Lewis Hamilton will be formulating a “Plan B” if an eighth Formula 1 title begins to appear “unachievable” with Mercedes in the coming years, Martin Brundle has predicted.
Having surpassed the benchmarks for pole positions and race victories, Hamilton is currently tied with Michael Schumacher at the top on seven F1 Drivers’ Championships.
The Briton was on the verge of clinching an eighth crown in 2021 when he was beaten by Max Verstappen after ex-FIA race director Michael Masi contravened the FIA restart regulations under a late Safety Car period.
Amid Mercedes’ struggles since the regulations were overhauled last year, Hamilton has ended the past two seasons without adding to his tally of 103 race wins.
Hamilton, who has turned 39 ahead of this campaign, penned a new two-year deal with Mercedes in August to stay in the sport for the remainder of the current rules cycle.
But with Red Bull upholding a huge advantage, Brundle believes that Hamilton will begin to consider alternatives unless the Brackley squad can make inroads in 2024.
“I think if Lewis senses that the eighth title is unachievable in a reasonable time frame, he’ll be thinking of Plan B,” Brundle pondered in an end-of-year column for Sky Sports F1.
Along with Ferrari, Mercedes has revealed that it will be adopting a new car concept with its W15 challenger as it endeavours to mark a return to championship contention.
But providing the Silver Arrows achieve that, Hamilton will face an internal threat in the form of George Russell, who outscored his team-mate in their debut season together.
Although Russell endured a troublesome year in 2023 and trailed Hamilton by 59 points, the ex-Williams racer still matched his illustrious countryman in qualifying.
Regarding who would come out on top in a title battle between the two Mercedes drivers, Brundle said: “I think they’re so close, those two, if you look at the stats, but George had a couple of nightmare races this year. That’s a very good question,” he said.
“It depends if Lewis maintains his current motivation, but it’s so close to call.
“Lewis knows how to do that but George has got youth on his side. I don’t know the answer to that, but I definitely wouldn’t say, ‘Oh, Lewis without a doubt, because he’s already a seven-time champion.’ That I would absolutely not say.
“Until George is in a championship-winning position, we don’t know if he’s got the head to cope with it.”
