Lewis Hamilton will drive for Ferrari from the 2025 season. The seven-time Formula 1 champion is leaving the Mercedes team after 11 years.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff stated that the team will not be in a hurry when selecting teammate George Russell. That certainly did not prevent the media, especially those from England, from starting with speculations.
It is certain that Charles Leclerc, who recently signed for Ferrari, and Lando Norris, who did the same with the McLaren team, will not join Mercedes. The British “Sky Sports” writes that one of the main candidates for a place in Mercedes is Alex Albon, a talented Formula 1 driver from Thailand and a member of the Williams team, with which the contract binds him until 2025.
Another candidate is Carlos Sainz, who will be replaced by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, writes the same portal. The Spaniard was the only driver outside the Red Bull team who won a Formula 1 race last year.
There is also the experienced Fernando Alonso from Aston Martin, whom the English say is perhaps the most realistic choice. Although he is already 43 years old, he still drives at a very high level. With the uncompetitive Aston Martin, he was on the podium six times in the first eight races in 2023.
The remaining candidates listed by “Sky Sports” are the Frenchman Esteban Ocon from the Alpina team, the retired champion, the German Sebastian Vettel, the 17-year-old Italian Kimi Antonelli from Formula 2. Those who are given the least chances are Daniel Ricciardo and Valtteri Bottas. It shouldn’t be a surprise if a new name appears and gets a seat at Mercedes. At least that’s what we can conclude from Toto Wolff’s statement.
- If you had told me two days ago that Luis would go to Ferrari, I would have thought it impossible. Things are changing fast. Contracts are only as good as the driver or team willing to compete. Who knows what happens on the driver market, there could be unexpected opportunities for us – said Wolff.
