George Russell: Three drivers who could rival Brit for Lewis Hamilton's F1 seat
Lewis Hamilton is coming towards to tail-end of his F1 career - but who could replace him? Express Sport takes a look at the leading candidates.
George Russell 'gutted' to miss out on Sakhir GP victory
Lewis Hamilton will go down as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time and his retirement could loom once he has surpassed Michael Schumacher's all-time world title record next year. The Brit levelled his German counterpart's seven Drivers' Championships in 2020 - but who could step into his shoes at Mercedes once he calls it a day?
George Russell
George Russell is the obvious candidate after he impressed while stepping in for Hamilton at the Sakhir Grand Prix.
The 22-year-old, who races for Williams, was on course for his maiden F1 victory when the Silver Arrows got a double-stacked pitstop horribly wrong, which was followed by a late puncture.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff admitted that Russell's performance has catapulted him to the front of the queue.
But a lot can change over the next year with many other drivers looking to stamp their mark on motorsport's premier competition.
Esteban Ocon
At one point it did look like Esteban Ocon was being readied by Mercedes to step into Hamilton's shoes once he retires.
But the Frenchman was released from his Mercedes contract to join Renault ahead of the 2020 campaign.
Ocon is still managed by the Silver Arrows and knows how they work given he was their third and reserve driver last term.
Wolff also recently admitted he is keeping an eye on the 24-year-old's progress.
Lando Norris
Why not? The young Brit is full of charisma and certainly someone who should be looking to make the step up to a leading team in a year or two.
The 21-year-old finished ninth in the standings this year with McLaren, including two podium appearances.
Trevor Carlin, who mentored Norris' early career, recently tipped the youngster to replace Hamilton.
"Lando is the obvious heir to Lewis' crown as the top British driver," he said.
"When Lewis achieves everything he needs to achieve and steps down, Lando will be at the helm."
Max Verstappen
Mercedes have flirted with the prospect of signing Max Verstappen for many years but the Dutchman was never going to be Hamilton's No 2.
Should the Brit retire, then might be the perfect time to strike for the 23-year-old, who is a probable heir to the throne.
Verstappen has made it no secret that he is desperate to challenge for a world title but that may be more realistic with Mercedes than Red Bull.
There is also a strong suggestion that Verstappen has a break clause in his contract which allows him to leave if he does not have a car capable challenge for the Driver's Championship.