Fernando Alonso could be the ideal 'short-term fix' for Mercedes as they look to replace Lewis Hamilton, particularly after Lando Norris signed a new long-term contract with McLaren.
That is according to former Force India and Williams driver Paul di Resta, who even believes an ambitious swoop for three-time world champion Max Verstappen is not out of the question.
Seven-time drivers' champion Hamilton has activated a break clause in the two-year contract extension he signed with Mercedes last year, and the 2024 season will be his last with the team before he makes a blockbuster move to Ferrari.
For Mercedes, attention has turned to the candidates to replace Hamilton. Carlos Sainz – who will leave Ferrari to make room for Hamilton at the end of this year – has been touted as a possible target, though other names are also in the frame.
Norris was long thought to be a natural fit if either Mercedes or Red Bull found themselves with an empty seat, but the 24-year-old penned a "multi-year" extension with McLaren last month.
Di Resta thinks Norris would have been the go-to name for Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, but with his future seemingly secure, long-term options appear thin on the ground.
"Where do they go? They found themselves a bit stuck because I think it was unexpected," Di Resta told Stats Perform of Mercedes' driver hunt.
"When you look at the driver market, I was surprised to see Lando sign with McLaren for as long as he did, given there were Red Bull seats and potentially a Mercedes seat coming up.
"The obvious choice for me, if I was Toto, would have been to go for Lando. Last year, I actually think he was next-best to Max in terms of the performance and where he was.
"I think he was a step up even from Lewis over the course of the year, in what he was able to achieve. He had it under control, so that would have been where my attention went.
"You can see Lando doesn't turn up to odd events and excel, he is very consistent over the course of the year and I think he's ready to fight for championships, but obviously that's gone."
Some believe Mercedes could promote 17-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli from their junior team, but Di Resta thinks it is too soon for the teenage prodigy, suggesting two-time world champion Alonso – who is contracted to Aston Martin until the end of this year – as an alternative.
"They need a short-term fix, they probably need a good name," he continued. "I wouldn't be surprised if Fernando fit that bill for the next year or two, until they reassess where they are if they're bringing through some young guys.
"I've heard people talk about Antonelli, I can't see how he's ready, I can't see if somebody like that is ready to go up against Max and Lewis.
"With the weight of a manufacturer like that on top of you, you don't want to hit that too hard too soon, you want to build the foundations of how you go about your Formula One racing first."
Di Resta does not expect Mercedes to rush their search for a successor, and he even suggested they could enquire about Verstappen's availability, pondering whether the Dutchman has a similar break clause to that recently activated by Hamilton.
"They've got some time. I don't think it's a decision they can rush into," Di Resta said.
"At the start of the season, we're already talking about next year, but you never know, you could go and chase Max!
"I'm sure somebody like Max could equally have an option like Lewis had got, because when they are like Lewis, Max and Fernando, they mean as much as the team does."
Aston Martin 'the team of the future' after Newey arrival, says Alonso
Fernando Alonso believes the arrival of legendary designer Adrian Newey means Aston Martin are "the team of the future" in Formula One.
On Tuesday, Aston Martin confirmed Newey had signed on as managing technical director and also become a team shareholder, with his annual salary reported to be £30million.
Newey's departure from Red Bull was confirmed in May after his relationship with team principal Christian Horner came under strain, though he will stay with the constructors' champions through the first quarter of 2025 to work on their RB17 car.
Newey has designed 14 championship-winning cars throughout stints with Williams, McLaren and Red Bull, and Alonso believes his arrival bodes well for Aston Martin's future.
"We've been racing against each other for many years," Alonso said as Newey was unveiled at Aston Martin's headquarters on Tuesday.
"I would say he has been more an inspiration and I think thanks to Adrian and his talent and cars, we all got better as drivers, as engineers, as teams, you know, we all had to raise the bar thanks to him to be able to compete.
"Today is an incredible day for the team. Lawrence Stroll's vision is taking shape with this building, with Adrian, Honda, with Aramco, a new wind tunnel...
"It's definitely the team of the future I would say. For me, it's going to be an incredible professional opportunity to work with Adrian and to keep working with this green colour which I'm very proud to be part of."
Newey is also excited by the prospect of working with Alonso, revealing the two-time world champion came close to joining him at Red Bull 15 years ago.
"Fernando of course... We've battled against each other for so many years," Newey said. "He's been a bit of an archenemy at times.
"We came so close to him joining Red Bull for the 2009 season but unfortunately it didn't quite happen, which is a great shame.
"So we continued to battle against each other. He's a legend of the sport, so I'm very much looking forward to working with him."
Aston Martin announce signing of legendary designer Newey
Aston Martin have announced that legendary designer Adrian Newey will join their team from March 2025.
Newey has signed on as Managing Technical Director and is a shareholder in the team, in a deal worth up to £30million.
The 65-year-old's exit from Red Bull was confirmed in May after an apparent breakdown in his relationship with team principal Christian Horner.
Newey will stay with the reigning constructors' champions for the first quarter of 2025 though, to see out his work on the RB17, the company's first hypercar.
"I am thrilled to be joining the Aston Martin Aramco Formula 1 Team," Newey said.
"I have been hugely inspired and impressed by the passion and commitment that [team owner] Lawrence [Stroll] brings to everything he is involved with.
"Lawrence is determined to create a world-beating team. He is the only majority team owner who is actively engaged in the sport.
"His commitment is demonstrated in the development of the new AMR Technology Campus and wind tunnel at Silverstone, which are not only state of the art but have a layout that creates a great environment to work in.
"Together with great partners like Honda and Aramco, they have all the key pieces of infrastructure needed to make Aston Martin a world championship-winning team, and I am very much looking forward to helping reach that goal."
The move will see Newey working with two-time world champion Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, the team owner's son.
Newey has designed 14 championship-winning Formula 1 cars across stints with Williams, McLaren and Red Bull.
Aston Martin will be hoping he can do so again for the 2026 season, which will see the introduction of new regulations.
Vasseur leaves door open for Sainz return to Ferrari
Fred Vasseur left the door ajar to a potential Ferrari return for the "mega professional" Carlos Sainz, ahead of his impending departure at the end of the season.
Sainz, who will join Alex Albon at Williams in 2025, is being replaced by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, ending his three-year stint with the Italian team.
During that time, the Spaniard has won three times, the latest of which came at the Australian Grand Prix in March, and currently sits fifth in the drivers' championship.
Of his 82 races, Sainz has accumulated 794.5 points, needing 63 points from the final eight races of the campaign to better his highest total in the competition (246 in 2022).
Vasseur said that he would “for sure” like to work with Sainz again in the future, as he repeated that the call to replace him with Hamilton “was not an easy one”.
“I’m more than pleased to have Carlos [in the team] and I will keep a very good relationship with him,” said Vasseur.
Ferrari's success at the Italian Grand Prix, a race that Charles Leclerc emerged victorious in, marked Sainz's last as a Ferrari driver at Monza.
The Spaniard has not been on the podium since a third-place finish at the Austrian Grand Prix, but will be aiming to continue his impressive qualifying form in Baku.
Sainz has improved his qualifying position in the last three Grand Prix's, and if he can do so in Azerbaijan, will equal his second-best streak for Ferrari.
But speaking after the Italian Grand Prix, Vasseur took a moment to reflect on Sainz's contribution to the Maranello outfit.
“I have huge respect for Carlos, for what he did for the team in the last years, but mainly the last two years with me [as team boss],” Vasseur commented.
“I can perfectly see what he did last year, mainly when we had trouble, he was able to push the team to come back with the pole in Monza, to win in Singapore.
"This pushed a little bit probably also Charles to react and he did [many] first rows [on the grid] in a row.
“He was clearly part of the recovery of the team last year and this season he’s doing a very good job.
"I know perfectly that the situation was not easy at the beginning of the season, but he’s mega professional.
“We had a discussion last winter and we agreed together to push until the last corner of the last lap [of the season] and he’s doing very well.”
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