Nico Rosberg’s surprise and sudden retirement has left a vacant seat in next year’s F1 World Drivers’ Championship but contractual obligations could mean the job as number two to Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes could be filled by a relative unknown.
Betway’s odds list is the most competitive currently available but Mercedes will probably take their time before appointing world champion Rosberg’s successor, though they’ll want their new driver to be fully measured up by the time pre-season testing begins next February.
Pascal Wehrlein is odds-on favourite for the job at 8/11 and new customers registering an account with online betting site Betway can get their hands on a free £30 bet from the bookmaker. After going through the quick registration process, your target is to place bets which total the value of your initial deposit with them at minimum odds of 1.75 (3/4 fractional).
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Wehrlein looks in pole position to step into Rosberg’s seat as, though unproven and untested at the sharp end of the grid, he has a longstanding Mercedes connection and has yet to be signed by any team for next season so there would be no compensation to negotiate. Elevation from reserve team driver to fully-fledged F1 competitor would be a big step up for the 22-year-old but not an impossible one.
Fernando Alonso (a best 5/1) is about to begin the final year of a three-year deal with McLaren and Zak Brown, the new boss at the Woking-based team, is adamant he won’t be departing to fill Mercedes’ vacancy next year. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel (10/1 with Betway) is also under contract next season while there is no realistic prospect of Red Bull releasing either Max Verstappen or Daniel Ricciardo (both 25/1) , even if either driver hinted that they wanted to leave.
But Valtteri Bottas almost signed for Ferrari last year before eventually staying with Williams. He would be tempted by the chance of winning a few races with Mercedes and is 5/2 to be their next driver.
Next Mercedes Driver Current Best Odds
Pascal Wehrlein (8/11), Valtteri Bottas (5/2), Fernando Alonso (5/1), Sebastian Vettel (10/1), Esteban Ocon (12/1), Nico Hulkenberg (12/1), Jenson Button (16/1), Sergio Perez (12/1), Carlos Sainz (23/1), Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen (25/1)
