but with the 2023 season underway, and rumors about a transfer spiral, could we see Leclerc race for the German team. Leclerc finished P2 in last year’s championship in a really stunning season for Ferrari. The team had the car, and they definitely had the drivers, but strategy calls, and car reliability held the team back from ever pursuing Max Verstappen in the Red Bulls. Lewis Hamilton is probably feeling something similar, as he wasn’t given a car that was up to his standards, and was outscored by his teammate in his first season with the team. This swap could be exactly what each of those two drivers need.
Valterri Bottas: In his only full year with Alfa Romeo, we only saw sparked of what Vaterri Bottas was a Mercedes. In the beginning of the season, the Alfa Romeo looked as though it could battle with Mercedes to fight for the Best of the Rest title, however, that ended up being far from the case. A move to resign Valterri would be something that Mercedes did not want to have to think about when they picked up George for the 2022 season. It would lead to interesting conversations of, ‘Who’’s Driver #1?’. In his time in Formula One, Valterri was really never able to bring the fight to his Championship teammate, and it seemed as though Bottas was content with P2, however, if the car isn’t up to fighting for Poles, Wins, and Podiums, would a move for Bottas even make sense for the long run at Mercedes?
Alexander Albon: Since the addition of Mercedes in 2010, barely have we seen the team trade drivers with Red Bull. When the seat opened up to replace George Russell after his move to Mercedes, the team was hesitant to put a Red Bull backed driver, but when Red Bull announced that they would release Albon from their programme, Mercedes scooped him up. Alex has put on multiple displays of perfection. However, there is still speculation that Red Bull are currently in talks with Alex about replacing Tsunoda at the end of this season for an Alpha Tauri drive. If this was the case, and Alex Albon had the choice between the Red Bull Junior Team, and the Mercedes Factory Team, it would be quite the easy choice. Red Bull have secured their driver pairing until atleast the end of 2023, but there really don’t seem to be any signs of stopping for them. The choice truly would be remain a Red Bull junior, or fight for podiums alongside one of your good friends. It would just have to be a move Mercedes is willing to make.
All-in-all, if Lewis Hamilton decides to leave Mercedes for Ferrari, a seat is going to have to open up, meaning that more than likely, we’d be looking at the Leclerc move. However, the possiblilty of his retirement is still lurking over the paddock, and Mercedes have quite the decision to make. Any of the drivers that Mercedes have ties to would be a good decision, but drivers like Nyck De Vries are not making the cut due to his performance thus far at Alpha Tauri, and a driver like Logan Sargaent who is full of skill is not being considered because his ties with the Mercedes Team stop at Williams.
