Brundle hints at surprise F1 star replacing Hamilton at Mercedes

Martin Brundle suggests that Esteban Ocon could be among the names considered by Mercedes to replace Lewis Hamilton.

The surprising revelation of Hamilton's move to Ferrari in 2025 left the F1 community in shock, triggering speculation about his successor.

With 13 drivers facing contract expiration by season-end, the driver market has plunged into chaos, casting uncertainty over the future of the majority of the grid.

Several names have mentioned in the running to join Mercedes in 2025, including Fernando Alonso, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Sebastian Vettel, but Brundle suspects that Ocon will be another driver looked at by the silver arrows.

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Ocon backed for Mercedes switch

The Frenchman has connections with the team having been their reserve driver in 2019 following his departure from Racing Point.

Ocon returned to a full racing seat with Renault the following year and has been with the team ever since as they are now known as Alpine.

With the 27-year-old being one of the drivers out of contract in 2024, the F1 pundit has backed him to be in the conversation for Goerge Russell’s next team-mate

Speaking on the Sky F1 Podcast about Mercedes’ potential options, he said: “They can wait and see as you say how [Andrea] Kimi Antonelli goes.

“They’ve got Esteban Ocon I suspect that they want. They’ve got access to Carlos Sainz, maybe Fernando Alonso, they’ve got Mick Schumacher in their gang and any number of other drivers.

“I think they’ll see how this season goes, why do they need to jump now?”

READ MORE: Vasseur reveals impact of Hamilton signing on Ferrari

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