Mercedes have faced another blow in their quest to fill Sir Lewis Hamilton's shoes, as a potential replacement has committed his future to a rival team.
Hamilton revealed he would be leaving the German team for Ferrari in early February in one of the most shocking transfers in Formula One history.
Ferrari are also reportedly interested in the services of Red Bull's Chief Engineer Adrian Newey, who announced he would be leaving the world champions from 2025.
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Mercedes have now been put in the awkward position of replacing the greatest driver of all time on relatively short notice, when almost every other team is also on the search for drivers next year due to the current contract situations.
Until Wednesday there were 12 seats still available on the grid for next season, but that has now been reduced to 11 following the latest driver contract announcement.
Williams Racing have now confirmed their first driver for next season with Alex Albon extending his stay at the British team until at least 2026.
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A statement from the team read: "We can today announce that Alex Albon has committed his long-term future to Williams Racing. The Thai driver has signed a multi-year contract extension which takes the partnership into the new era of Formula 1 regulations and demonstrates a shared belief in the upward trajectory of the team."
Albon has now earned his reputation as one of the more elite drivers on the grid following his mixed spell partnering Max Verstappen at Red Bull during his early career.
The 28-year-old has been excellent at Williams since returning to the sport in 2022 and was rightly one of the drivers being linked to a move to Mercedes who are engine partners to Williams.
Albon also has an extremely positive relationship with current Merc and former Williams driver George Russell who played a major role in Williams originally signing Albon to replace him in 2022.
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The Thai driver's contract is a blow to Mercedes who now lose another potential Hamilton replacement following Fernando Alonso's commitment to Aston Martin.
Following signing the deal, Albon stated: “It has been a difficult start to the year but since joining Williams we have made significant progress together and I have seen the huge changes happening behind the scenes to take us back to the front of the grid.
“This is a long-term project that I really believe in and want to play a key role in which is why I have signed a multi-year contract.
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“The journey will take time but I am confident we are building the right team to move forward and achieve great things in the years to come."
Other drivers rumoured to be on Mercedes's radar include Carlos Sainz as well as their 17-year-old academy driver Kimi Antonelli who is currently in his rookie F2 season.
Topics: Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton
Tom Jenkins