Formula 1: 3 replacement candidates for Lewis Hamilton
By Asher Fair
With Lewis Hamilton sidelined with COVID-19, here are three possible replacements for him at Mercedes for this Sunday’s Formula 1 race at Bahrain International Circuit.
For the first time since making his Formula 1 debut back in the 2007 season-opening Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Lewis Hamilton is slated to miss a start this weekend.
After testing positive for COVID-19, Hamilton will not be able to compete in the Sakhir Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit outer layout, ending a record 265-race streak of starts which is nearly three years longer than second place on the all-time list.
Who will replace the seven-time world champion at Mercedes for this 87-lap race around the 11-turn, 2.202-mile (3.544-kilometer) road course in Sakhir, Bahrain?
Here are three options.
Possible Lewis Hamilton replacements: Stoffel Vandoorne
Stoffel Vandoorne serves as Mercedes’ reserve driver and would be the easy selection here. He had been and still is scheduled to travel to Bahrain International Circuit for the race weekend after competing Formula E testing in Valencia, Spain.
Vandoorne finished in second place in the 2019-2020 Formula E driver standings and secured his first career win in what was his first season competing for the Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E Team.
He has not competed in Formula 1 since 2018 when he was in his second season of competition with McLaren, but he has a plethora of experience in the Mercedes simulator, and driving for the sport’s top team alongside Valtteri Bottas would provide him with arguably the single greatest opportunity of his racing career, even if only for a single event.