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Mercedes confirmed ‘talks’ to bring F1 World Champion out of retirement to replace Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes confirmed ‘talks’ to bring F1 World Champion out of retirement to replace Lewis Hamilton. A former World Champion could make a shock return to Formula One to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.
Hamilton sent shockwaves through the world of F1 earlier this week when he confirmed that he will leave Mercedes at the end of the 2024 season to join Ferrari.
The 36-year-old signed a new two-year contract with the Silver Arrows in 2023, but has decided to activate an option that will allow him to leave a year early.
The seven-time world champion will end a 25-year association with Mercedes, which dates back to his time as a junior driver and when the company was an engine supplier for his first F1 team McLaren.
In a statement posted on his social media channels, Hamilton said: “The time is right to make a change and take on a new challenge.
“I still remember the feeling of taking a leap of faith into the unknown when I first joined Mercedes in 2013. I know some people didn’t understand it at the time but I was right to make the move then and it’s the feeling I have again now.
“I’m excited to see what I can bring to this new opportunity and what we can do together.”
Hamilton will race alongside Charles Leclerc for the Scuderia, with Carlos Sainz Jr making way for him. The Spaniard is one of several drivers linked with replacing Hamilton at Mercedes, but now it looks like an unlikely figure is also in the mix.
Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel retired in 2022, but he is now being tipped to make as stunning return to the grid.
The German won four F1 World Driver’s Championships with Red Bull, but he called time on his career after enduring two disappointing seasons with the Aston Martin team.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has revealed that he is still in regular contact with Vettel, prompting speculation that the negotiations are underway.
However, earlier this week Wolff played down the chances of an unexpected comeback. He told AMUS: “I think he [Vettel] made the decision to not race anymore. We are talking on a regular basis. We’ve also talked yesterday, but it wasn’t about driving for us in the future.”
Back in September, Vettel refused to rule out a return to F1. When asked if he might follow in the footsteps of fellow world champions Nigel Mansell, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen by coming out of retirement, he told Sky Sports: “I can’t say no, because that you don’t know.
Mercedes confirmed ‘talks’ to bring F1 World Champion out of retirement
“I think it’s something that if you asked all of them, probably some of them would have said ‘no’. And some of them I don’t know, but in the end all of them came back, so I can’t exclude it.”
Hamilton’s move is already one of the biggest stories in F1 history, but a shock comeback by Vettel would take it to a whole new level.
A shock name is in pole position to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes once he joins Ferrari.
On Thursday the news broke that Lewis Hamilton will join Ferrari from the 2025 season onwards, bringing an end to his 11-year association with Mercedes.
Though the 39-year-old endured disappointing 2022 and 2023 seasons with Mercedes, the six Formula One World Driver’s Championships he won with them mean this is arguably the biggest driver transfer in the sport’s history.
Hamilton penned a new two-year contract with Mercedes in August, but at 7pm GMT on Thursday the team announced that the star has exercised his option to end their partnership a year early.
According to Italian outlet Formu1a.uno, Hamilton will earn around $100 million per year at Ferrari, a total made up of salary, sponsors, image rights, bonuses and more.
READ: Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr. and Christopher Bell on the decision to move the Clash
Hamilton will partner Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, meaning that Carlos Sainz will leave the team once the 2024 season has concluded.
The Spaniard – son of famed rally driver Carlos Sainz Sr – brought Ferrari their only grand prix victory of the 2023 season.
After confirming the news of his departure to make way for Hamilton, Sainz wrote on X: “We still have a long season ahead of us and, like always, I will give my absolute best for the team and for the tifosi all around the world. News about my future will be announced in due course.”
That last line has sparked speculation about where he might end up, and it appears that Sainz is the favourite to replace Hamilton at Mercedes.
The bookies odds – provided by BonusCodeBets – have Sainz Jr at 6/4 to replace Hamilton, while Alex Albon has odds of 6/4 to leave Williams Racing for Mercedes.
Fernando Alonso is priced at 5/1, with Ferrari being one of the few teams the former World Champion has yet to drive for.
Daniel Ricciardo is 8/1 to take Hamilton’s spot. The Australian could potentially have a future as Max Verstappen’s Red Bull team mate, but being the main man at Mercedes could tempt him away from Red Bull.
27-year-old Alpine driver Esteban Ocon is 16/1, while 17-year-old sensation Kimi Antonelli is 25/1.
The full set of odds are:
6/4 – Carlos Sainz
2/1 – Alex Albon
5/1 – Fernando Alonso
8/1 – Daniel Ricciardo
16/1 – Esteban Ocon
25/1 – Andrea Kimi Antonelli
50/1 – Mick Schumacher
33/1 – Sergio Perez
100/1 – Pierre Gasly
100/1 – Frederik Vesti
100/1 – Zak O’Sullivan
100/1 – Ollie Bearman
100/1 – Sebastian Vettel
100/1 – Valtteri Bottas
A former Ferrari engineer has criticised the decision to bring in Lewis Hamilton and thinks the Brit’s presence will mean “a lot of potential for drama”.
At the age of 40, seven-time Formula 1 champion Hamilton will form a formidable driver partnership with Charles Leclerc. His big switch comes at the expense of Carlos Sainz, who has performed well for the Italian squad but who was axed so they had room for their blockbuster new signing.
But not everyone of a Ferrari persuasion is convinced that it will go well. Ernest Knoors, who spent many years as an engineer at Maranello, specialising in power units, worries that Hamilton’s presence could do more harm than good for a team that is finding its groove under Frederic Vasseur.
“A big name like Hamilton also brings a lot of politics and if politics within Ferrari are not managed well, then there is a lot of potential for drama,” he told Formule1.nl. “Hamilton has the tendency that if things do not work out, he turns his whole car upside down and starts experimenting.
“Ferrari believes very much in the big personalities and will follow him. But Hamilton is just someone you have to guide a little bit and not give the freedom to rebuild the whole car, because then it will go completely wrong. So I do not know if it is such a smart move, but of course it is nice for the sport.”
News of Hamilton’s planned move broke on February 1, coinciding with football’s Transfer Deadline Day. That the back pages of many newspapers were dominated by the decision of Hamilton to swap Mercedes for Ferrari was testament to the magnitude of the announcement.
Sainz was not surprised as he had been informed by his team of the plan ahead of it being made public. But the Spaniard responded well with two victories to date this season and five further appearances on the podium, on the way to what looks likely to be a fifth-placed finish in the championship – two spots and 54 points ahead of Hamilton.
Sainz has signed for Williams next year and, after several years of running at the front of the grid, will focus on his new challenge of helping restore one of the grid’s most historic teams to its former glory. But Knoors believes he should have been kept on by Ferrari instead.
The Dutchman added: “I see Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari more as a PR move. With all due respect, Hamilton is not going to take that Ferrari from P6 to P1. He will get the most out of it, but what Ferrari has to do is make that car faster. And if you make that car faster, you can easily drive at the front with the current line-up.
“Besides, as a team you have to look further on the horizon. If Hamilton becomes champion in the coming years, he and Ferrari will become immortal. But if you want to build a team with talent for the next five years, are you going to build on Hamilton? No, because he will really be finished after two or three years. That is why I would have kept the very strong line-up that Ferrari has now.”
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Chase Elliott had a front-row seat for one of NASCAR’s most bizarre moments of the 2024 Cup Series season. At the start of Stage 2, the pace car dove onto pit road in front of Elliott; however, it was a tad too late. The pace car made contact with the sand barrels at the entry of pit road and caused a red flag for cleanup.
Initially, there was some speculation on the NBC Sports broadcast, even from the No. 9 team, that Elliott made contact with the pace car. Fortunately, the pace car didn’t slide across the No. 9 car’s nose, but it undoubtedly provided one of NASCAR’s craziest red flag moments in recent memory.
Below, you can listen to Elliott and the No. 9 team react to the pace car crashing into the sand barrels on pit road at Phoenix during Championship Weekend!
Reflecting on the recent retirement of 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., Earnhardt didn’t mince words about the toll NASCAR takes on its drivers. Speaking candidly, the two-time Daytona 500 winner admitted that the pressure to perform every week left him feeling miserable for most of his racing career—a sentiment he believes is shared by many of his peers.
“Right or wrong, racing made me a miserable person 90% of the time,” Earnhardt confessed. “And him too. I mean, ask Kyle Busch, ask anybody—unless you’re winning, you’re not happy.”
For these elite drivers, the sport is a relentless grind. A podium finish might bring temporary relief, but anything short of victory is often a source of frustration. The immense effort poured into preparation and execution rarely feels like it pays off unless the checkered flag is theirs.
Earnhardt highlighted the mental toll of falling short, explaining how the relentless focus on winning can overshadow the joy of simply competing. Even a solid performance feels hollow compared to the euphoria of a win.
“Unless you’re winning, you’re not happy at all,” he said. “You’re okay with a good run, but for the most part, all the effort it takes just to run good—it doesn’t weigh out.”
For drivers, the stakes are sky-high every week. Sponsors, fans, and teams demand nothing less than excellence, leaving little room for error or personal satisfaction in anything less than a dominant performance.
Earnhardt also shared insights into his friendship with Martin Truex Jr., who recently announced his retirement. While the two often spend time hunting together during NASCAR’s off-season, Earnhardt noted that the stress of racing even creeps into their leisure activities.
“When I’m with him during hunting season, it’s always in the back of his mind,” Earnhardt said. “It’s that stressful part of the year when he’s as miserable as he’s going to be.”
Now, with Truex stepping away from the track, Earnhardt looks forward to seeing a lighter, happier version of his long-time friend. Without the weight of weekly competition hanging over him, Truex might finally be able to relax and enjoy the outdoor lifestyle he cherishes.
“It’ll be fun to see him loosen up,” Earnhardt added.
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