With Hamilton joining Ferrari, there will be a vacancy in the Mercedes spot, so who will become the 13th driver in Silver Arrows history?
Mick Schumacher
Although Mick may not be the first choice in many people's minds, Mercedes' first choice is naturally the team's reserve driver.
The name Schumacher is very affectionate to Mercedes. Michael Schumacher returned to racing in the Silver Arrows after retiring in 2010 until his permanent retirement in 2012, replaced by Hamilton himself.
Mick entered F1 in 2021 as the defending F2 champion. But in his two seasons with Haas, he is remembered for frequent crashes rather than any impressive performances, earning just two points in two seasons and being dropped at the end of the 2022 season.
In the absence of a reserve driver last year, Mercedes recruited the 24-year-old as the team's reserve driver. Team principal Toto Wolf has previously said he "deserves to be on the track".
Carlos Sainz
Sainz will leave Ferrari at the end of the year to make way for Hamilton. During his time with the team, he proved that he was by no means the number two driver.
Sainz surpassed Leclerc in points in his first year at Ferrari. Prior to last season in Abu Dhabi, Sainz also led Leclerc in the Drivers' Championship. Although Leclerc has led him in the standings for the past two seasons, Sainz earned his first Grand Prix win in 2022 and was the only driver to win a Grand Prix in a non-Red Bull car last season.
The 29-year-old has a wealth of experience and a strong track record, and he has many more years to do in Formula 1. This undoubtedly makes him the best candidate.
Esteban Ocon
As a French F1 driver for the French team, Ocon has a great future at Alpine. But his contract expires at the end of the year, and he has previously had a potential connection with Mercedes.
At the end of the 2018 season, Ocon lost his place at Force India and was on the sidelines until joining Renault in 2020. During this period, he was selected as a reserve driver for Mercedes, as is Mick Schumacher is now.
For Mercedes, the choice of Ocon as the reserve driver for 2019 was no accident. Ocon and Wolff had a very close relationship, and before Aucon's F1 debut, the head of Mercedes wanted Ocon to join the team's young driver programme. As a driver already familiar with the Blakeley factory, it's hard to imagine O'Com choosing to stay with a mid-range team (alpine) if the opportunity arose.
Alexander Albon
When Albon lost his Red Bull seat for the 2021 season, one might feel like it was his last appearance in F1.
However, when Albon joined the Williams team in 2022, his status was given a significant boost. His impressive performance in the new team made him the best driver in the lower teams, and he scored a lot of points for the team with his heroic defense and excellent tyre management.
Albon's ability and the leadership he showed at Williams are worth considering, as he helped the Williams team move up from last to seventh in the standings last season. He has also impressed new manager James Walls, and if Albon is the man they want, there is a good chance that a deal will be reached between the two teams.
Daniel Ricciardo
The return of the 34-year-old veteran is one of the biggest news of the 2023 season, as he has made an impression on his return to F1 after half a season away. Ricciardo, who is due to expire at the end of the season, will be hoping to prove that he has what it takes to return to the top team.
But Ricardo's return to Mercedes is highly unlikely. If Pérez leaves at the end of the season, his return to Red Bull is far more likely than joining Mercedes.
Andrea Antonelli
Antonelli is the ultimate wildcard in this pursuit, a young driver who hasn't even raced in F2 in his career, but he has the opportunity to compete for a Mercedes factory seat.
Antonelli is the most exciting Mercedes junior driver since Russell, having run several impressive races since entering the world of motorsport in 2021. Antonelli is the winner of the 2022 German and Italian F4 championships, and also won the Formula Regional title in the Middle East and Europe last season.
Antonelli teamed up with Prima Racing and had every chance of making a very strong debut season in the class. However, even then, he may be too young to be the favourite team in his rookie season as Hamilton did at McLaren years ago.
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