Formula 1: 5 active drivers who could replace Lewis Hamilton
By Asher Fair
Active Lewis Hamilton replacements: No. 3 – Pierre Gasly
Pierre Gasly has been the hot name attached with Lewis Hamilton’s seat in recent months, given what he has been able to accomplish at AlphaTauri since he was demoted back to the Red Bull sister team after a disappointing first half of the 2019 season with Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen.
He secured his first career podium finish with the Italian team in 2019 at Interlagos before going on to secure his first career win with the team in 2020 at Monza. He added another podium finish in 2021 at Baku and finished in a career-high ninth place in the driver standings.
The top eight drivers in the standings all drove for one of the top four teams. Gasly finished in ninth place despite the fact that AlphaTauri finished in sixth, not fifth.
He has proven that he deserves another shot at another top-tier ride, something that you can rarely say about a driver who is demoted at any point during a career in Formula 1. Keep in mind, the fact that Gasly wasn’t dropped completely from the organization at the time of his demotion originally surprised some, but he has silenced those doubters.
Technically, the earliest he could drive for Red Bull is 2023, as Sergio Perez’s contract is up after 2022, but there are no guarantees. If Mercedes come calling, that could potentially present an even better opportunity.
The issue here would be getting Red Bull’s approval. Not only is Gasly still tied to the team, but how much — if there is even an amount — would they want from Mercedes to effectively take one of their own and immediately turn him into a rival contender?