Sir Lewis Hamilton made Mercedes a powerhouse in modern F1. Before the great British racer joined the Silver Arrows, it was not looking like a championship-winning team. However, the Ferrari legend Michael Schumacher came out of retirement to join the German team around 2010-2011. But that did not turn the German team’s luck toward a championship. It was the racer who replaced the German great and brought a significant change to the team. Hamilton and Toto Wolff joined the Silver Arrows in 2013. Since then, the tables have turned, and Mercedes is currently on the verge of collapse. The turbo-hybrid era began in 2014. Since 2014, Mercedes has won eight constructor titles.
Lewis Hamilton won six Driver’s World Championships. But their glory days came to an end in 2022. It was the year when a new era of cost-cap began. Since then, Red Bull has not allowed any team to dominate the grid. They overthrow Mercedes as the new dominant team. On the other hand, the Silver Arrows somehow managed to win only a single race in the last two years. But the biggest shock came when Lewis Hamilton announced he would leave the German team at the end of the upcoming season. In 2025, Hamilton will don the iconic “Red Uniform.” Now, the fans wonder who’ll replace the seven-time champion.
Mercedes May Go With Plan B
Since Lewis Hamilton announced his move to the Italian giants, the Brackley team has been wondering who will replace the same seat. The Silver Arrows have a couple of options. They can either go with the young prodigy or sign the oldest option available. If the German team signs the young, promising racer from F2, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, then George Russell would have to play the lead role of the two drivers. Russell himself debuted for Mercedes in 2022. Since then, he has won the only race for the German team.
But the F1 analyst of Sky Sports, Ted Kravitz, said Mercedes should choose “Plan B.” According to Kravitz, the Silver Arrows should replace one big name with another. Among the three champions currently available on the grid, Fernando Alonso has the best chance to join the German team. Max Verstappen won’t leave Red Bull anytime soon. Hamilton is excited about his new chapter with Ferrari. That’s why Kravitz said, “The Spaniard is a very good shout.” Moreover, the expert mentioned it’s about replacing like for like.
Why Kravitz Thinks Alonso Is A Better Option Than The Italian Prodigy?
As per Kravitz, Kimi is too young, and Toto Wolff would like to nurture his talent for a while. Hence, the Mercedes boss will unlikely give him a chance to debut in F1 from next year. On the other hand, the Sky Sports analyst said there are so many similarities between Alonso and Hamilton.
Both are multi-time champions. Moreover, both racers have been at the top of the grid for a long time. On top of that, the two racers seem to defy age as a barrier. Last year, the Spaniard had a great comeback with Aston Martin. Albeit, he’s nearing the end of his career, Kravitz think Fernando Alonso can still be at the top of his game for another two or three years.
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