After Hamilton’s change – Schumacher takes over at Mercedes?

With Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, a Mercedes cockpit becomes available. Who could take it over?

It has been official since Thursday evening: record world champion Lewis Hamilton will leave Mercedes and move to Ferrari for the 2025 season. There he displaces the Spaniard Carlos Sainz, whose contract expires at the end of 2024, and becomes a teammate of Charles Leclerc.

At Mercedes, the cockpit next to the young Briton George Russell will be free next year. That should be quite popular because, despite a lack of success in the last two years, Mercedes is still a big brand that can reconnect with the top at any time. But who will get the coveted spot? t-online presents some hot candidates.

Mick Schumacher would be a possible candidate to succeed Hamilton. After all, he has been part of the team since last season as a test and reserve driver. Toto Wolff repeatedly praised him for his work in the simulator and his contribution to setting up the car.

It is questionable whether the 24-year-old will actually be allowed to take over the regular cockpit. After Hamilton’s departure, Mercedes will probably look for a larger caliber replacement. Schumacher is a well-known name, but Mick himself wasn’t really able to impress as a regular driver during his two years with the backbencher team Haas. A direct step to a top team without first proving yourself somewhere else would therefore be very unusual.

Carlos Sainz is also an attractive name on the driver market. The Spaniard has now been fired by Ferrari, but has definitely proven his qualities. With the Scuderia he celebrated at least two race victories and was mostly able to at least keep up with Charles Leclerc. As a reliable number two behind George Russell, he could be an option for the Silver Arrows.

Alexander Albon has been driving the inferior Williams for two years now. However, he regularly shows top performances there and fights for points more often despite the inferior car. That could convince Mercedes to give him a chance. Especially since the relationship between the two teams is very good. Mercedes has been supplying Williams with engines for years. In addition, team boss James Vowles was a confidant of team boss Toto Wolff at Mercedes for years before his move. So the connection would be there.

Lewis Hamilton’s departure is not only a sporting loss for Mercedes, but to a certain extent also a loss of face. That’s why the racing team could be looking to replace him with another big name. With Fernando Alonso, a two-time world champion will be on the market at the end of the season.

Although the Spaniard is already of advanced sporting age at 43, he is experiencing a true renaissance after moving to Aston Martin last season. He finished on the podium eight times and also got the most out of his Aston Martin. In the end, he took fourth place in the overall standings, ahead of young stars like Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and Mercedes driver George Russell. If he can confirm his form in 2024, he could become an issue.

In general, Mercedes will have a lot to choose from, as the contracts of 14 of the 20 drivers in the field expire at the end of 2024. So there will be a lot of movement in the field of drivers. Mercedes’ problem: The absolute top drivers like Max Verstappen, Lando Norris or Charles Leclerc are tied to their teams in the long term. It is quite possible that Mercedes is only looking for a temporary solution until a young driver is ready to take over.