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The Formula 1 world briefly caught fire Thursday morning with news that seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton would leave Mercedes following the 2024 season and join rival Ferrari.
The news leaves the German F1 powerhouse with plenty of questions going forward.
Young star George Russell figures to step into the role of the team’s lead driver. But who will be his teammate?
F1 Drivers Most Likely To Join Mercedes In 2025
Several names will likely be in discussion for the coveted seated. But these drivers in specific lead the way in those talks.
Carlos Sainz – Ferrari
With Hamilton making the shock move to the Scuderia, that leaves Sainz, 29, without a seat following the season. The veteran had previously expressed his interest in staying with Ferrari, but that’s clearly no longer a option.
Could the Spaniard making it a straight swap and pair with Russell from 2025 on?
Sainz is one of more consistent and well-liked drivers on the grid. He picked up the first two wins of his career in the past two seasons with Ferrari and was the lone non-Red Bull driver to win a race in 2024.
Sainz moving to Mercedes would provide the team with a more than competent veteran and provide Russell with a steadying hand alongside him on the grid.
Sergio Perez – Red Bull
Like Sainz, Perez is extremely popular on the grid among both fans and fellow drivers. Also, like Sainz, he’s proven capable of being strong in the role of a No. 2 driver on a top team.
But unlike Sainz, Perez has struggled with inconsistent performances while at Red Bull. Especially in the second half of the 2023 season.
That’s why he’s been linked with a potential exit from F1’s current top team amid rumors that Australian star Daniel Ricciardo could return to partner with reigning champ Max Verstappen.
Should that happen, Perez would be without a seat and a spot alongside Russell could make a lot of sense.
Alex Albon – Williams
Albon offers a bit of a different look than both Sainz and Perez. He lacks the experience of the two aforementioned drivers, but may well have higher upside.
Albon rose through the ranks with the Red Bull junior program before breaking into F1 with what was then Toro Rosso. He spent 26 races as a teammate of Max Verstappen at Red Bull before losing his seat due to inconsistent performances.
After a year away, Albon returned with Williams and has impressed in his last two seasons despite subpar equipment.
Williams is already a Mercedes partner and Albon and Russell are close friends. Could they soon be teammates?
Andrea Kimi Antonelli – Prema Racing (F2)
Whomst?!
That’s a fair question.
At just 17 years old, Andrea Kimi Antonelli is far from a household name, even for diehard F1 fans. But the Italian 17-is an elite prospect and has already skipped the F3 level to move to F2 in 2024 where he’ll team Brit Oliver Bearman for Prema Racing. Ironically, Bearman is a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy.
Antonelli, meanwhile, is a member of Mercedes’ junior team.
Even if he absolutely shocks the world and dominates F2, a spot alongside Russell in 2025 feels like a pretty massive stretch. And if anything, he’d likely fill a role at one of Mercedes’ customer teams. But hey, if we’ve learned anything from the Hamilton move it’s that you can never say never when it comes to Formula 1.