Martin Brundle backs Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes replacement for Sebastian Vettel’s seat | F1 | Sports

Martin Brundle has claimed Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes stand-in could get Sebastian Vettel’s seat at Aston Martin. He has tipped former Formula E champion Nyck de Vries to get the drive despite his connections to the Silver Arrows.

De Vries stepped in for Hamilton in FP1 at the French Grand Prix last week. It comes just months after he took the wheel of a Williams for practice at the Spanish Grand Prix as he continues to gain mileage in F1 machinery.

World Touring Car star Tom Coronel has previously stressed De Vries was likely to be Toto Wolff’s “insurance policy” if Hamilton or George Russell ever quit the team. But, Brundle believes he could now switch sides to Aston Martin to secure a crucial race seat for next season.

He said: “The discussion is immediately, ‘Who is going to take Seb’s place at Aston Martin next?’ That’s the mindset of this business. I think Fernando’s pretty nailed on at Alpine. Piastri I think is more likely to end up at Williams.

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“Albon? My guess is if Ricciardo stays put at McLaren then Albon or De Vries (for Aston).” De Vries has a host of motorsport experience having guided Mercedes to the Formula E crown in 2020/21.

The Dutchman also picked up the Formula 2 title in 2019 before also getting involved in a career in sportscar racing. It appears his services are in top demand with rumors linking de Vries to a seat at Maserati’s Formula E squad next year.

After impressing on his drives in the LMP2 category at the Le Mans 24 Hours, he has also been tipped to make the move to Toyota ahead of next year’s edition. Despite being part of the Mercedes programme, Wolff admitted over the French Grand Prix weekend that the team may need to let de Vries go.

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This would only fuel rumors that he could switch allegiances to Aston Martin to fill the vacated seat. He explained: “We can’t tell a team to look at him because that feels like interference and then it goes the contrary way.

“I think if we are not able to provide him with an interesting Formula 1 project, in a way we need to let him go. He’s looking at various options, sportscars, maybe Formula E, but you just must never give up on the opportunity that one day a Formula 1 door can open. Today was very, very good.”