Who will replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes?

What are the chances of the others?

Esteban Gutierrez is more likely to have outsider chances, his last Formula 1 season (2016) was much longer back. With Esteban Ocon and George Russell, of course, we don’t know the exact contractual situation, but with regard to Ocon, Toto Wolff made it clear in 2019 that Mercedes would not have access to the French in the years to come when he drives for Renault.

It should look similar with Russell, who is under contract with Williams. Means: If Mercedes wants one of the two, then Renault or Williams would have to pay to release the driver. When it comes to substitute drivers, we of course immediately think of Nico Hülkenberg. His advantage: He drove for Racing Point this year and so knows the current Mercedes engine.

However, this solution is unlikely.

As the most likely solution …

… currently applies to Stoffel Vandoorne. The Belgian is currently competing for Mercedes in Formula E and has already tested the 2018 Formula 1 racing car. In addition, his last season in the premier class was not that long ago, in 2018 he drove alongside Fernando Alonso for McLaren. He is currently still in Valencia, where Formula E is testing these days. This test ends today, after which he is supposed to travel to Bahrain. Will he drive there …?

Who will replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes?

First of all, get well soon to the world champion! The big question is of course who will replace him at Mercedes this weekend. Official reserve drivers for the team are Stoffel Vandoorne and Esteban Gutierrez. Mercedes has two of its own juniors in Formula 1 with Esteban Ocon and George Russell. However, these are tied to Renault and Williams, respectively. And it shouldn’t be that easy to get them out of their contract for a race.

Hello again!

Hello and welcome to a new edition of our Formula 1 news ticker! The news of Lewis Hamilton’s positive corona test hit us quite unexpectedly, which is why we are today with our ticker a little earlier than usual. Ruben Zimmermann will accompany you through the day again today. As usual, our contact form and our Twitter hashtag #FragMST are available for questions, criticism and suggestions. Here we go!