9 mo. ago • 97%

What options do Mercedes have in the F1 driver market?

www.formula1.com What options do Mercedes have in the F1 driver market?

Lewis Hamilton's dramatic decision to leave Mercedes and join Ferrari for 2025 has ignited the Formula 1 headlines and the driver market. So what options do the Silver Arrows have with regards to a replacement?

TL;DR:

Carlos Sainz, though sources say Aston Martin, Sauber, Alpine and Williams are potential teams where he could land
Alex Albon
Fernando Alonso, if he ever get lured from Aston
Daniel Ricciardo
Esteban Ocon, whom is managed by Toto Wolff

27 comments

Bottas back to Merc

Sainz to replace him at Sauber soon to be Audl

Hulkenberg and Zhou Guanyu exchange seats to give Audi their German driver.

Haas gets a big pocket Chinese sponsor and puts red livery on their car.

Everybody is Happy.....except Andretti

20
- Sainz-Hulk at Sauber/Audi could be a very decent pair, tbh.
  
  7
  
  Yes indeed
  
  Any doubters should answer two questions.
  
  1 who does Carlos Sainz Sr, who just won the Dakar, race for?
  
  2 Audi says they want a German driver. Who are the German drivers currently on the grid?
  
  4
Surprisingly no one seem to mention Mick Schumacher (who I have forgotten about until I saw him in a meme this morning), even though Toto made sure that he appeared alongside him at every GP 🙃

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- 15
  
  But not in a Merc he doesn't!
  
  3
  
  Yep, that one!
  
  3
- Those merc garage appearances (like he did for Ocon and De Vries) are Toto being a driver manager, not Toto being a team boss.
  
  I see a 0.5% chance that Merc hires Schumacher as GP driver.
  
  10
  
  I see a 0.5% chance that Merc hires Schumacher as GP driver.
  
  Probably depends on his performance driving for Alpine in WEC
  
  6
- I'd pick Ocon over him, they just need a stopgap until Antonelli's ready. But Gasly should be in contention too, he had a better season in his first year. Albon is just overrated by likeability.
  
  4
  
  I know they are famously bad at contracts, but isn't Ocon contracted for a while at Alpine?
  
  1
- I thought of him first thing when I heard the news, but posting that, at least on Reddit, always gets a hoard of haters going.
  
  4
  
  Reddit is a hoard of haters. The sooner that site goes down, the better.
  
  6
I mean, in theory they have a lot more options than that.

Contracts expiring at the end of 2024 include..

Somewhat likely that Merc would consider them:

Gasly

Tsunoda

Hulkenberg

Probably not:

Bottas

Perez

Certainly not:

Sargeant

Zhou

Magnussen
14
- Sad Mick noises.
  
  9
- What about Ocon?? He already has merc connections and isnt his contract expiring in the end of 2024 as well. He might not be the best choice though because he always clashes with his teammates.
  
  2
  
  I didnt list the 4 ones that OP already has in his post above
  
  1
- I would probably put Mag on an equal footing with Hulk? Either would be happy to take the seat.
  
  Gasly hasn't being doing too well, not sure his rep is as good as it once was.
  
  2
  
  Hulk is a german driver, which makes him more likely to be considered by Merc IMO. He was their top pick in 2017 after all, and only lost the opportunity to Bottas because Renault didnt let him go.
  
  6
Daniel Riccardo if he doesn’t get an RB contract. So unlikely since I don’t see Perez surviving the ‘24 season. He might not even finish the season. Seriously I predict that if Perez can’t consistently finish right behind Verstappen he will be out during the summer. With new regs coming in ‘26 RB doesn’t want to take the risk with a second driver who can’t even finish second in a car that can finish 30 seconds ahead of the entire grid.

9
What Opinion do Mercedes have on Toto?

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