Back in February, the F1 world shook when it was announced that Lewis Hamilton would be leaving Mercedes at the end of the year to join Ferrari in 2025. I original thought Fernando Alonso was going to go to Mercedes, but he’s stuck by Aston Martin which is why today’s debate is “Who Should Mercedes Sign to Replace Lewis Hamilton in 2025?” As always, I will go over a bunch of different candidates, and there will also be a poll at the bottom in case you want to give your vote. However, I do want to say that up until this morning, my answer for this was going to be Nico Hulkenberg, so that was great timing!
Carlos Sainz
Carlos Sainz is a 29-year-old Spanish racing driver who currently drives for Ferrari in Formula 1. Carlos previously won the 2010 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC Championship as well as the 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 Series, and he also finished second in the 2010 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Championship. When it comes to Formula 1, Sainz is in his 10th season and he’s achieved 3 Wins, 5 Poles, and 21 Podiums during that time. So far in 2024, Carlos is 4th in the Drivers’ Championship despite missing Round 2 in Saudi Arabia, and he also managed to take victory around Albert Park (Australia). There’s no doubt that Carlos Sainz is one of the best drivers on the Formula 1 Grid, it’s just whether or not Carlos would accept a short-term deal with Mercedes.
Alex Albon
Alex Albon is a 28-year-old Thai racing driver who currently drivers for Williams in Formula 1. Whilst Alex has never won a Championship, he did finish second in the 2016 GP3 Series (behind Charles Leclerc) as well as third in both the 2014 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championships (behind George Russell and Lando Norris). When it comes to Formula 1, Albon is in his 5th season and he’s achieved 2 Podiums during that time. So far in 2024, Alex finds himself 15th in the Championship after a somewhat decent but unspectacular start. The thing with Alex Albon is things went pretty terribly at Red Bull (particularly in 2020). However, Alex feels like a different driver and would merit a spot at a strong team given his work at Williams.
Esteban Ocon
Esteban Ocon is a 27-year-old French racing driver who currently drives for Alpine in Formula 1. Esteban previously won the 2014 FIA Formula 3 European Championship (ahead of Max Verstappen) before he followed it up by winning GP3 a year later! When it comes to Formula 1, Ocon has driven in 138 Races and he’s achieved 1 Win and 3 Podiums during that time. So far in 2024, despite having a pretty horrendous car, Esteban is driving pretty well and is consistently outperforming his Alpine teammate! I think it’s worth remembering that Esteban Ocon has history with Mercedes and is still very much connected with Toto Wolff!
Pierre Gasly
Pierre Gasly is a 28-year-old French racing driver who currently drives for Alpine in Formula 1. Pierre previously won the 2013 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Championship (with the likes of Esteban Ocon, Oliver Rowland, Jake Dennis, and Nyck de Vries) and the 2016 GP2 Series, and it’s also worth mentioning that he finished second in Super Formula (2017). When it comes to Formula 1, Gasly has driven in 135 Races and he’s achieved 1 Win and 4 Podiums during that time. So far in 2024, it’s not going particularly well for Pierre who currently sits 19th in the Drivers’ Standings with no real pace to show compared to his teammate. There’s no doubt that Pierre Gasly is a great driver, but given his history at Red Bull, he needs to step it up this year if he wants any shot at a Merc seat.
Valtteri Bottas
Valtteri Bottas is a 34-year-old Finnish racing driver who currently drives for Kick Sauber in Formula 1. Valtteri previously won both the 2008 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (ahead of Daniel Ricciardo) and Formula Renault 2.0 NEC Championships as well as the 2011 GP3 Series! When it comes to Formula 1, Bottas is in his 12th season and he’s achieved 10 Wins, 20 Poles, and 67 Podiums during that time. So far in 2024, Valtteri’s been driving well, but issues at Sauber have seen him sit 20th in the Drivers’ Standings. Obviously, this is unlikely, but Valtteri Bottas does have history with Mercedes and would suit them in the sense of signing someone on a 1-year deal. However, whether that suits Valtteri or not is another story.
Sergio Perez
Sergio Perez is a 34-year-old Mexican racing driver who currently drives for Red Bull in Formula 1. Sergio has never properly won a Championship, but he has finished second in both GP2 (2010) and F1 (2023). When it comes to Formula 1, Perez is in his 14th season and he’s achieved 6 Wins, 3 Poles, and 39 Podiums during that time. So far in 2024, Checo is second in the Drivers’ Championship, and he’s finished on the Podium in 4 of the 5 Races. As of right now, Sergio Perez is doing everything he needs to remain at Red Bull for at least another year. However, if Red Bull did decide to drop Checo for whatever reason (maybe to promote someone else), Mercedes going and signing Checo to a 1-year deal could be quite the move!
Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Andrea Kimi Antonelli is a 17-year-old Italian racing driver who currently drives for Prema Racing in FIA Formula 2 and is also a member of the Mercedes Junior Team. Kimi previously won both the ADAC and Italian F4 Championships in 2022 before he won both the Formula Regional Middle East and European Championships last year! So far in 2024, Antonelli is 9th in Formula 2 and he’s also done some mileage in a 2022 Merc. It’s crystal clear that Mercedes love Andrea Kimi Antonelli and they very much see him as the future. However, the question of whether Kimi is too young for Mercedes is definitely a valid one that has to be asked!
Final Verdict
After going over all 7 drivers, I have come to the conclusion that Mercedes should sign Carlos Sainz to replace Lewis Hamilton next year! At the end of the day, Carlos is the best driver on this list so it should be that simple! I don’t think Pierre Gasly or Valtteri Bottas make much sense realistically, whilst Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez would be decent choices if you wanted just a gap year before 2026. Alex Albon is a good shout because he’s not only very good, but he gets on very well with George Russell which is important, especially for Mercedes right now, whilst there’s then the obvious choice of Andrea Kimi Antonelli. For me, Kimi should stay in F2 for another year and then go to Williams for 2026, leaving Carlos and George to fight it out to be his teammate from 2027 onwards. However, if Mercedes are to treat next year as a right-off (sorry to my Merc friends), putting Kimi Antonelli in the car isn’t a terrible idea, especially as Russell is more than capable of leading that team!
Which Driver do you think Mercedes Should Sign to Replace Lewis Hamilton in 2025? Please let me know down in the Poll Below!
Who Should Mercedes Sign to Replace Lewis Hamilton in 2025?
0%Carlos Sainz
0%Alex Albon
0%Esteban Ocon
0%Pierre Gasly