Marc Priestley has suggested that current Williams driver Alex Albon might be the best person to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes next year.
Toto Wolff has a huge decision to make this season and plenty of drivers would love to be George Russell’s teammate next year.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Priestley was talking about the options Mercedes have available to them.
Priestley likes Albon as an option for Mercedes
Replacing Lewis Hamilton is going to be a next-to-impossible challenge for Toto Wolff.
The seven-time world champion achieved global dominance for six seasons with the Silver Arrows.
However, the last couple of campaigns have been difficult for the team and Hamilton personally, as he hasn’t stood on the top step of the podium since 2021.
That has likely played a part in his decision to leave although things aren’t running completely smoothly behind the scenes in Brackley.
Plenty of drivers have been linked with driving for Mercedes next year and Marc Priestley likes Alex Albon as an option.
The former race mechanic – who earned the nickname ‘Elvis’ – believes Albon has all the right attributes to make the step up to partner Russell.
He’s been told he has the ‘opportunity’ to make the switch, but whether he’s actually available is another matter.
Albon ready to win races in Formula 1
Talking about the options available to Mercedes, Priestley said: “When we’re talking about the driver market, Mercedes have got a prime seat.
“And it may not be championship-contending this year but they’re not far away.
“We know how good they are as an organisation that will be a championship-contending seat at some point I’m sure in the near future and that means the seat that Lewis [Hamilton] vacates is going to be a very popular one.
“So who fills it? Well, Carlos Sainz is one of the obvious choices, he’s making that room for Lewis to come in.
“Kimi Antonelli, a guy that’s been talking about a lot by Toto Wolff.
“Personally, I happen to think that Alex Albon might be a really good fit at Mercedes.
“Alex Albon, is somebody I think is growing massively in terms of confidence, doing an incredible job at Williams, seems a very sensible kid that actually would fit the Mercedes mould really well and I think is a genuinely good option.”
Priestley’s thoughts on Albon’s chance to race for Mercedes are interesting and it would be a surprise if he’s not a name being seriously considered.
Williams team principal James Vowles has insisted that Albon is signed up to drive for the team next season.
As Hamilton and others have shown, there are typically loopholes in contracts for drivers should they need them.
However, Mercedes might go for a driver who will be more straightforward to sign up when they finally decide to replace Hamilton.
The post ‘Genuinely good option’: Marc Priestley backs ‘incredible’ racer to be the best Hamilton successor at Mercedes appeared first on F1 Oversteer.