Mercedes Considering George Russell & Esteban Ocon For 2022

Sir Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas will both be out of contract at the end of 2021, so Mercedes could well run an all-new driver line-up the following season.

Toto Wolff COVID-19 2021 - Formula1news.co.uk

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has said the Silver Arrows will start to think about their 2022 driver line-up towards the middle of the year.

Sir Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas will both be out of contract at the end of this season, so Mercedes could well opt to run an all-new driver line-up the following year.

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Speaking to Speedweek, Wolff indicated that both George Russell and Esteban Ocon are in contention for a 2022 drive, but the Austrian stressed that their existing drivers have their “full support” for the moment.

“Ocon is in the second year of a two-year contract with Renault or Alpine F1 this year, Russell is with Williams this year. So there are some variations for 2022,” Wolff said.

“But, until then our full support goes to Valtteri and Lewis.

“We will evaluate in the middle of the year whether there will be a change in 2022. It is surely too early now to talk about scenarios for 2022,” the Mercedes boss added.

Wolff also commented on why Mercedes and Hamilton ended up inking just a single-year extension.

“The reason was simply a lack of time,” he said.

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“We negotiated for the first time just before Christmas. A multi-year contract is more complex than one for one season. So we said we’d sign this deal for a year now and see later.

“Everything is currently open on both sides after 2021,” Wolff added.

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