Given that, there’s currently no certainty that either Red Bull Racing driver will leave at the end of this season, the most exciting open space on the grid for 2025 is at Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton decided to make the switch to Ferrari opening up a slot alongside George Russell next year.
Speaking on the Autosport Podcast, journalist Alex Kalinauckas has shared a shortlist of current drivers who are under consideration for the role.
Toto Wolff has a huge decision to make but isn’t rushing to hand out a contract just yet.
He knows he has a wildcard up his sleeve in the form of youngster Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
The 17-year-old is one of the most attractive options for Wolff but he has to make sure the Italian is ready before asking him to replace Hamilton.
That may mean he heads to Williams beforehand and James Vowles’s team have already made their stance clear on whether they would take the teenager on.
If that ends up happening, Mercedes will need a more established driver in the meantime and Esteban Ocon could return to take up the role.
He’s spent much of his time in motor racing being prepared for this eventually and while he’s carved out a successful Formula 1 career away from the German manufacturer, he could help them out in their time of need.
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Esteban Ocon very keen on Mercedes 2025 return
The 27-year-old driver made his F1 debut all the way back in 2016 after working his way up the junior formulas.
Ocon was handed this opportunity by Manor Racing after spending half a season in DTM following his victory in GP3 the previous year.
He was still a teenager at the time and had only just joined Mercedes’s ranks but that connection helped him get on the grid after being a test driver for Lotus.
He’s since gone on to drive for Force India, Renault and Alpine but Ocon could return to Mercedes as he looks for a way out of the struggling French outfit.
Ocon came as close as either Alpine driver has this season to scoring points in China, narrowly missing out with an 11-place finish.
Even though he started 18 in Shanghai and there were major problems with his car, Lewis Hamilton showed just how far ahead Mercedes are compared to Alpine right now as he still came home in 9.
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Esteban Ocon might be risking F1 career with move to Mercedes
Asked who is in the frame for the second Mercedes seat in 2025, Alex Kalinauckas said: “Carlos Sainz certainly is one of those names.
“There are also others, I mean Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly, plenty of available drivers.
“Esteban Ocon is basically waving the flag, saying, look I’m still a Mercedes junior, his exact words.
“I think the problem for all of them is that basically if there was to be a driver switch, like an existing F1 driver going to Mercedes alongside George Russell, they would only be offered a one-year contract.”
The problem for Ocon is that if he does return to Mercedes it might only be short-lived.
If Antonelli hits the ground running with Williams in 2025, Wolff won’t hesitate to bring him back in time for the new regulations in 2026.
However, Ocon has to weigh up the pros and cons and might feel that a year alongside Russell at Mercedes might be enough to earn him another seat elsewhere.
Whereas, if he stays at Alpine and they’re once again rooted to the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship, then his reputation will take another hit.
The post ‘Waving the flag’: 28-year-old driver desperate for 2025 Mercedes seat, but there’s a ‘problem’ – journalist appeared first on F1 Oversteer.