Lewis Hamilton sent shockwaves through the Formula One world shortly after the New Year by announcing his departure from Mercedes and opting to join Ferrari for the next season. His decision has caught many by surprise, including Mercedes, which now faces the daunting task of finding a suitable replacement for the seven-time World Champion.
However, following the news of his departure, several drivers have been rumoured as potential replacements at Mercedes, much to the amusement of the other Mercedes driver, George Russell.
George Russell enjoys F1 drivers battling for Lewis Hamilton’s seat
Since the news of Hamilton’s departure, Mercedes’s team principal, Toto Wolff, has been calm about the situation, expressing the need to take more time to discuss the potential replacements for their team carefully beforehand.
Wolf has also stated that he is considering numerous individuals as suitable candidates for the next Mercedes main driver to fill up the huge void left by the British World Champion, which will be extremely difficult to choose from. However, many team members were already contacting the team to consider them as their main drivers, which had become a laughing stock for Hamilton’s teammate, George Russell.
Watching drivers' names pop up on Toto Wolff's phone, George Russell has found it "quite funny" and "quite interesting" to see the clamour to take on Lewis Hamilton's seat for the 2025 season.#F1 #Mercedes https://t.co/l6EM3nCzth
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) March 16, 2024
He said, “We’ve already had a lot of conversations and I’ve been with Toto a lot this winter, so seeing the drivers’ names pop up on the telephone has been quite funny and even on my phone as well, I’ve had a few phone calls and text messages.”
“So it’s been quite interesting, but as a team, we’re in a really good opportunity and position to go into this next chapter, [after] so much success with Lewis and Mercedes.”
Who are the current contenders to succeed Lewis Hamilton?
Many drivers have been opting to secure Hamilton’s position for the 2025 season, to become Mercedes’s main driver and a member of one of the most popular teams on the grid.
This kid Andrea Kimi Antonelli skipped F3 and went right to F2 and is slowly putting on a show in each successive race. If he wins the F2 Championship he will be ready for Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes seat next season pic.twitter.com/phMXs9Xhrk
— Clinton Desveaux (@ClintonDesveaux) March 16, 2024
On the other hand, spectators are too, linking several names as the next potential successors of the British sensation, some of which are Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso, Daniel Ricciardo, and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, better known as Kimi Antonelli. All of these drivers have an incredible reputation for their driving skills, which is why F1 enthusiasts are unable to choose the best option for the position.
Who do you think is most likely to replace Hamilton? Let us know about your opinions in the comment section below.
