Mercedes have up to three drivers shortlisted to replace Hamilton

During the FIA-hosted F1 Team Principals' Japanese Grand Prix press conference at Suzuka on Friday, when asked if he had narrowed the list to one, two, three drivers? Wolff replied: "Yes." But when asked to specify a number, he said: "No."

Thereafter he went on to speak at length about two drivers on the opposite side of the spectrum, up-and-coming teenager Kimi Antonelli and retired four-time F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel.

Regarding the 17-year-old Italian 'next big thing' Wolff revealed: "The programme of Kimi driving Formula 1 has been in place for a long time and hasn't changed massively over the last few weeks. What we have done is added more days.

"What you will see in the next few months has been in place, whether or not he's going to sit in a Formula 1 car next year. So, yeah. We're going to do a few of these days for him to get comfortable in an F1 car. He's driving the 2021 car in Austria for the first time.

"We want to give him a feeling of what a really good car feels like before we put him in the ’22. Obviously, he's been our young boy since a long time, with James, and we're keen to see what he's able to do in a Formula 1 car.

"Ollie Bearman was refreshing to look at how competitive he was in Saudi Arabia. No free practice, high speed, complicated track, and he was right up there. So Kimi would be doing just fine," predicted Wolff, who famously overlooked Max Verstappen in favour of Esteban Ocon when the two were juniors.

As for Vettel's candidacy, Wolff ventured: "Sebastian is someone that you can never discount. I think his track record is phenomenal. And sometimes maybe taking a break is also good to re-evaluate what's important for you and refine your motivation.

"As I said before, I think we haven't taken the decision yet. And it's not something that we plan to do in the next few weeks. I know that the driver market is very dynamic. Some of the really good guys are about to sign for some of the other teams.

"We want to continue to have these discussions and keep the options open. But at that stage, I think it's much too early for us to commit to a driver, whether very young or whether very experienced – I don't want to say old – very experienced, which the next few months will give us more clues," concluded Wolff on the driver matter.

Ferrari driver Sainz is out of contract and it will not be renewed so as to make way for Hamilton teaming up with Charles Leclerc.

The Spaniard is in the best form of his life, getting better with each season and would be a logical swap for Mercedes. But Wolff holds the cards and is in no rush to make decisions. His word is that three drivers are candidates, without confirming if Antonelli and Vettel are on the list to be George Russell's teammate.

First and foremost, Mercedes can afford Verstappen and Wolff is drooling for his services, but the Dutch ace is highly unlikely to depart Red Bull before the end of 2028 when his contract ends.

For the short term that leaves the abovementioned Vettel, Antonelli and Sainz as possibles but also impossible to exclude Ocon. Who the exact trio of possible Hamilton successors only Wolff and Merc insiders will know. As for who gets the ticket to ride, they likely don't know right now.

Wolff was scheduled to skip the Japanese Grand Prix but changed his plans and explained why: "I had planned not to come to Japan because there's so much on back in Europe, things to do. But then I felt not coming to Japan was the wrong choice.

"I think it's important to be with the race team also. It does me good also to be close to the action. We are experimenting with a few things and then being part of the team really gives me energy. I hope the other way around too. So that's why I decided against staying in Europe.

As Mercedes endure a well-below-par start to their 2024 F1 campaign, struggling with the W15 which they appear not to really understand, Wolff (whose team was unbeatable for the best part of a decade) was asked how it feels to manage the team under such circumstances.

The Mercedes TP replied: "The struggle that you've mentioned. I think we're a sports team. We've won eight times in a row and that hasn't been done before. you have periods where you struggle like any other sports team and you can't win every time.

"That's why this is a super challenge. It's not a race, it's not one single season and then you come back out on top, but it's the third one in a row.

"But I remain absolutely convinced that we will be looking back in a few years and saying that was so tough but so important for the development of the team from maybe an organisational standpoint, from re-evaluating our tools and systems, which clearly don't work as good as they did in previous regulations," declared Wolff.

Mercedes did not win a Grand Prix last year and their star driver Hamilton has been winless since 2021. Russell has scored their only victory since 2021 when Lewis won in Saudi Arabia. The Briton will be leaving the team at an opportune time for him, as their woes contrast with a Ferrari resurgence under team boss Fred Vasseur.

While the driver taking his seat alongside Russell, could be sipping from a 'poison chalice' of sorts as Mercedes right now are about P4 in the pecking order, apparently no wiser about their car which should be the basis of their final car of this era in 2025. Aka not much light at the end of the tunnel, for the former F1 winning machine.