Which drivers are on the Mercedes F1 reserve list in the 2022 season if Lewis Hamilton or George Russell were unable to race? Who does each team have on standby – and what does a reserve driver do even?
Every so often, a Formula 1 driver will be unable to take part in a race weekend through injury or illness, with their team’s designated reserve driver stepping into the cockpit.
They are either usually a young driver on the verge of breaking into F1 or an experienced campaigner who has lost his full-time seat but is still a safe pair of hands to have about the garage.
After the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton complained of back pain and was slow to get out of the Mercedes in parc ferme following his fourth place finish such as his discomfort.
Hamilton had declared himself fit to race in the first Canadian Grand Prix since 2019, but who would Mercedes call upon as its F1 reserve driver in the 2022 season if Hamilton or George Russell were forced to miss a race?
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Canadian GP this weekend. 
And Lewis is going to be there! 
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— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) June 13, 2022
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What a reserve driver actually does
In the 2019 season, Esteban Ocon was the Mercedes reserve as he lost his Racing Point ride and could not find tenancy of another seat.
During the year, he spent a lot of time in the simulator at Brackley helping the team with set-up work on a Friday night, before traveling to the European races on Saturday morning.
For the flyaway events, he was on-site all weekend.
Other than helping drive development of the car, a reserve driver will also help out with sponsor engagements – as talking to a driver advertising your company around the world 20 odd times a year is always fun.
Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images
As and when needed, the reserve driver will step in to replace the main driver.
This happened in the first two races of the 2022 season at Aston Martin with Nico Hulkenberg racing the AMR22 for the COVID-19 struck Sebastian Vettel.
Who is the Mercedes F1 reserve driver in 2022?
Mercedes actually has two F1 reserve drivers for the 2022 season to replace Hamilton or Russell.
They are the manufacturer’s Formula E drivers Nyck de Vries and Stoffel Vandoorne.
de Vries is the 2019 Formula 2 champion and 2021 FE champion – taking the title of the first Dutch world champion – to Mercedes delight and Red Bull’s frustration.
Vandoorne is a former McLaren F1 driver who raced full-time between 2017 and 2018 as well as a one-off appearance in place of Fernando Alonso at the 2016 Bahrain GP.
The Belgian left F1 after being battered by Alonso in 2018, in the dreadfully slow and uncompetitive MCL32 design.
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The other backup options for teams
Mercedes actually has another F1 reserve driver in 2022, although this is something unofficial.
In case of Mercedes needing a new driver on a weekend when FE is racing, former Force India and one-time Williams racer Paul di Resta will step in.
di Resta is usually at races in his capacity as a broadcaster for Sky Sports – and has 59 grands prix under his belt.
Other teams such as Red Bull and Ferrari have the likes of Sebastien Buemi and Antonio Giovinazzi as their reserves – both ex-F1 drivers.
Buemi is also a four-time winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours and often drives contemporary Red Bull F1 machinery in tests.
Photo credit should read FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images
Red Bull can also raid its stable of junior drivers if required with F2 racer Liam Lawson on the list.
Also on the Ferrari reserve driver list is Mick Schumacher – currently at Haas.
F1 reserve drivers in 2022:
- Mercedes – Nyck de Vries, Stoffel Vandoorne, Paul di Resta
- Red Bull – Sebastien Buemi, Liam Lawson (below)
Photo by Joe Portlock – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images
- Ferrari – Antonio Giovinazzi, Mick Schumacher
- McLaren – shares de Vries, Vandoorne and di Resta with Mercedes
- Alpine – Oscar Piastri – can also go to McLaren if required (below)
- AlphaTauri – shares Lawson with Red Bull
- Alfa Romeo-Robert Kubica
- Williams-Jack Aitken
- Haas-Pietro Fittipaldi
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Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images
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