Damon Hill has admitted that ‘politically’ Mercedes might not want to replace Lewis Hamilton with Carlos Sainz next season.
The 2024 season hasn’t even started yet but already there are plenty of drivers vying for new race seats next year.
Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 Show, Hill admitted the thought of hiring Carlos Sainz for 2025 might not sit right with them.
Damon Hill can’t see Sainz replacing Hamilton at Mercedes
Toto Wolff is going to have his choice of almost any driver he would like to partner George Russell.
Although several drivers are already signed up to new contracts, the likes of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris could potentially be convinced if the Mercedes was fast enough.
The more likely outcome is that a driver without a contract for 2025 makes the switch.
That could be Kimi Antonelli, although he had a tough first qualifying session in Formula 2 on Thursday afternoon with Prema.
Fernando Alonso has also been touted as an option but he would likely want the sort of long-term contract that Mercedes weren’t willing to offer Lewis Hamilton.
Even the likes of Esteban Ocon have been spoken about, but Hill can’t see Hamilton and Sainz doing a like-for-like swap.
The 29-year-old is undoubtedly very quick and has the potential to win races.
But Hill has other concerns about his suitability to work under Toto Wolff.
Sainz and Mercedes both have plenty of options to choose from
Speaking about the choice Mercedes have to make, Hill said: “If you think about Carlos Sainz, he’s come from Ferrari, would Mercedes be comfortable taking someone who has been, not rejected, but in any way passed over?
“So, I think politically that might not be so attractive to them.”
Mercedes have only had a handful of drivers in the modern era but the one that stands out that made the connection between Mercedes and Ferrari is Michael Schumacher.
However, the difference is the German decided to drive for the Silver Arrows after coming out of retirement, rather than making an immediate switch.
If Mercedes think Sainz is the right man to replace Hamilton, then they’ll dismiss the concerns that Hill has and bring him in regardless.
Wolff won’t be rushing into any decision and will instead want to see how each driver performs at the beginning of this season.
The post ‘If you think’: Damon Hill says ‘politically’ Mercedes might not be happy with 29-year-old replacing Hamilton appeared first on F1 Oversteer.