“That would drop them really in the s***” - Lewis Hamilton could cause big dilemma for Mercedes as predicted by Christian Horner in Drive to Survive

Lewis Hamilton's departure from Mercedes would cause a major dilemma for the German team, claimed Christian Horner in the latest season of Netflix's 'Drive to Survive' docuseries.

The seven-time world champion claims he has long-term plans with the Silver Arrows, while many believe that the Briton would leave the squad at the end of 2022.

Mercedes had a 2022 to forget, with their challenger, the W13, being riddled with porpoising from the start of the season. As a result, the team was nowhere in the championship fight last year, with Red Bull running away with both titles with considerable ease.

Hamilton could not fight for the highly coveted eighth title last year and was beaten by his teammate George Russell in the drivers' standings at the end of the year. Mercedes' woes spelt good news for Horner and Co., especially after the fierce fight the two teams had in 2021.

Speaking on an episode of Drive to Survive, Christian Horner said about Lewis Hamilton's retirement:

“If he did retire, who on earth would they take? That would drop them really in the s*** if he decides to retire. What are Toto’s options if Lewis were to retire? It leaves them pretty exposed.”

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Lewis Hamilton does not plan on leaving Mercedes anytime soon

Lewis Hamilton has no plans to leave Mercedes anytime soon. The seven-time world champion has faith that his team can bounce back from their woeful 2022 season.

The Briton left McLaren to join the Silver Arrows back in 2013 and has since won six world titles with the Brackley-based squad. While there have mostly been 'ups' for the boy from Stevenage with his current team, he struggled to compete at the top in 2022, due to their weak challenger last year.

The team, however, did manage to reduce their gap to the frontrunners over the course of the season and won their only race of the year at the 2022 Brazilian GP. Hamilton claims the harmony within the team is the best it has ever been despite their challenges and that he has no plans of leaving the team anytime soon.

As quoted by Planet F1, Lewis Hamilton said:

“I don’t feel like I need them to prove [anything] to me. We still have all these incredible, incredibly talented individuals within the team. As I said, you don’t lose that ability. We’re continuing to try and improve our processes. We’re continuing to try and be smarter in how we approach things. And with our communication, I think this is the best harmony within the team that I’ve seen in all these years."

He concluded:

“It’s an exciting time for the team. And I don’t plan on being anywhere else.”

With the team's 2023 challenger, the W14, seemingly in better shape than its predecessor throughout pre-season testing, fans are hoping for better fortunes this year.