How Hamilton’s exit could leave the Mercedes F1 team in a tough spot

Hamilton only signed a fresh two-year deal with Mercedes for 2024 and 2025 last summer, but clearly left wiggle room for the usual exit clauses in case he had a change of heart.

And as Ferrari confirmed Charles Leclerc’s new contract but dragged its feet over giving Carlos Sainz a similar extension, it turns out Hamilton being on the table has made the Scuderia think twice over its future driver line-up.

With Leclerc and Hamilton both former…