The Formula One and motorsports world at large is rocked by today's news of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari starting in 2025. He'll pair with current Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc who recently signed a long-term extension.
This move ends the most successful partnerships in Formula One history. Hamilton and Mercedes won six drivers' world championships together - a record for a team and driver pairing - and his success there gave him the most Formula One wins (103), podiums (197), and pole positions (104) in the sports' history.
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But Mercedes hasn't had nearly as much success in the latest era of Formula One regulations. Since the newest regulations began in the 2022 season, Mercedes has just one win in 44 races. In the two seasons before the change, Mercedes had 22 wins in 39 races.
Despite the drop in form, Mercedes finished second in the constructors' championship in 2023 and a vacant seat in 2025 is a huge draw for drivers across the grid. Here's five candidates who could replace the seven-time world champion.
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Current team: Alpine
Ocon has the most history of anyone on this list with Mercedes. The team signed him to the Mercedes Junior Team, a program for young drivers to get support as they make their way to Formula One. He was the second driver signed to that program back in 2015.
Ocon spent the 2019 season as a reserve driver with Mercedes before joining Renault (now Alpine) in 2020. He came close to signing with Mercedes for the 2020 season but the team opted to retain Valtteri Bottas, Hamilton's teammate at the time. There's plenty of familiarity between Ocon and many key personnel at Mercedes including team principal Toto Wolff. It'd be an easy transition as Ocon's current contract only keeps him at Alpine through this season.
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Current team: Williams
Like Gasly, Albon struggled and eventually lost his seat in Red Bull following the 2020 season. He was demoted to test driver for Red Bull in 2021 before racing with Williams for the past two seasons.
Since moving to Williams, Albon's been a regular top-10 finisher despite driving one of the slowest cars on the grid. He's outscored his teammates 31-3 over the last two years and his 2023 season was arguably his best. Williams' current team principal James Vowles spent 13 years with Mercedes prior to signing with the team in 2023 and Williams uses Mercedes engines, meaning there's plenty of familiarity. Albon is also good friends with potential Mercedes teammate George Russell.
Current team: Alpine
Another Alpine driver who is only signed through 2024, Gasly is an intriguing option for Mercedes. He was one of the biggest surprises in 2020 and won the Italian Grand Prix that year despite driving the seventh-best car on the grid.
Since then, he's scored another pair of podiums in mid-field cars. His first season with Alpine in 2023 included a stellar third-place finish in the Dutch Grand Prix. The last time he was in a top team was 2019 with Red Bull but he performed poorly enough to lose his seat there halfway through the season. Signing Gasly is banking on him regaining that 2020 form with a better car than he's had in recent seasons.
Current team: Aston Martin
Alonso may be the oldest driver on the Formula One grid at 42 years old but he certainly didn't drive like it in 2023. The two-time world champion enjoyed his best season in a decade with Aston Martin in notching eight podium finishes. Aston Martin's pace dropped off over the course of 2023 and Alonso could be looking for a team with more prestige.
His contract is only through 2024 making him a free agent for 2025. He could be a solid stop-gap option for Mercedes while they sort out long-term options for 2026 when new engine and technical regulations will hit the sport once again.
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Current team: n/a, Formula 2 driver for 2024
This is a bit of a long shot but Antonelli's probably the best driver currently in the Mercedes Junior Team program. Antonelli will race in Formula 2, the second-tier series below Formula One, in 2024. He's been a champion in multiple series already as a 17-year-old.
In 2022, he won the Italian F4 and ADAC Formula 4 championships. In 2023, he won the Formula Regional Middle East and Formula Regional European championships. In 2024, he'll be racing in Formula 2 and another championship could make him a hot candidate for a Formula One seat, including at Mercedes.
With Hamilton's move to Ferrari, that leaves current Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz without a spot at his current team in 2025. His contract is up after 2024 and he could potentially end up swapping with Hamilton and taking his spot at Mercedes.
Stake F1 Team - which will become the Audi Formula One team by 2026 - is rumored to be heavily interested in the two-time race winner. Team principal Andreas Seidl worked with Sainz for two seasons with McLaren and they'd be reunited again in 2025.
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