If Lewis Hamilton Wants To Jump Ship From Sinking Mercedes, His Options Are Very Limited

There's more and more buzz about Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton looking for a new home to chase an eigth-championhsip while his current team continues to flounder.

However, his options appear to be pretty limited.

There's no question that Mercedes — which was the most dominant in F1 for seven straight seasons from 2014 until 2021 — is on the decline.

However, there's no sense in making a move to a team that isn't currently running toward the top of the leaderboard. There's no sense in Lewis Hamilton going to a team at the back of the grid and trying to help build them into a championship contender when he's on the back nine of his legendary career.

Looking at the current grid there only look to be three options for Hamilton to move to and win that elusive, record-breaking title.

Could Lewis Hamilton finally make the long-rumored move to Ferrari? (Photo by DAVID W CERNY / POOL / AFP) (Photo by DAVID W CERNY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Could Hamilton Jump To Ferrari?

The most logical place for Hamilton to jump if he decides to part ways with Mercedes is without a doubt the Scuderia.

The two sides have always cropped up in rumors together, and Hamilton would be a decent fit, considering current Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz's contract end at the end of the year.

Former team owner Eddie Jordan says that Hamilton to Ferrari would be great for the sport and he's absolutely right.

"Formula 1 needs Lewis Hamilton in a Ferrari and Ferrari needs Lewis Hamilton," he told Online Betting Guide in an interview.

However, the way he thinks it'll pan out is intriguing for sure, even if it sounds far-fetched: a Hamilton for Leclerc swap.

“Charles Leclerc is very much a Mercedes type of driver, and to see Leclerc and George Russell fight it out would be great,” Jordan said. “That could be a deal in heaven. I'm sure everyone in F1 would love to see a swap between Hamilton and Leclerc, that would be mouth-watering."

I wish this would happen, but there's just no way. Leclerc is the guy at Ferrari and has a long career ahead of him.

A legendary British driver on a British team sounds like a match made in heaven, but now isn't a good time for Aston Martin to bring Hamilton into the fold. (Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images)

Aston Martin?

Aston Martin is the latest team to become a regular frontrunner and has arguably the most aggressive upward trajectory.

The car looks incredible, and the team has money flowing in, with new facilities on the way.

I think Aston Martin would be a great fit for Lewis. One of the major reasons being they use Mercedes power units which he should be quite familiar with at this point.

They've also got the cash to secure his services.

However, who do they replace?

Lance Stroll has been driving well, plus his old man Lawrence Stroll is the man paying for everything.

And speaking of "old man," as well as things have been going there's no way the team tries to riggle out of its multi-year deal with Fernando Alonso. He has been driving great and seems to get as much performance out of the AMR23 as is humanly possible.

I think if the entire timeline shifted and Lewis would have been able to hit the open market after news of Sebastian Vettel's retirement last season, he could be the one going 2-for-2 on podiums in an Aston Martin instead of Alonso.

I think the British Racing Green ship has sailed on this one.

Lewis Hamilton driving for Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen sounds like a fever dream. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Red Bull?

Hahahahaha!

*wipes tear from eye*

Oh, man... that was a good one.

Wait.. seriously?

The idea was at least brought up to Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, but he quickly shot it down.

"What Lewis has achieved in Formula 1 is second to none. but we're very happy with the drivers we have," Horner said. He added that both drivers have committed to both the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Of course, there's always a way out of these deals as Sergio Perez will know all too well. He was canned by Racing Point (now Aston Martin) after the 2020 season despite having a contract for another season.

Perez would have to be the odd man out once again in this scenario.

As incredible of a driver lineup as Hamilton-Verstappen would be, there's no chance it happens. Horner, advisor Helmut Marko, and the rest of the team would want to see a repeat of the pair's legendary 2021 title fight, only this time within the team.

I don't see it happening, but hey, crazier things have happened in the world of Formula 1...

...although that would still rank high on the list.

Follow on Twitter: @Matt_Reigle