A former Mercedes engineer has recalled a surprising story that claims there was once a demand from the Brackley-based outfit to sign Fernando Alonso as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement.

Hamilton shocked the F1 world in 2024 by announcing he would be leaving Mercedes after 12 seasons to head to Ferrari, a bold move that saw him drop the team switch news before the season had even begun.

The Silver Arrows star then had to see out his remaining campaign with Toto Wolff’s squad with his peers all knowing he would be departing for the Scuderia in 2025, though Wolff insists there was no bad blood between the pair once the initial shock had passed.

But it did leave the Austrian F1 team principal with the unenviable task of finding Hamilton’s replacement.

Though Wolff clearly had his eye on Mercedes junior Kimi Antonelli, many questioned whether the teenager was ready for the promotion (though the move is clearly working well for the Italian, who is currently leading the 2026 championship with Mercedes).

Prior to settling on Antonelli as Hamilton’s replacement however, one ex-Mercedes staff member has claimed Wolff took to asking the factory who they would most like to see driving for Mercedes in 2025 and beyond, and the supposed results may shock you.

Ex-Mercedes engineer recalls Wolff’s driver demand meeting

Former Mercedes engineer Jose Manuel Galan recently recalled the story about Wolff’s factory meeting, claiming that the F1 team principal rattled through a list of potential replacements for the seven-time champion, asking staff to raise their hands if they would like the Silver Arrows to sign them.

Allegedly, Wolff mentioned several names to the factory following the news of Hamilton’s departure but only one driver caused what felt like the entire factory to raise their hands, and that was Alonso.

As quoted by Soy Motor, Jose Manuel said: “He [Wolff] speaks very highly of Kimi Antonelli, but says he wants to know our opinion. He takes out a list and says: ‘I’ve got a list here of all the drivers who don’t have a contract for next year. I’m going to start reading out names, and you raise your hand if you want this driver or not.’ And I was blown away.”

“He starts with random names: Sergio Perez, Ocon, Kimi Antonelli… nothing. But absolute silence, awkwardness.”

Jose Manuel then shared his excitement at seeing some representation for Spain’s F1 talent, adding: “And suddenly he says: Carlos Sainz. He saves the good ones for last, I’ll tell you that much. He’d just had a good season with Ferrari and there were a few hands in the air – about five per cent of the room raised their hands, a timid show of hands, but it was the first time anyone had raised a hand.”

Revealing the supposed demand that came with the sheer mention of the Spanish two-time champion, Jose Manuel continues: “He saves it for the end and says: Fernando Alonso. The whole factory goes… wow, every hand in the air. It was a spectacular moment, because on top of that we’d been criticising Alonso for years. Always taking our podiums away, this bloke is a real problem.

“You’re in England, you hear constant criticism of Alonso, little jibes like: ‘Hey Spaniard, you like Alonso, well he’s not that good.’ And suddenly you see the whole factory eating their words and raising their hands to show they wanted Fernando Alonso. The Mercedes engine factory, which was the factory that supplied engines to McLaren in 2007. A spectacular moment,” Jose Manuel concluded.