It is perhaps the most coveted openly available seat in Formula 1 for several seasons – the one that will be vacated by Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes when he departs for Ferrari at the end of 2024.
Already an appealing seat when Hamilton’s move was first announced, it has perhaps only become more valuable as the season has progressed and the multiple world champions have gradually built themselves back up to being regular race winners again.
With Haas confirming Esteban Ocon will join them for 2025, there are now five drivers on the grid who do not currently have a seat for next season confirmed: Valtteri Bottas, Kevin Magnussen, Daniel Ricciardo, Logan Sargeant and Zhou Guanyu. While all of them are potential options, there are also plenty of other drivers who are not on the current grid who could well be more attractive.
Mercedes will be hoping – if not expecting – to be a contender for both championship titles into 2025 and certainly beyond. That means whoever they pick will require the skill and mental toughness to compete against the best the sport has to offer at the front of the field. Against the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and even against George Russell in the second Mercedes car.
Although team principal Toto Wolff’s words and actions over the year so far suggest that there is one particular driver who appears to be the clear favourite for the seat, it’s time to have your say on who you would offer the spare Mercedes seat to in 2025. But first, a quick look at all the potential options…
The established drivers
Three of the most experienced drivers on the current grid are yet to secure a seat for 2025. Of those, Bottas seems to be the most obvious fit, having raced with Mercedes for five consecutive seasons between 2017 and 2021, helping them to the constructors’ championship title every time. Although not on the same level as Hamilton, Bottas showed he was more than capable of beating the best in the field on his day – even if the pressure of being a Mercedes factory driver appeared to take its toll over time.
Ricciardo is the only other grand prix winner in the field who is currently yet to have his future secured. Although he would also bring a wealth of experience of fighting at the front – having held his own against no lesser a team mate than Max Verstappen in his Red Bull years. But Ricciardo has struggled in recent years to match that high level he attained around a…
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