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The Mercedes Petronas AMG principal Toto Wolff is well prepared with his future plans for the German Formula One team. Wolff has a ‘insurance policy’ in case Lewis Hamilton decides to leave Mercedes before the end of the season. According to Toto Wolff’s family friend and fellow racer Tom Coronel, Nyck de Vries is Toto Wolff’s ‘insurance policy’ if Lewis Hamilton decides to retire from the sport. Hamilton is contracted to Mercedes until the end of the 2023 season. However, Mercedes have struggled during the 2022 season with the British driver.
Nyck De Vries hasn’t ever raced in Formula One, although he has been a test and reserve driver for Mercedes for the previous two seasons, as well as racing for the German team in Formula E. He claimed the Formula Two title in 2019 and then the Formula E championship the following year. Over the previous two seasons, he has been connected with a move to backmarkers Williams, and he drove for the team in FP1 in Barcelona.
Mercedes has Hamilton’s contract through the conclusion of the 2023 season. Mercedes, on the other hand, has struggled this season, with the seven-time world champion languishing in sixth place in the Driver’s Championship, 75 points behind leader and fierce rival Max Verstappen. Some have speculated that he may opt to retire from the sport early as a result of this. As of now there hasn’t been any official statement from the team or the driver regarding his future plans but as many believe the British driver won’t give up so easily.
Read more: Nyck De Vries impressed Williams with his FP1 outing in Barcelona
Tom Coronel is of the opinion that Toto Wolff is insured in terms of replacement of Lewis Hamilton in the team. “If Lewis Hamilton stops, Nyck de Vries will get the seat. Do you know why? As I’ve been saying for a year, Nyck is Toto Wolff’s insurance policy. I don’t want to say he ‘uses’ Nyck, but that’s why he keeps him close to him. This is a boy who is doing everything he should have done. He has won all the championships he should have won.” opined Coronel.
In 2016, Mercedes was notoriously left scrambling to find a replacement for Nico Rosberg, who announced his retirement from the sport after winning the title. The Silver Arrows were able to secure Valterri Bottas from Williams on short notice, but Coronel claims Wolff has alternatives in place presently to avoid a repeat of the situation.
