Formula 1: 5 possible replacements for Lewis Hamilton

Possible Lewis Hamilton replacements: No. 4 – Nyck de Vries

The oldest driver on this list, aside from Valtteri Bottas, is 26-year-old Nyck de Vries, who won the 2019 Formula 2 championship as well as the 2020-21 Formula E championship. That pedigree enough should earn him a look by Mercedes.

He has also won karting and Formula Renault titles and has been driving for Mercedes’ Formula E team for the last two years. That previous success, combined with his familiarity with the Mercedes racing program, makes him a solid if uninspiring choice.

I’m not sure how he would fit with George Russell, whereas Lewis Hamilton would be the clear number one driver if he returns.

If Mercedes go with a rookie, he would logically take second seat to Russell. But despite his lack of Formula 1 race experience, de Vries is unquestionably accomplished and talented. Russell’s three seasons in Formula 1 might not quite mark him as an elder statesman to a driver three years his senior.

But Mercedes have the strong infrastructure that comes along with being dominant in Formula 1 for nearly a decade, and they undoubtedly have the human resources to make both de Vries and Russell both feel welcomed, comfortable, and valued. And Mercedes certainly have the leadership and material resources to make them both successful.

None of these choices are terribly surprising, but if Mercedes wish to make a headline-grabbing move that would also ring very popular for racing fans, they’d need some help from the very folks they blame for their current predicament: the FIA.