Mercedes can find ‘temporary’ Hamilton replacement in 27-y/o, says Sky F1 pundit

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Sky Sports F1 pundit Naomi Schiff thinks Mercedes can find a ‘temporary’ successor for Lewis Hamilton ahead of his move to Ferrari in 2025 in Alpine ace Esteban Ocon.

The Silver Arrows are searching for a new star driver to share the garage with George Russell after Hamilton’s shock move to the Scuderia. Mercedes only gave the 39-year-old a contract for the 2024 and 2025 seasons in August. But Hamilton has chosen to walk away next year.

Ferrari confirmed that Hamilton has signed a multi-year deal at the start of February. He will now replace Carlos Sainz, who was already out of contract after 2024, in Maranello from the 2025 season. The move sees the seven-time Formula 1 champion join Charles Leclerc in red.

Esteban Ocon still has ‘strong links’ with the Mercedes F1 team

Hamilton has driven for Mercedes since the 2013 season, and has even only raced with their engines in Formula 1 since his debut at McLaren in 2007. But his successive winless seasons in 2022 and 2023 tempted the Stevenage-born star to call time and secure a new adventure.

Now, Mercedes must replace the most successful driver in Formula 1’s history with a record 103 wins, 104 pole positions and 197 podiums. But around half of the 2024 grid will be out of contract after 2024. So, the Brackley team have plenty of drivers to pick a successor from.

One candidate could be former Mercedes junior, Ocon, who is out of contract at Alpine after 2024. The 27-year-old joined the Silver Arrows’ driver development programme en route to his 2015 GP3 Series title. He was also their F1 reserve driver in 2019 before joining Renault.

Yet, despite driving for Alpine – the name of Renault’s F1 team since 2021 – Ocon also still has ‘strong links with Mercedes’. The Silver Arrows’ team principal Toto Wolff is the French racer’s manager. Ocon also left a door open to replacing Hamilton at Mercedes in February.

Esteban Ocon can be a ‘temporary’ Lewis Hamilton replacement

Former W-Series driver, Schiff, believes Ocon would be a suitable stop-gap replacement for Hamilton if Mercedes have other drivers in their sights for later on down the road. The 27-year-old from Evreux, France is now in his eighth season as a Grand Prix driver since 2017.

“[There are] a few options,” Schiff told Sky Sports F1 (2/3, 13:57). “There’s been some talks of Kimi Antonelli, who’s just started his F2 career. So, [there is] pressure on his shoulders.

“I think Carlos Sainz is an option. I think even Esteban Ocon could be one for, maybe, a temporary moment. And Fernando Alonso, I think, is another option for the team.”

Mark Hughes of The Race has cited Mercedes’ 17-year-old protégé Antonelli as Wolff’s ‘Plan A’ option to replace Hamilton. The Italian is contesting the 2024 Formula 2 season for Prema and made his debut at the Bahrain GP round. He also took a P10 finish in the Feature race.