Lewis Hamilton will be a Ferrari driver from the year 2025. The contract has been signed and it has been made official. He will earn $100 million a year with the Ferrari. This has left a very coveted seat in the market as a new driver for the Mercedes team needs to be searched and it is extremely difficult to find a replacement for a 7 time World Champion and the greatest of all time. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will be driving the Mercedes for the 2024 season.
Let’s have a look at the drivers who could replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes
1) Carlos Sainz
This should be a straight swap as Carlos Sainz is the driver who will have to leave Ferrari in 2025. He is currently one of the best drivers in the world. He is a 2 time Grand Prix winner, he has earned the pole position 5 times in his career. He and George Russell will make a very good team and they can be teammates for a number of years. Mercedes will help Carlos Sainz to unlock his true potential in Formula 1.
2) Alexander Albon
Also known as Alex Albon , this driver from Williams has had a resurgence in his Formula 1 career. He had a disastrous run with Red Bull a few years ago but he was not prepared at that time for such a big team. He is 27 years old and he is someone who could help with a much better car and Team. In 2026, The Formula 1 technical regulations are about to change and all teams have that in mind. Mercedes and Toto Wolff should talk to Alex Albon.
3) Valtteri Bottas
This could be the perfect homecoming for Valtteri Bottas after spending 5 years at Mercedes. He was one of the best drivers in the world even with Lewis Hamilton as his teammate. Sergio Perez has been struggling with Max Verstappen and they parted ways on a sour note. Toto Wolff should bring back Bottas and give him one last hurrah with the car that made him the driver he is today.
4) Fernando Alonso
This would be a big jump for Fernando Alonso. He is a 2 time World Champion and he has been linked to Mercedes but he has never gone there because Lewis Hamilton was there. Last season with Aston Martin he showed that he still is one of the best and he had quite a few podium finishes. The Aston Martin car is not as fast as the Mercedes car. And Toto Wolff would want to make a statement so by signing Fernando Alonso he would make that big statement.
5) Daniel Ricciardo
At number 5 is Daniel Ricciardo from AlphaTauri. This is one driver who is liked by everyone in the circuit because all the drivers feel that he is one of the nicest people and one of the friendly drivers. He had a great run at McClaren and he was supposed to be finished with Formula 1 but late last year AlphaTauri came calling. He has not had great performances but with a much better team in Mercedes he could be one of the greats. Daniel Ricciardo and George Russell will be one heck of a team.
