Christian Danner, a former Formula 1 driver and now a popular German TV commentator, believes Mercedes should assess all possible candidates when selecting a replacement for Lewis Hamilton, regardless of whether they are currently available or contractually obligated to other teams.
“There should be one criterion: whether such a driver will strengthen the team or not,” Danner said in an interview with Sport Bild. – Any candidate that matches Mercedes’ level must be considered, so the team management must also think of Max Verstappen.
After two years of crisis, Mercedes must prove that they are still capable of fighting for victories. Of course, Hamilton’s departure will weaken the team, but it also opens up new opportunities.
The advantage of the situation in which Toto Wolff and his colleagues now find themselves is that they still have a few months to discuss the candidacy of the driver who will replace Lewis. Plus, they already have George Russell, and he is very capable of leading the team.”
Source: F1 News

I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.