The 2023 season has kicked off with more Mercedes woes.
The once-superior Silver Arrows have continued their run of poor form and currently sit third in the Constructors with 95 points – far adrift of rivals Red Bull on 224 points.
Having finally conceded their Constructor’s crown last year and failing to have won a race since George Russell’s victory in the 2022 Brazilian GP, speculation re-surfaces concerning Sir Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton’s Mercedes contract runs out at the end of the season and there’s an ever-increasing feeling that the curtains have drawn on the once-prosperous relationship.
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Hamilton has had to watch on as Max Verstappen won back-to-back Driver’s Championships, embarking upon his reign as F1’s prizewinner.
There is no doubt Hamilton, now 38, will be aiming to win his recording-breaking eighth World Title before he retires from the sport.
The Englishman finished the 2022 season in sixth behind teammate George Russell, who secured fourth place, it appears Mercedes already have a future World Champion in the making.
Where could Hamilton go?
The obvious team that comes to mind is Ferrari.
The Scuderia outfit has been vocal about their admiration for the seven-time champion and it’s been reciprocated.
With Charles Leclerc believed to be World Championship material, Carlos Sainz would be the obvious choice to make way for Hamilton.
However, with Leclerc enduring a difficult season at Ferrari, there is no guarantee he will want to remain in red come 2024.
One man who believes Hamilton should look elsewhere is ex-F1 team owner, Eddie Jordan.
“My only concern is that Lewis has to find something else in his mojo now,” claimed Eddie Jordan.
“And he needs to get out of there! He needs to move on!
“Just like he did when he was with McLaren. Get out of Mercedes, Lewis. It’s time you reinvented yourself somewhere else.
“I got it wrong with George. I saw him in the Williams and I thought: ‘Are they really going to sign him? Is that really what’s going to happen?’
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“He absolutely blew me away. He did. And full marks, hands up, I got that wrong.
“I never thought he would do what he’s doing, and I never thought that he would be beating Lewis.”
With only five races complete, much can change with the season, and Mercedes will hoping their new upgrades can help produce a solid result at the Emilia-Romagna GP this weekend.