Formula 1: 5 possible replacements for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes
By Logan Ploder
Potential Lewis Hamilton replacements: No. 4 - Alex Albon
For all the meme lovers in the F1 community, Alex Albon joining Mercedes will definitely be at the top of their lists.
Albon, George Russell, Charles Leclerc, and Lando Norris all came up through the ranks together in karting and have all remained good friends. Excluding Leclerc, the trio have had several moments together in Formula 1 that have made each other, and everyone around them, have a good laugh. Now, imagine two of them on the same team: that's what 2025 could potentially hold for Mercedes with Albon and Russell.
Aside from all the memes, jokes, and laughs, this would be a very good fit for all parties. Albon is a talented driver, one who challenged Russell and Norris in Formula 2, and has clearly outshone both of his Williams teammates in Nicholas Latifi and Logan Sargeant. He has consistently gotten every last bit of performance out of his machinery.
There are a few other factors at play when discussing a potential switch to Mercedes for Albon. For one, he has driven with a Mercedes engine in the back of his Williams cars the last two years, much like Russell did from 2019 to 2021, and will thus need much less time adjusting to a new car.
Additionally, the Thai-British driver has driven for a front-running team before, doing so with Red Bull during the second half of the 2019 season and then in 2020. He also served as a reserve, test, and simulator driver for the team in 2021, which played a small but important role in helping Max Verstappen clinch his first world championship.
Albon is not just some young driver who has proven himself as a fast talent in a backmarker car. While he did struggle at times against Verstappen at Red Bull, he showed flashes of brilliance in a car that was very difficult to drive, and most importantly, he displayed solid race craft in doing so.
With more experience now under his belt, Albon cannot be taken lightly as he enters the prime of his career.