What are Hamilton's options in pursuit of a record eighth world title
A fairytale end at Ferrari, taking a Fernando Alonso style sabbatical or staying at lagging Mercedes… what are Lewis Hamilton’s F1 options in his pursuit of a record eighth world title after glum start to the season?
- Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes contract is up at the end of the 2023 season
- Brit is desperate for a team to land a record eighth world championship with
- But the 38-year-old’s options look incredibly limited outside of the Silver Arrows
Lewis Hamilton at one point in his career had one hand on an eighth world championship, but following the opening race of the season in Bahrain the prospect of becoming the greatest driver of all time looks further away than it ever has.
The Brit was just one lap away from glory in the Abu Dhabi season finale in 2021 before a highly infamous safety car resulted in him being passed by bitter rival Max Verstappen on the last lap to lose out on the title to the Dutchman.
He hasn’t even led the championship standings since, and last year failed to win or even take a pole position in a Mercedes car that dropped off the pace and out of the title hunt, as Verstappen dominated to retain his title.
It was an incredibly rare off-season for Mercedes who previously had won the constructors’ championship eight years in a row with the Brit at the wheel – who took six world titles of his own along the way.
But hopes of a return back to the front in 2023 were dashed on Sunday when Mercedes were left floundering at the season opener in Sakhir, with the 38-year-old a distant fifth and Red Bull once again incredibly dominant with a one-two finish led by Verstappen.
Lewis Hamilton has endured a nightmare start to the season with the Mercedes team
Alongside team-mate George Russell the pair have been unable to lead a charge to Red Bull
Mercedes’ car for this season is already looking much slower than title favourites Red Bull
Hamilton’s contract is up at the end of the season and while the seven-time champion isn’t openly looking for a way out of Mercedes he will be desperate for a drive that still keeps him in contention of an eighth world title.
So should he stay or should he go? If it is the latter, where does he go? Sportsmail looks at Lewis Hamilton’s potential options once his current Mercedes contract expires at the end of the season.
Ferrari fairytale
For this to happen in 2024, a lot of furniture would need to be shifted but while it remains a very outside possibility it certainly cannot be ruled out in the crazy world of the driver’s market.
In F1 no team perhaps does crazy like Ferrari and that goes for their off-track dramas as well as those on it.
The situation at the Maranello team right now is Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are both tied down until the end of 2024, ruling out any way in for Hamilton next term – on paper at least.
Yet, that’s not stopped Ferrari making room for superstars in the past. Kimi Raikkonen was due to the race for the team in 2010 only for the Finn to suddenly find himself squeezed out to make room for Fernando Alonso.
That then leads nicely on to which of Leclerc or Sainz would be out the door. Most likely it could be Sainz despite only signing a new contract a year ago.
Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc (left) and Carlos Sainz have contracts for the 2024 season
But Hamilton has always shown an interest in being able to drive for the famous Italian team
The Spaniard doesn’t appear to have the pace to match Leclerc over a season and if a world champion like Kimi can get a brutal axing then Sainz too is not immune from seeking a new team sooner than expected.
For Leclerc to leave, it would likely be a swap that would see him go to Mercedes.
The problems with all of these scenarios is that on performance there is little reason right now to move from Mercedes to Ferrari and vice-versa as neither seem to have immediate potential to challenge Red Bull.
However, for Hamilton the chance to drive for an historic team like Ferrari in what could be his final opportunity must at least have him thinking for more than one moment.
He has previously admitted owning Ferrari road cars and that the lure of being cheered on by the Monza ‘tifosi’ while driving for the team was a ‘goal’.
‘For many years, when I came to Monza, walking next to the fans… I could hear them saying ‘Come to Ferrari!’, he previously said.
‘This warmed my heart, but it’s pretty amazing that I’ve never driven for Ferrari in so many years. Because it is a dream for anyone, a goal to be achieved.’
‘I’ve seen photos of their drivers and red is always red. I have a couple of Ferraris at home. I can drive those, but not the Ferrari F1.’
Ferrari are no strangers to making room for drivers having ditched Kimi Raikkonen (right) for Fernando Alonso (left) back in 2009
Hamilton, pictured with then Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali (left) and his father Anthony (centre) in 2011 have had light talks over a move to the Italian team in the past
However, Hamilton has also revealed he has held talks with Ferrari in the past but has always been uneasy over joining the Italian outfit.
In a 2020 interview with GQ he said: ‘I think the team has, in my period of time… There have been things I’ve seen that I don’t necessarily feel mirror my values and my approach.’
It’s the move every true Formula One fan would love to see yet unless Ferrari take a serious leap in performance above Mercedes, or at least show potential to it feels unlikely to happen.
However it was similar circumstances that led to his surprise switch from McLaren to Mercedes in 2013 – so never say never.
Take a year out
By far the riskiest option available to Hamilton and one that offers nothing in the short term but leaves him with effectively an open hand heading into 2025.
That’s simply taking 2024 off and it doesn’t take a genius to realise that by doing this the Brit already concedes one of his few remaining chances of winning an eighth world championship.
There are not too many benefits with this approach either as the perceived wisdom of having the freedom of the 2025 market will surely still be there if he only pens a one-year extension to his current Mercedes contract.
Fernando Alonso looks at his imperious best at 41-years-old and previously took a sabbatical
The benefits of a sabbatical are perhaps on display in F1 right now though with Fernando Alonso still driving as if he was at his best despite now being 41 years old.
The two-time world champion walked away from F1 in 2018 after an underwhelming few years at McLaren, only to come back after two years away with a return to Alpine.
Alonso has been imperious ever since and has proven not only that top class drivers can still excel in their 40s but that not all drivers who take short retirements are set to fall short on their return – especially following his third place in Bahrain.
For instance, there was much disappointment over Michael’s Schumacher’s three-year stint at Mercedes three seasons after he walked away from F1 and Ferrari.
But does Hamilton even need a break from F1? He is still performing to a high quality, even if he did get beaten by Mercedes team-mate George Russell last term.
The pace and motivation is still there and while he isn’t at the front, he has a much greater chance of winning the world championship on the track in 2024 than not being on it all – and who knows what the F1 landscape will look like then?
However not all return from retirements work out well with Michael Schumacher’s three-year spell at Mercedes not working out before his 2012 departure
Stay at Mercedes
The most likely option and probably also the most sensible one for Hamilton.
The benefits are laid out. He knows the team, how it operates, has a big say in development direction of the car and is still the team’s No 1 driver at least until (if ever) Russell starts consistently showing greater pace throughout a series of weekends which as yet has not materialised.
World championships are not offered up on a Silver Arrows platter these days though and Mercedes are already heavily compromised this term with plans to ditch their car.
It puts them on the back foot for development but may be what is needed to come back fighting at the front in 2024.
Contract talks having been taking place, but there have been reports of talks between Hamilton and Mercedes over extending his current £40million-a-year deal being put on hold but team boss Toto Wolff insists trying to fix the early problems with the 2023 car are taking more priority.
Hamilton and Toto Wolff enjoy a strong relationship at Mercedes and it’s likely to continue
The team principal said: ‘There is no point talking about the driver situation for 2024.
‘That is far too early. We have to all push in the same direction, the drivers, engineers and management, rather the throwing in the towel. We have never done that and we will not do that now.’
Mercedes though are keen to retain Hamilton and are confident the Brit will stay for at least another year who has is also keen to stay at the team for at least another year.
Hamilton himself is keen on penning another deal and it seems that as long as Mercedes can show him at least a believable blueprint of title success, he will be committed to the team for the foreseeable future.
So why not elsewhere?
The logic is easy enough. Why don’t Red Bull sign him? Two world championship class drivers would make them a super unstoppable team (as if they are not already!)
Except there is more chance of Hamilton driving a motorised milk float around Silverstone this season than walking into a Red Bull garage. For a start it’s Max Verstappen territory and he will veto any such move in protection of his own championship interests.
Red Bull are unlikely to upset a near perfect duo in Max Verstappen (right) and Sergio Perez
Aston Martin would be unwilling to risk drafting in Hamilton to team up with Alonso following their bitter championship feud at McLaren in 2007
As long as the Dutchman keeps delivering the goods for the team, it’s a wish they will grant him too – especially as Sergio Perez is doing little wrong as his team-mate in what looks like a settled outfit that doesn’t need fixing.
A similar issue arises at Aston Martin, with Alonso leading a revival and Lance Stroll’s seat also looking safe thanks to a combination of impressive enough results and being the son of the team’s billionaire owner Lawrence. The last thing Aston Martin also need is a repeat of the McLaren dramas from 2007 when the Spaniard and Hamilton were engaged in one of F1’s most famous intra-team fallouts.
Maybe a return to McLaren? It would be another fairytale move to return home to the team where it all started in 2007. But their woes are even worse than Mercedes and it’s incredibly unlikely Hamilton has much interest in what is right now looking like a team scrapping for minor points.
That also rules out the rest of the teams on the grid who don’t look like getting involved in title battles in the next couple of years.
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