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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
Great rumor about Schumacher – but bad memories are already coming back
The dream is still alive – but the glimmer of hope is shrinking more and more! Mick Schumacher actually wanted to use the wild driver market to slip back into Formula 1. However, some prominent options are already off the table.
The latest rumor about the son of record world champion Michael Schumacher is all the more surprising. He is very familiar with this Formula 1 racing team. But the current situation brings back bad memories.
Formula 1: No Audi, no Mercedes
After the departure of Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes would have been the dream solution for Schumacher. He has been a test driver for the Silver Arrows for over a year and receives praise from all sides. Here he could finally have presented himself in a competitive car. However, there are increasing signs that his name is not on team boss Toto Wolff’s list of possible candidates. Especially since he’s already digging Max Verstappen ( find out more here ).
+++ Next Red Bull shocker? Helmut Marko spills the beans +++
Audi’s hopes also recently received a severe setback. The German carmaker chose Nico Hülkenberg as the face of its own campaign. In addition, Carlos Sainz, who has to leave Ferrari, will probably follow. Schumacher couldn’t compete with the Spaniard’s charisma.
Place on the chaos team?
So what options remain in Formula 1? According to the “F1 Insider” portal, Alpine could suddenly become an issue. Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly are actually set here. Because things aren’t going well this season, the former in particular is aiming for a change after the season.
The connection to Schumacher is definitely there, as he has been driving for the Alpine endurance team since this year. So far he has been able to impress with fast lap times. Is this his ticket back to the premier class?
Formula 1: Alpine on the brink
Only: How much would it bring him? During his first F1 phase, Schumacher sat in a Haas with no chance and in which it was impossible to shine. Something similar is currently looming at Alpine. Instead of fighting for podiums, the car is a cucumber and hasn’t scored a single point yet. A fate that is shared with Williams and Sauber – but that was also to be expected with them.
There is also a lot of background noise surrounding layoffs and resignations. Mick Schumacher probably wouldn’t hesitate if he were offered a return to Formula 1. But Alpine’s current state bodes ill for its chances of success.
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After Hamilton’s commitment: Ferrari changes name
The commitment of Lewis Hamilton as a driver pays off twice for Ferrari. The Italian racing team has a new title sponsor and is changing its name.
Munich – Lewis Hamilton’s Formula 1 move from Mercedes to Ferrari for the coming season caused a huge stir . With the seven-time world champion, the Scuderia wants to launch the major attack on Red Bull and Max Verstappen in 2025, which currently seems unassailable.
And the Hamilton deal pays off twice for Ferrari: On the one hand, the Italian racing team gains what is probably the biggest name among active drivers. On the other hand, the name Hamilton attracts major sponsors. One of them will now become the main and title sponsor. This means: Ferarri is even changing its name.
Ferrari completes deal with new title sponsor
As the racing team announced on Wednesday, the US technology company Hewlett-Packard (HP) will be the new title sponsor. From now on, the two current drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr., whom Hamilton will replace in the coming season, will no longer be racing for “Scuderia Ferrari” but for “Scuderia Ferrari HP”.
“Our founder passed on to us his constant desire for progress. This results in our pursuit of innovation on the road and on the racetrack. In HP we have found the same values, which makes the company an ideal partner. We look forward to starting our collaboration and facing new opportunities and challenges together,” Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna is quoted as saying in a press release.
HP deal brings Ferrari new look
The sponsorship deal will also change the look of the cars and racing suits. For the first time, the HP logo will appear on the cars of Leclerc and Sainz Jr. at the Grand Prix in Miami on May 5th. be visible. However, the exact appearance of the cars is not yet known.
Denny Hamlin Takes a Shot at Kyle Larson as the HMS Driver Brings Up Petty Issues
After the Wurth 400 Race, Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch expressed their displeasure in their respective post-race interviews at Dover, blaming their loss primarily on the aero blocking associated with the next-gen cars. Where Larson is listed as the 5-1 favorite to win at Dover, for Busch, it was his second career Dover pole. After the race, Busch emphasized how previous models at least allowed some room to maneuver for passes, a flexibility that seems absent in the next-gen cars.
Larson, expanding on this, pointed out that aero blocking is particularly significant at the front of the pack. He noted that drivers leading the race could easily use their in-car cameras to keep tabs on challengers behind them and block effectively. #5 suggested that removing these cameras could potentially alleviate the problem.
However, Denny Hamlin, the Dover winner, who once again “beat your favorite driver” doesn’t see eye to eye with this viewpoint. He actually downplayed the impact of in-car cameras, considering their removal a minor tweak rather than a significant solution to the overarching issues with next-generation cars.
Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson are at loggerheads with each other
#5 Hendrick Motorsports driver recently floated the idea that NASCAR should ditch the rear-view cameras to make air-blocking tougher. He repeatedly described how “easy” it is to block using these cameras, explaining, “It’s really hard to pass the lead car. […] Honestly, if they took the cameras out of the car, that’s probably one of the little things that could fix it. It’s hard to see out of the rearview mirrors, but the cameras are so easy. I would be for it if they took the cameras out. I don’t know if he ;[Hamlin] runs the camera, he probably does and it’s really easy.”
However, Denny Hamlin doesn’t see eye-to-eye with Kyle Larson. In his post-race comments, the JGR driver mentioned he rarely used the camera at Dover, noting, “Yeah, I mean, I use it at times. I didn’t use it much today simply because Dover is just a track where things happen so fast. I feel like personally if I take my eyes off the road for a second, I take it to the camera, I’ll miss my line kind of rely more on the spotter to defend than I do the actual camera just simply because I don’t think I’m good enough to drive and look backwards.”
Denny Hamlin wasn’t buying the camera removal idea as a fix for aero blocking. He flat-out said it wouldn’t make a difference. “No, it wouldn’t change anything because the spotters would tell you where to drive,” he explained. He said that he would rather see changes to the car, tires, or something more substantial. According to him, the current cars just can’t stand being in traffic or trailing another car, which is why they perform best on wider tracks where the following driver has room to maneuver. It’s all a strategic game.
But besides these camera and aero-blocking discussions, there’s something else worth celebrating for Denny Hamlin. With his latest win at Dover, Denny Hamlin has now matched a legendary driver in the record books.
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