by VALERIO BARRETTA
Wolff vs Hamilton
Lots of applause came for Lewis' operation Hamilton in Ferrari, defined by many as the biggest market coup in the history of Formula 1. It is a marriage that makes the Brit and the Scuderia di Maranello happy, the two largest brands in the current Circus. But one aspect of the story is not convincing: the timing, and not only because in this way Hamilton and Carlos Sainz will race in 2024 separated at home.
From the Hamilton-Ferrari partnership there are those who are picking up the pieces at home. It is, of course, the Mercedes, which now finds itself forced to replan its future with far more limited alternatives than it might have had just two weeks ago. Hamilton's farewell, sudden and tumultuous, has the flaw of having been communicated after two important renewals, such as those of Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris. And now Toto Wolff is eating his hands: knowing beforehand that Sir Lewis would have wanted to pack his bags, he would have certainly bet on one of the two.
Wolff's words
“I don't want to be hasty“, the Austrian said, according to what he reported Autosport. “I imagine a few were signed a few weeks ago contracts that we could have examined. It would have been interesting, but the timing penalized us a bit“. In short, a not so veiled dig at the seven-time world champion, also because at Mercedes they are used to planning well in advance.
Potential replacements
Hamilton's move has surprised everyone, especially Wolff, who has already started working to find a replacement for 2025. A logical hypothesis could be Sainz, officially without a team but who will have no problems finding another. The one linked to Fernando Alonso should also be evaluated at this point, while Alex Albon is off the market, at least according to the words of Williams team principal James Vowles. The most exotic at the moment are those of Esteban Ocon, a return to F1 for Sebastian Vettel and a sensational promotion for Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The Austrian has already said that he does not want to put pressure on the Italian, who will have to concentrate on the Formula 2 season: to date, F1 for the 2006 class is still a distant dream. But the Hamilton case has taught everyone to no longer exclude any hypothesis.
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