Formula 1: Mercedes prepared for Lewis Hamilton to leave for Ferrari

Should Lewis Hamilton decide to join Ferrari for the 2021 Formula 1 season, Mercedes are ready for it with other drivers who could take over.

As has been the case for the last several seasons, there are rumors that Lewis Hamilton will leave Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport once his contract expires and join Ferrari to close out his Formula 1 career.

Hamilton’s current contract expires after the 2020 season, as he signed a two-year contract extension with the Brackley-based team in July of 2018. The 2021 season is set to mark the beginning of a new era as it pertains to the rules and regulations, which could prompt a lot of driver movement across the grid.

Even if the rumors are true and the 34-year-old Briton does leave the Silver Arrows for Ferrari, however, Mercedes are prepared, as team principal and CEO Toto Wolff has stated that there are several other drivers who he likes and would consider signing.

Here is what Wolff had to say about the matter to Sky Italia.

"“We hope to have the two most competitive drivers in Formula 1. And (Hamilton) is our priority today. But if he wants to have a look at the market, we have to as well. And there are others that I like.”"

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Among the drivers who Mercedes would likely consider for the 2021 season if Hamilton leaves are Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen and George Russell, perhaps even Esteban Ocon or Daniel Ricciardo among others.

Vettel is the driver who Hamilton would likely replace if he goes to Ferrari, as he signed a three-year contract extension with the team in August of 2017. But he has made several crucial mistakes in recent seasons, and it is evident that the team are committed to making Charles Leclerc their future number one driver.

Leclerc, in his first season driving for Ferrari, has already won more races, taken more pole positions and scored more points than his four-time champion teammate, and Wolff himself has stated before that Mercedes and Ferrari could effectively complete a driver swap involving Hamilton and Vettel.

Verstappen is set to enter a contract year with Red Bull Racing after signing a three-year contract extension with the team in October of 2017.

It is clear that Red Bull Racing need to make big improvements to give the 22-year-old Dutchman a car capable of winning the championship. If they cannot do that in their second year with Honda as their engine manufacturer, he could easily walk away and sign with a more competitive team such as Mercedes.

Russell has been seen as the heir apparent to Hamilton for quite some time, with Hamilton himself even stating that he may “hand the baton” to the 21-year-old Briton after the 2020 season. Russell is the 2017 GP3 Series champion, the 2018 Formula 2 champion and a current Mercedes junior driver who is in his rookie Formula 1 season driving for Williams.

Ocon was rumored as a possible replacement candidate for Valtteri Bottas ahead of the 2020 season before the team re-signed the 30-year-old Finn and Ocon, a Mercedes junior driver, signed with Renault. His contract is not a Mercedes loan like it was initially believed to be, but the team have not ruled out bringing him back at some point in the future. With that being said, his initial contract with the French marque is a multi-year deal.

Renault driver Daniel Ricciardo had been rumored as a candidate to drive for the team in the past, even for 2019 at one point, and he is set to be in a contract year next year as well, with Renault even indicating that they may choose a younger driver to pair with Ocon after the 2020 season.

Bottom line, if Lewis Hamilton does leave for Ferrari after next year, Mercedes won’t be left desperately searching for drivers for the 2021 Formula 1 season. The question is, will he actually join the Italian team?