05 February 2024 , 11:10
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Formula 1 champion Jenson Button is clear about who he wants to see replace Lewis Hamilton when he joins Ferrari.
The seven-time world champion will make the move at the end of the 2024 season, starting a bold new chapter in his career at the age of 40. And he will leave a gaping chasm at Mercedes which team principal Toto Wolff and his colleagues will, somehow, have to fill.
Doing so will not be easy and, from the commercial perspective at least, it is probably true that no-one will be able to truly replace Hamilton. As for who might get the nod to fill that seat, there are plenty of early front-runners including in-demand Williams star Alex Albon and Esteban Ocon, who races for Alpine but is still managed by Mercedes.
Asked for his own opinion on who the Silver Arrows should turn to, Button advocated for another experienced option. "Alongside George [Russell]? I might have a man crush on my ex-team-mate Fernando Alonso," the 2009 world champion told Sky Sports.
"I'd love to see Fernando Alonso. He is 42 now but I think but the hunger is there. If the hunger is there, the fitness is there. He drives every day. He's driving a go-kart or some form of race-kart. If it's there, I think it'd be a cool partnership. I think they'd learn from each other pretty well and I think they'd work well together."
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Alonso turns 43 this summer but has yet to show any signs of slowing down. He enjoyed one of the best seasons of his F1 career in 2023, standings on the podium eight times in Aston Martin colours as he drove the wheels off a much-improved car from the Silverstone-based team.
The Spaniard is happy where he is and, though he knows he is in the twilight of his F1 career, has not shown any serious signs of walking away for good. His current contract does expire at the end of this season, though, and the chance to drive for one of the very top teams again may prove to be too attractive.
But Alonso is far from the only candidate for that soon-to-be-vacated seat at Mercedes. And it could be the case that he is disadvantaged compared to others in that he is not a long-term option, while someone like Albon would be able to race alongside Russell for many years to come.
The British-Thai racer is hot property after a stellar two years with Williams and is one of the front-runners to join Mercedes for 2025. Among the other early candidates are Ocon, who like Albon will turn 28 this year, and Carlos Sainz who is looking for his next race seat after losing his Ferrari place to Hamilton.