Martin Brundle and Damon Hill discuss who should replace Rosberg
Thursday 3 August 2017 14:01, UK
Mercedes should be looking for the best driver available to partner Lewis Hamilton next season, according to Sky F1's Martin Brundle.
Speaking on the F1 Special: Nico The Brave, both Brundle and Damon Hill agreed that either Pascal Wehrlein or Valtteri Bottas would be the most logical replacement for Nico Rosberg.
Recruiting from within may be Mercedes' plan of action as they look to 2017 and beyond without their new world champion, but should the Silver Arrows be aiming higher?
"I think a team like Mercedes has to have the two best drivers in the world that are available to them - and the same goes for Red Bull and Ferrari too," claimed Brundle.
"These are unusual circumstances and they need somebody in there who, if Lewis is not winning on any given day, the other driver is getting podiums and scoring world championship points because the knock-on effects of that can be felt through the next two or three years.
"We've seen with Max Verstappen - Red Bull put him into the team and it energised them, it was a masterstroke. Let's not discount the teenagers and the young guys because they are the future, they're fit, they're strong and the cars are going to be demanding next year.
"But I would want the best two drivers that are available to me."
Hill agreed that Mercedes, who hope to confirm their driver line-up before Christmas, need someone who can "handle the pressure" of both a title fight and being Hamilton's team-mate. Toto Wolff, meanwhile, even admitted that McLaren's Fernando Alonso was an option.
However, having seen their rivals attempt bring through the next generation of stars, Hill feels Mercedes could follow suit.
"If you look at the people they've got on their roster, they've got Wehrlein and Bottas, and let's say other drivers who have been in the Mercedes camp like Nico Hulkenberg," he added.
"I would say that would be preferable to trespassing and poaching drivers from other teams or other young driver programmes like Red Bull's, so Carlos Sainz would fit in that bracket.
"Fernando Alonso, we've had history with Fernando and Lewis, so I think it's definitely favouring towards the Bottas and Wehrlein's."
The hour-long 'Nico The Brave' show, hosted by Simon Lazenby with Ted Kravitz joining Brundle and Hill as guests, features in-depth interviews with both Rosberg and Wolff, as well as a SkyPad special looking at all the Mercedes candidates.
