The 2022 grid: Questions marks remain at Mercedes despite Hamilton's deal
F1 News
On Saturday morning, Mercedes confirmed Lewis Hamilton will remain on the grid for at least two more seasons. Hamilton's deal now expires in 2023 which will mean the seven-time World Champion will race in the next era of Formula 1. With this news, 11 drivers are sure of a seat in 2022. It's still early in July and a lot of teams are keen to sort out their driver line-up early.
Mercedes lock a driver in
At the start of the season, Mercedes had all three of their drivers without contracts for the 2022 season. Esteban Ocon also had an expiring deal, but it wasn't likely Mercedes would opt for the Frenchman and Alpine secured his services last month. With Hamilton's deal, it's now a straight shootout between Valtteri Bottas and George Russell for the second Mercedes seat.
23-year-old Russell has been eyeing up the seat ever since he made his debut in Formula 1 for Williams. The Brit has been parked at the back of the grid with an underperforming Williams car but is hopeful of a promotion to the seven-time World Champions at the end of this season. In 2020, Russell replaced Hamilton for a single race after Hamilton tested positive for Coronavirus.
But Russell will have to fight off Bottas for the seat. The Finnish driver has been at Mercedes since Nico Rosberg announced his sudden retirement in 2016. Over the years, Bottas hasn't been able to push Hamilton for the drivers' title but has scored enough points to help Mercedes will every constructors championship. With Mercedes now locked in a battle for the title in 2021 and with the uncertainty over the 2022 changes, Toto Wolff and co have an important decision to make.
2022 confirmed grid
Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton / Unconfirmed
Red Bull Racing: Max Verstappen / Unconfirmed
McLaren: Daniel Ricciardo / Lando Norris
Aston Martin: Sebastian Vettel / Lance Stroll
Alpine: Fernando Alonso / Esteban Ocon
Ferrari: Charles Leclerc / Carlos Sainz
AlphaTauri: Unconfirmed / Unconfirmed
Alfa Romeo: Unconfirmed / Unconfirmed
Haas: Nikita Mazepin / Unconfirmed
Williams: Unconfirmed / Unconfirmed
What does this mean for Red Bull?
Realistically, if Hamilton wasn't going to retire, he was extremely likely to stay with Mercedes anyhow. Max Verstappen is already locked in at Red Bull Racing, but there are still question marks over who will take the number two seat. Sergio Perez is performing well as is Pierre Gasly. But with Hamilton staying on the grid, it might help swing Red Bull towards keeping Perez.
They will need an experienced driver who has competed in many different cars over the years to help them tune and build their new car. Verstappen may also need an experienced driver on the circuit to battle Mercedes and Hamilton for the Championship.