Why Fernando Alonso is Mercedes’ Plan B to replace Lewis Hamilton
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ค. 2024
- Fernando Alonso appears to be touting himself for a shock switch to Mercedes in 2025 - and we feel confident in saying he is Mercedes’ ‘Plan B’ to replace Lewis Hamilton.
We say ‘Plan B’ because we also feel confident in saying Mercedes already has another driver in mind to take over from Hamilton at the end of 2024.
We’re looking at a battle between the most experienced driver on the 2024 grid, and a youngster who’s still at least a year away from making his F1 debut, to grab one of the most coveted open seats on F1’s 2025 driver market.
0:00 Mercedes' plan for replacing Lewis Hamilton
0:44 Alonso's keeping his options open
4:47 So what is Mercedes' Plan A?
7:18 Where does that leave the rest?
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#F1 #formula1 #formulaone #mercedes #fernandoalonso #alonso #lewishamilton #andreakimiantonelli #antonelli #f12024 #f12025 #f1sillyseason - กีฬา
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no
Antonelli was two months old when Alonso clinched his 2nd world title.
That's crazy
He's only a year older than me. He's a 17yo racing and I'm a 17yo doing YT videos🥲
@@BetterThanSparksYT15you could be a 17 year old doing crack off a stripper’s ass crack….ahh I miss those days
@@BetterThanSparksYT15I Different goals are the same achievements. As long as you have reached them.
Oh he was born back then?
I just hope that Kimi Antonelli doesn't break under the insane pressure
I know, I love what he's doing right now but I hope he can keep up with everything that they're expecting out of him. It has been decades since the last good Italian driver, let alone a great Italian driver and I hope he is the next big talent.
Yeah, let the kid race a year in F2 first!
It would be insane to have two people with Verstappens alien skills at the same time. That would be exciting!
If he dont break, he is a true champ like Max, diamonts make it under pressure.
If he prepares properly he'll be okay. Whenever you're moving into different levels of sport, you gotta prepare if you wanna make it
He's gonna give 200% effort huh? Wow! Thats twice as much effort as 100% effort. Amazing.
I don't believe anyone can give 200%. However, Nando is the exception. Every car he has driven, he has extracted way more than the car was capable of.
@@nando03012009🙄
but still about half of 400%... there is room to improve
@@gergogorgicze2830 He needs to start practising 40 hours per day.
200%? Well, he’s slacking.
2 videos in 3 hours, DAMN
It's silly season alright.
Inevitable on a car release date.
Can I ask why everyone calls it silly season? Sorry I took a break bc of the 1 team dominance in the sport the past years but that season seems pretty fokkin fun mates! But why the name?
@@Moglito.0 Silly season is a period when there are a lot of driver market movement and speculations. Usually there is 1 movement retirement or something and the flood gates open with a lot of deals. It's silly because there is a ton of speculation and absurd things happen. There are no driver changes for 2024, so there was no silly season in 2023. For 2025 most of the driver contracts expire, so there is lot of movement expected. 2022 had a very strong silly season, especially around Oscar Piastri.
Welcome back to the sport. If you don't like 1 driver domination, you might be disappointment as I expect Max to dominated 2024 and 2025 strongly. There would be new rules for 2026. The rest of the field has never been closer and I expect the battle behind Max to be great though with a lot of drama.
yep. 12 drivers out of contract for 2025. should be interesting
Alonso is ruthless. You can be sure that Flávio is seriously lobbying Toto to get him in that seat. The posts suggesting Antonelli to Williams for 2025 is a good shout, obviously on whether he succeeds in F2 this year.
Partners in crime!
Getting Nando means no drop off in performance and buying you some time in making sure Kimi is actually ready. I know they think he is the next Verstappen but Verstappen himself benefited from some time in Toro Rosso before jumping to a race winning car .
Fernando isn't allowed to drive for the merc works team post 07 spy gate. Unless the board at Stuttgart has chilled recently.
Merc is only a one third owner.@@Bahamuttiamat
This is what I can't gwe my head around . Making Antonelli plan A is high risk. I t would be a very un-Toto like decision to put Antonelli in.
@@Bahamuttiamat And Hamilton was ????????
@@jlgf3148 Hamilton was older and had 1000s of testing miles beforehand.
I just hope Alonso takes Indycar seriously at some point and goes for the Indy 500 win and the triple crown. 👑👑👑
He should have several good years if retires in another couple years from f1
No global interest in Indycar. Bit like the World Series for baseball.
@@gaycha6589 unfortunately u are correct
@@gaycha6589 outside of the 500 you never hear about indycar
Alonso fans will follow him to indycar @@gaycha6589
I see Fernando, I click
simple man
Talking about Kimi Antonelli to take Mercedes seat now is too early and really toxic for him IMO. Rather let him have some experience in Williams like Russell then promote him.
Antonelli is way WAY better than Russell
@@redbullsauberpetronasHow do we know that? He been exceptional in Junior categories, but that doesn’t mean you just chuck him in a merc as a rookie. Even Charles and Max had a season at their respective junior teams before getting the RedBull and Ferrari seat.
@@Hydraav2 Hamilton went straight to the best car on the grid, Antonelli can easily go to Merc right away
@@redbullsauberpetronas That comparison isn’t really fair. Back in those days drivers got basically unlimited testing time, so Hamilton had spent a good amount of time behind the wheel of an F1 car before his rookie season.
@@Hydraav2 Antonelli is more promising than Hamilton, he can easily handle it, red bull will just steal him and make him Max's teammate if he doesn't get that Merc seat
The only reason why Aston Martin didn't finish second last year is Lance Stroll
I want to see 50-year old Alonso in F1 now. 😄
He will move to Indycar then will comeback to F1 a second time after winning everything
@@kingdodongo4126*third time
Age will catch up to him eventually.
Too much wasting time at Ferrari. Where careers go to die.
And I want to see him win at that age.
@@thevictoryoverhimself7298 Wasted time with McLaren, not Ferrari. Even though he didn't manage to win a championship with Ferrari, his run with them in 2012 cemented him as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time.
Whatever happens it will be fascinating to find out what the Merc leadership values, an available World Champion in Alonso for marketing, an established pro like Sainz to collect points, or a gamble on a teenaged driver and the ups and downs that will come along with it.
George will be so sour if Kimi joins in 25 lol
Alonso's comment about "not all champions were fast" were almost certainly about Kimi.
@@warpeace8891hes talking about the young driver also called Kimi. OG Kimi was obviously fast in his prime.
I don't blame Nando for keeping his options open after Aston's rocky development last season, here's hoping they've managed to regain the form they showed this time last year, the more battling at the front the merrier!
@@warpeace8891 what? First of all he talked about Andrea Kimi Antonelli. And second, Kimi Raikkonen was a beast between 2004-2007 and in 2012 season. He should have won at least 3 WDCs. 1st and 2nd with McLaren in 2004 and 2005 if McLaren had reliable cars...and the 3rd one in 2007 with Ferrari. Also, if Lotus car was 10% better in 2012, Kimi would have won 2012 WDC as well
@@Cristian4795_ - Ok so who is he referring to then? It is a rhetorical question because you have already demonstrated your low comprehension.
EVERY driver can say that "if only my car was better I would have won xxx" That is meaningless drivel.
You have accidentally illustrated my point... Raikkonen was a good driver for a short time in his career. In stark contrast to Alonso who is still elite after 20 years. Raikkonen was getting smashed by his teammates at Ferrari and I was amazed he found another drive.... So was Alonso.
Age isn't a problem for alonso because modern F1 cars react slow due to being so heavy, alonso is used to driving the hyper reactive light V10 cars, so even if he was at 50% because of his age he could still get 100% out of these fat F1 cars
If they only offered lewis 1+1 and is younger than nando, why even go for him? Doesnt make sense.
@@Bahamuttiamat because he's shown this year that he has perfect race craft and can get 100% out of the car he carried aston martin for the whole season and it was his first year with them
The current gen ground effect cars are almost as fast as the 2017 downforce monsters. They’re still absurdly fast in the corners
Damn I would whole heartedly believe Max would absolutely dominate in the V10-V8 era then 😂
@@PG-20 yeah they are super fast but they aren't as reactive as the old v10 cars, so you don't need as quick reaction time which is what normally fades with age
If Antonelli graduates to F1 in 2025 ask Vowles to put him in a Williams in place of Sargeant and put Alonso in Merc . As others have said even Max did a full season in Torro Rosso before RBR.
And then had already bit older and experienced Riccardo before Max needed to be the team leader.
Nah Antonelli is ready for the Merc, guarantee red bull would be on the phone with him if they stick him in a Williams
Nah, I would want to see him do what Hamilton did in 2007.
No one wants another Piasco
Williams is not Mercedes second team
We are forgetting that Russell and Alonso get along very well! Would be a great pairing. What a unique opportunity it would be learning from 2 of the best to ever do it.
alonso isnt going to mercedes they will only give him 1 year max and alonso wants a multi year contract
What was the reason for to say that? Just bc of Alonso & George playing table tennis in a jet hahaha, nope it will be the same as Lewis-George dynamic, bickering & having clashes. Great pairing means competitiveness to beat each other not necessarily bromance relay
@@zariqeezham9210 George gf is Spanish and Alonso spends holidays in Spain as well, they usually party together
Alonso is a hypocrite. He only pretended to love Russell out of jealousy towards Lewis. Now Hamilton is gone and if Alonso goes to Mercedes all gloves will be off, and his true colours will show
@@mrdenson3101 Alonso might be a ruthless competitor but he's not a hypocrite.
It would be the ultimate Alonso move ever if Merc has a championship car in 25 and he wins it. I'd love to see it just for the scenes and I'm a Ham fan.
INo it would be more Alonso if Merc haas a championship winning carin 2025 yet Antonelli gets picked.
@@TheSt1092 omg no you guys.... The ultimate Alonso move would be he goes to Merc but they flop with the new rules massively and Aston comes out on top with their works Honda engines
This is what I was thinking@@npanic628
@@npanic628 He wouldn't get to drive in 2026 anyway, Toto wants to have AKA, 2 years of F2/super formula will be enough for him.
Hamilton in Ferrari vs alonso and ofc max fighting for wdc
Much as I love seeing wonderkids get a chance I’d love to see Alonso stick around and make another massive team switch
C'mon, Mercedes aren't putting a F2 debutante in their car next year.
If I didn't calculate wrong he would need to finish top 4 in this F2 season to get a super license. Would be quiet a big gamble on Toto's side. 1+1 year contract for Schumacher would be something because high flexibility.
@@EngelDerVerdammnis Why would Mercedes GP take Schumacher who is known to be mediocre, instead of Antonelli who could be a future multiple WDC? Starting young in F1 has traditionally been a boon -- be it Button, Raikkonen or Verstappen, and Antonelli would likely be no exception, especially with Antonelli's status as a "wonderkid".
33 this year let's go el padre
Is there any reason why Carlos Sainz wouldn't join Red Bull to back Verstappen up in 2025?
With Albon being contracted to Williams, Tsunoda (while quick) not yet being a pair of safe hands, Ricciardo and Perez aging out... he seems like the kind of driver Red Bull would've loved to sign when they eventually got Perez.
Agreed.
Sainz at Red Bull and Albon at Mercedes would be pretty sweet.
Alonso is Goat level talent and hasn't dropped off noticeably at all.
Any team would be silly to not consider him as an option.
He was arguably the second best driver after a historically and unprecedentedly good max verstappen.
Wishing him all the best for the future. Thanks for the content ❤
Hired Nutritionist?
I just assumed all F1 drivers already had them.
Alonso was only using 2% of his power until recently
@@ilias-mu4vt 🤣
Sounds like there's a shortage of seats available for some talented drivers.
If only there was ways to keep these deserving drivers on the F1 grid. Say like if an 11th and maybe even 12th team was for whatever reason interested in joining & competing. But sadly i guess there is just ZERO interest from the outside to join as a new entrant
Right? Especially after the Andretti F1 entry incident.
i think mercedes will sign alonso and put antonelli in williams, albon would have a great opportunity then to replace alonso in aston (if he is not signed by mercedes instead of alonso) its definetly going to be very exciting to see all those drivers moves for next year
Toto try to pull Ron Dennis-esque move with Hamilton 2007
He's gonna rage quit Ferrari before his contract expires lol
For me, it's just as much about Mercedes than it is Antonelli. If the 2025 car is competitive, you want a ready driver to deliver a la Alonso. If all eyes are on 2026, give Kimi a year to get settled.
Furthermore, Alonso's insistence of already selling himself to others tells me that he has little Faith in Aston returning to the early 2023 form.
Well a Aston is not a works team, Mercedes is. Mercedes should have the better car. They just fuked up with zero sidepod design but hopefully they are past that now.
I love that we now live in a world where we can use clips from an F1 video game to show us drivers with teams they never raced for, on podiums they never won, etc...
Firstly thanks to Mark Hughes in his written article for explaining plan A and B . I still think Alonso should be Plan A personally . To me it just insane that team that aspires to challenge for titles would even consider making a rookie their Plan A over a double WDC. The media has already been guilty of putting too much hype and pressyre on the likes of Leclerc, Russell and Norris and getting overexcited who have managed to win just six Grand Prixs between them. The media imo enjoys trying to build up the next big thing only to knock them down when they don't deliver. I maintain if you are go to put Antonelli in F1 in 2025 I think the best idea is to place him at Williams. Surely common sense go for Alonso.
Only six wins between the drivers you mentioned because during the time they have been in f1 there has been just one team, Mercedes or Red Bull, winning everything almost every season. They unfortunately haven't been part of them, at least not in the right time.
Please tell me the F1 race Norris has won ??
@@bogged2theeyeballs695 5 wins for Leclerc 1 for Russell
Everyone is so excited about who will replace Hamilton, no one is really seriously taking into cortex about the changes coming 2026. The top team can fall , the changes in management teams can cause massive changes. When you sail in a storm you batten down the hatches and weather the storm. There are three drivers who have done this to my knowledge. One of them will be a champion.
F2 is an incredibly unpredictable series. The fastest driver doesn't always win, a lot of the time it's at no fault of their own.
Good that you made a pause after Mike.
I doubt Merc dumps Russell. He's capable and if they can get their car in order, a challenger.
I don't usually watch F2 but I will definitely be keeping an eye on this guy's results.
He doesn't look grumpy enough to be a proper Kimi!! 😂
Antonelli has to absolutely dominate F2 to be seriously considered. P2 in F2 won't be enough imo to be directly promoted to Mercedes. I do see him replacing Logan next year at Williams if he finishes P3 or P2 though.
Two Videos in one day!? Lucky me! Love your content !
Perfect analysis!
It's good now that Aston and McLaren are hanging near the front that there are 10 seats open for the best drivers, over the usual 4 or 6
I love how F1 2023 is getting some spectacular use on this channel when it comes to the Driver discussions.
While it's all about a team and a driver coming together to win the WRC, I'm puzzled over people thinking Antonelli is going to win anything before Piastri does.
Im not sure if putting kimi in the merc seat in 2025 . Hes a massive talent but it will be massive pressure putting him on the deep end
As we look at every team's options, it's impossible not to be amazed at how good F1's driver line up has been since the last few seasons. That RUSSELL might be pushed out of a top team to make place for better alternatives is just so hard to get into my head. Sure, there's the odd Sargeant or Stroll here and there, but I'm pretty confident this is one of the very few strongest line ups of all time, if not the single best.
Silly season is underway
I just hope Mick Schumacher can find a seat somewhere in 2025, would be great to give him another shot
Why? So he can keep snapping cars in half? Get over it he's useless.
@@dynomiterecords4348 not surprising in a shit box like a Haas. Why are you so butthurt? Calm your tits mate
So when I saw Kimi trending today, it was not abouit Raikkönen.
Antonelli to Merc in 2025 feels like a stretch. Even Max and Fernando needed a year in Toro Rosso and Minardi respectively to make their mistakes away from the pressure of a top team. The last driver I can remember coming into a potentially title winning team as a rookie and thriving is.. Lewis Hamilton. I also hope Antonelli is very mentally strong because coming into F1 as a teenager, with a top team, AND being directly compared to Hamilton and Verstappen? That kind of pressure could absolutely break his brain.
And not see George carry a team yet.
Suppose he wins F2. It still doesn't say anything.
Lewis had the advantage of lots and lots of testing beforehand, something which Antonelli will not be given
@@p_nilly That's another very good point I hadn't considered.
@@p_nillythis isn't true. Hamilton had the same amount of testing as any junior driver at the time. Probably less compared to modern drivers due to the young driver rule.
To paraphrase Whiplash “the next Verstappen wouldn’t get discouraged”. Antonelli is under so much pressure but if he is this generational Hamilton, Verstappen level talent then he’ll succeed anyway.
As for going into F1 straight with Merc, what did those 3 years at Williams really gain Russell that 3 years at Merc (understanding he’s a rookie) wouldn’t have?
Just grow your driver within your team and fighting near the front
El Plan B
Feels a bit like Toto Wolff is trying to steal a page from Red Bull's playbook.
How come no one is talking about Frederik Vesti?
He's also a Mercedes junior, he's a much more mature driver than Antonelli, and he just finished 2nd in the F2 championship
Vesti seems very average...
@@TassieLorenzo P2 in F2 is not average
@@fred_beard 2nd is not average for a driver's first season of F2, but that was Vesti's second season of F2. In Vesti's first season Vesti only finished 9th. Yes, ART v Prema, but still if Vesti was similar to Piastri, then F1 teams would not hesitate to show interest. If you have a case that Vesti is as suited for F1 promotion as Russell or Piastri, then by all means please elaborate! 🙂
Rookie FREC champion is excellent but then Vesti was only 4th twice in F3 compared to Russell and Piastri being rookie GP3/F3 champs and then Vesti had a mediocre first season of F2 compared to Russell and Piastri being rookie champion.
I'm skeptical about Antonelli's readiness after only a single season in F2.
However, Williams is effectively a no-go anyway because not only is serving others a past thing but also keeping current drivers for the long-term is their clear intention, not to mention they wouldn't easily sack Sargeant because he came through the latter as their academy driver unless he'd give a strong reason for that.
Concerning Albon, Red Bull isn't an organization known to give second chances in their main team to demoted drivers, so I don't understand what makes people still think they'd make an exception with him, especially considering his subpar performance in 2020 was comparatively worse than Gasly's the season before (not to mention Kvyat didn't even underperform per se, for that matter), given how much more time & support he received for his struggles, yet continued to underperform, so long story short, he already had his chance, which he eventually blew, something even Marko referred to at one point.
give him the top car next season, either RB or merc, it'll be a exciting contest
Kimi has to be super special to step right up, and that's a Max level of super. All too often we hear of the next big star that's promoted early and they buckle under the F1 pressure. As for 'Nando ... don't see any reason why he can't carry on driving....willing him on for a race win or two, and what a story if the outside chance of a title. Glad to see we've got a couple of drivers with experience, age, and drive....and a drive.
Antonelli isn't British he should handle the pressure fine
seems like its gonna be lots of musical chairs movements after this year!
So what you're saying is that Kimi is coming out of retirement
Who is plan C?
What about Antonelli at Aston and Alonso at Merc for 2025 and 2026?
Or Carlos sainz
Poetic. The older on the grid by quite a marge 'opposed' to what is the youngest candidate to a F1 seat.. That's beautiful. (Still wish to see Alonso though..would be beyond beautiful to see him fight for championship again in his ~mid-forties 🥹
Can you please bring the volume down on your videos, they are much louder than others.
Mercedes should take note from Verstappen's (and Russell's) entry into F1: It does a young driver the world of good to start their career with a midfield/backmarker team where there's no pressure upon them while finding their feet. Sticking Antonelli straight into the Merc is more likely to break him than shower him with glory.
Besides, I reckon Piastri is going to tire of McLaren's loyalty to Norris sooner rather than later and will be cheaper than Fernando.
Please, drop the AI generation of images
There is no question that Fernando would outperform Russel, even Hamilton did that
Ur a funny guy😂 Fernando is finished no where near the speed of Lewis or Russel.
Alonso did not outperformed Ocon at Alpine, no chance he will outperform Russell at Mercedes. He should stay with an easily beatable teammate like Stroll.
@@Tristan_de_Kermadec 😂😂😂😭 "tell me you did not watch F1 in 2022 without telling me you did not watch F1 in 2022"
Kimi Antonelli, Not signing him and losing him to another team or signing him and he ends up like Nikita Mazepin? Which risk is worth it?
Lewis realised why he had to leave... he wasnt going to get suckered out of f1 just because Kimi is on the come up.
That would be a bad move, Mercedes needs a young driver for the future.
If they want to go back to winning they need to make sure they produce a good car for the new regs and they have a driver capable of carrying the torch for a few years.
Frankly I would rather see a different team dominating, like McLaren on Ferrari, just to keep things interesting.
To think that alonso didnt have a nutritionist before is crazy, thos old dog had his own tricks and crazy chorizo
Ocon would be a great option he still has more potential in him. Waiting for ocon and vestrappen battle.
either plan, I think the George won’t be that happy. If Andrea actually performed that well and make it in 2025, it is most likely Mercedes will gradually group up around him as he’s going to be the future of the team. If it is to be Fernando, there is a good chance he will out race George for the 1 or 2 years together, that could impact George’s confidence moving forward.
Lol bold of you to assume that...alonso has had stroll and ocon as teammates
@@ShortnSweets2s Well, bold may be but not that we haven’t seen it. Let’s say Andrea is as good or Max-like type of driver, we’ve seen what Max did to good drivers like Daniel. (Yes, Max has few clumsy years in the junior team though.)
Fernando’s race craft for me is one of the highest on the track in the past few seasons. We’ll see if my assumption is just too bold. Hahahaha
@willwu7094 alonso is 43 years old...there is no way he is going to beat too guys from this generation like leclerc max or russell or lando or piastri tbh....we will see if he gets the merc seat
Give the man a deserving car, he has got a fight in him
Even Max wasn't ready to go straight to a top team on his F1 debut, with how much he was crashing. Kimi might be a great talent, but I'm afraid he could end up like Gasly or Albon in RB if promoted too early. Alonso to Merc for 2 years and Antonelli in Williams looks like by far the most reasonable path.
Surely antonelli would go to Williams first with Albon getting a step up no?
I predict:
Alonso to Merc
Drugovic in Nando's seat
Antonelli to Williams
Sargeant exit
Sainz to Red Bull
Perez exit
I really think Albon deserves a shot at a top team.
No he doesnt lol he got mauled by Max even worse than Perez is. He only looks decent vs a terrible Logan
@@ultrascreens5206 he did do terribly against Max. But he everyone does. He was dropped into the deep end way too early. He has objectively proven himself not just better than Logan, but better than a lot of the drivers in the lower fields.
He already got one at RB. And it did not work.
I just want to say. Notice how among all these talks about who will replace hamilton, no one seems to be considering Mick Schumacher.
It's truly sad how people pretend like Mick absolutely trash and doesn't belong into the grid while Tsunoda had worse two first seasons and is still on the grid, and let's not forget how horrible Sargeant's rookie season was and how he still got to keep his seat.
@@patepulkkinenvtec2403 The only reason Tsunoda and Sargeant are driving is because they bring in sponsor money. (And the only reason they let Mick Schumacher drive for two seasons was his marketable surname, but in the end he broke too much to make his name worth it.)
@@ronald3836No, that's obviously not the only reason Mick was signed. He was the F3 and F2 champion. He would prove he has talent when he went toe to toe with top drivers in 2022 on the race track and ahowed incredible race craft. Finished P6 in a HAAS, also In his second season. He showed great promise, hence why Mercedes snatched him up quickly. The high profile accidents just overshadow these points. HAAS being a smaller team couldn't risk that continuing.
@@ronald3836 I know Tsunoda and Sargeant bring sponsor money, but it's still unfair that they got a pass because of that and Mick didn't. People are fixated on Mick's poor start to 2022 but gloss over the fact that he was outperforming Kevin in the second half of that year and was getting promising results. Gene and Gunther, being total pricks, ruined Mick's career by making sure he won't have the time to look for another seat.
@@patepulkkinenvtec2403 I don't think that Tsunoda and Sargeant are among the 20 best candidates for an F1 seat (so based on merit alone), but I also don't think Mick is among those 20.
And since part of F1 is just politics, I'd say it is only unfair if a top 10 driver is not given a seat. If you're not top 10, I don't mind that you need to have a combination of skill, the right connections, enough money, a lot of PR appeal or social media presence, and a good last name etc., to get a seat.
I would have Alonso v Russel in 2025 (if AM seem significantly worse than Merc in 2024) and let Antonelli have a season in Williams. Then whoever wins between Alonso and Russel gets to stay for 2026 alongside Antonelli (if he does well at Williams).
Either way its a winwin situation for Merc. Russel + Alonso is never a bad pairing. Neither is Alonso/Russel + Antonelli if he performs
I think Fernando would love to race at Red Bull with Max, but that just muddies the waters over there even more than they are now. That’s been my dream team since Fernando’s return, but we’ll see how this year plays out. He loves a shocking move though 🤷♂️ Silly season will indeed be silly this year.
Alonso + Max in a RB would be sexy tho
I actually feel bad for Russell. Why the sudden need to fill Lewis' seat. Instead hand over the mantle to Russell and simply place a no 2 driver alongside him.
Russell will be making a powerpoint on why Albon is the perfect choice! :D
Antonelli reminds me of a young Senna. It would be great to see Mercedes take a gamble on him.
As much as I love Alonso and would love to see him driving for a front runner team, I would also be really excited to see a new young talent come into the sport and possibly even challenge Verstappen
That would be a HUGE step backwards! Oscar Piastri is the man
Would be really awesome to see Alonso in Mercedes, and see what speed he has alongside Russell
Not sure theres ever been someone so in love with themselves than Fernando Alonso.
There's a George Russell on the grid!
This will all depend on how Antonelli does in F2 this year but if he does exceptionally well, I would love to see Toto go bold and take a punt on him. Rookies in top teams are not unprecedented, look at Ron Dennis getting Hamilton for 2007. Alonso is far too good to warrant being a stopgap and we don't know if Mercedes are in a long decline or if this is just for a few years before they rediscover some pace.
What an iconic season it would be to see Lewis, Max and Fernando going for the title in almost equal cars!❤
As a Mercedes fan I’m disappointed hearing than looking at Alonso, they should give the seat to Mick 😢 It would be great for them to have a German driver for a German manufacturer
I still remember the former Mercedes president Zetsche’s speech in which he wished to see Alonso driving a Mercedes car. Perhaps his dream will come true?
Alonso wants to see if Aston can deliver a competitive package and develop it during the season, even if it isn't a championship contender. If this years car is competitive he'll definitely stay at AM.
I see Sainz as the most likely candidate for the Red Bull seat next season. Ans I dont know why most dont see that.
I'd love to see it. There's no downside.
Fernando, if Mercedes wants immediate (and most likely mediocre) results, the other guy, if Mercedes wants to build for the future
Honestly it would not surprise me if Alonso gets to the 2nd half of his 40s! He's as good as ever.
I think max showed all the teams that the young guys are ready for f1 earlier, it was soon after ferrari took Charles even tho I know that was the plan anyway, merc were the odd one out still farming out their young drivers to midfield teams, are they now ready to put their faith in an 18 year old just out of f2? I'm not sure
no not now, cars are way bigger and heavier than they were before 2017, especially with these ground effect cars now they are like boats, it's harder for rookies and young drivers to handle.
i wonder if the race has the commercial rights to show content from f1 24 game.
I hear that Alonso kid is pretty good
Wow! Sir Lewis may have made yet another brilliant move, just based on what I believe is his lack of confidence in the performance of the W15.
Antonelli looks like a mix between Piastri and Gasly
It would be such a huge risk to sign Antonelli to Merc for 2025. He has not even won F2, let alone driven an F1 car at this stage in his career. It would make much more sense to let Antonelli develop in F2. Sign Alonso on a multiyear contract, which will guarantee you race wins if the car is capable and can continue to develop the car with George. Put Antonelli in a smaller team such as Williams to develop him for F1 and then swap Alonso once the time has passed and Antonelli has developed. Dropping him in now would be risky, hell even Redbull signed Max to the Toro Rosso when he first started.