Who should replace Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari if he chose to retire?

Bernie Ecclestone, the former F1 supremo and a close ally of Lewis Hamilton, has suggested the seven-time F1 champion should retire.

Ecclestone feels Hamilton would be "cheating himself" if he chose to continue, given his struggles with Ferrari since he joined the team at the start of the year, reaching its nadir in Hungary at the weekend.

At a Hungaroring circuit where Hamilton has scored nine pole positions and eight race victories, the 40-year-old started and finished 12th.

Following qualifying, in particular, Hamilton described himself as "useless" and that Ferrari should get another driver, which was painful listening for those who heard, including Ecclestone.

The 94-year-old said if he were Hamilton's manager, he would negotiate a way out for the Briton, and if he were in team principal Fred Vasseur's shoes, he would bring in a star young name such as Isack Hadjar or Gabriel Bortoleto.

The duo were runner-up and champion respectively in F2 last season, and have impressed this campaign with Racing Bulls and Sauber, along with Ferrari Academy driver Oliver Bearman at Haas.

Ferrari also has former Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu as its reserve this season, whilst Valtteri Bottas has had to sit on the sidelines as the Mercedes reserve, awaiting another chance.

Then there are the likes of Sergio Perez, or Ferrari potentially luring Carlos Sainz back to the team, maybe even poaching Williams for Alex Albon.

Whilst it seems unlikely Hamilton will step away, never say never in F1, so who should Vasseur opt for if Hamilton quits?

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