Mercedes boss Toto Wolff acknowledged Hamilton's "disillusionment" with the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix event, fueling speculation about the future of the seven-time champions.
Wolfe has repeatedly told the media: "I very much want Lewis to continue racing because he is the greatest driver of all time." ”
Hamilton has not made any public remarks since losing his world title, including absenteeism at the FIA awards gala in Paris, where he could be punished for violating F1 sport rules.
He did appear at Brackley and Brixworth's celebration of Mercedes' eighth consecutive titles on Friday – talking to staff while also saying goodbye to Bottas. But everything he said was not made public.
While rival Verstappen hopes Hamilton will have enough motivation to fight for the eighth title, there's no guarantee that that will happen – it could be a headache for Mercedes if something unthinkable happens.
With all the top drivers locked up their 2022 contracts, Hamilton's absence from one of F1's top seats at such a late stage could raise a very complex and tricky issue.
Among the drivers who still haven't had a 2022 contract recently, Kimi counts as one, but it's doubtful whether he's still very eager to get back to F1. But Hockenborg is almost certainly an option, even for short-term contracts.
With the relatively young Russell, Mercedes certainly wouldn't be willing to partner with someone who didn't have a lot of experience, so DeFreis and Van Doon of mercedes FE team, while ready to play, had limited experience.
Instead, Mercedes are most likely to choose experienced and fast drivers from active F1 drivers.
The first could be the Alpine contract that brought former Mercedes academy driver Ocon jumping up.
The Frenchman was very strong in 2021, winning his first career win in Hungary and being a reserve driver for Mercedes in 2019. Trading AuCom to Mercedes also allowed Alpine to join newcomer Piastri, an Australian who won the title in his first year of F2 and was extremely talented.
But from Alpine's point of view, they have also invested heavily in Au Con, knowing his strength, and it is likely that the future will revolve around him for a long time, and Alonso's contract expires at the end of next year.
Therefore, the chances of Aucom 'transfer' seem to be small.
Instead, Mercedes' alternative direction could be the just-departed Bottas, who has just signed a long-term contract with Alfa Romeo. But with more experience at Mercedes than anyone else and ready to play immediately, the Finn still seems to be the most logical option if the team does continue to find someone.
Of course, this must be agreed with Alfa Romeo, but Vassell and Wolff are very good friends, so as a temporary solution, Alfa Romeo may accept it in some way of financial compensation, and it is convenient for them to find a replacement, just let Geovinaz come back, and Geowinaz is close to Ferrari, and if the Italians are given another chance, Ferrari will be happy.
Of course everything is just assumptions, and what is logical in F1 does not always happen, but at a time when Hamilton's future is uncertain, at least for Mercedes there is a sensible solution to survive 2022.
The original text (https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/what-could-mercedes-plan-b-look-like-if-hamilton-quits-f1/6927262/), the translation has been fine-tuned.