Zak Brown, the architect of McLaren’s resurgence after a spell in the doldrums, told the Daily Mail he believed Max Verstappen of Red Bull and George Russell of Williams will be recruited by Mercedes in an all-new line-up for 2022.
The attempt to land a drivers' crown that would move the 36-year-old Briton above Michael Schumacher to become the most decorated driver in the sport's history will go hand-in-hand with the issue of his future in Formula One.
Mercedes will also have one eye on the future when the racing restarts in Melbourne in March and they may be vulnerable, but in Hamilton, as the Turkish Grand Prix proved again, they have the ace in the F1 pack, regardless of age.
For 'The Daily Telegraph', the 'Marmite' factor (love him or loathe him) stems from the fact that 'Hamilton's tastes may not always sit perfectly with the traditional motor racing community'.
Lewis Hamilton secured a record-equalling seventh Formula One world title on Sunday after winning the Turkish Grand Prix.
'That's for all the kids out there that believe in the impossible,' said an emotional Hamilton on Mercedes' team radio. 'You can do it.'
Speaking at the Turkish Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton is seeking to seal a record-equalling seventh drivers' world championship, the Mercedes boss also heaped praise on the Briton's ambition and commitment.
The Briton needs only to prevent his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas outscoring him by eight points to retain his crown and, in the eyes of many including former Ferrari rival Felipe Massa, move on to become the most successful in F1 history.
Formula One world championship standings ahead of the Emilia-Romagno Grand Prix this weekend.
The comments provoked argument, not least because Hamilton's statistical landmark of 92 wins is likely to be enlarged by him after passing seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher's 14-year-old record of 91 wins.
With five races remaining in the coronavirus-affected season, Hamilton is within reach of a record-equalling seventh championship and a record-increasing 100th pole position.
Fernando Alonso had not been in an F1 car since a test session for McLaren in Bahrain in April 2019 and had not raced one since the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, also with McLaren, at the end of his 17th season.
Last year’s qualifying shootout at Monza turned into a farce with the top 10 apparently doing all they could to avoid taking the lead at the fastest track on the calendar.
It was Hamilton's fifth win in seven races this year and extended his record run of points-scoring races to 40.
The Racing Point car has been dubbed the 'pink Mercedes' because the team is accused of copying the part from Mercedes.
Bottas, who was runner-up to Hamilton last year, joined Mercedes in 2017 and has so far notched eight wins and 12 pole positions with the team.
The 30-year-old Mexican is the first driver to test positive for the virus since the world championship made its delayed start in Austria earlier in July under strict health protocols.
