Valtteri Bottas has been named as an ideal temporary sol♔ution to replace Lewis Hamilton.

Mercedes are seeking a new driver to sit alongside Geo😼rge Russell in 2025 when Hamilton goes to Ferrari.

And their s♐earch could take them to Bottas, who was Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate for five seasons, it has been claimed.

Max Verstappen is their No1 dream option but their✨ junior driver, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, is also a very real 🐬possibility.

“Toto wants Antonelli at Merceཧdes long-term,♓” FIA press conference host Tom Clarkson said on the  podcast.

“It’s just a question of: is he going to be ready in 2025 or does he get given to another te𓆏am to learn the ropes, then comes back to Mercedes in a f𝕴ew years?”

Mercedes could opt to throw the 17-year-ol🐼d prodigy into their car immediately.

But, if they decide he needs more time before graduating from Formula 2, then they would n💫eed another solution for 2025.

“Mercedes will be looking for 🦩a one-year stopgap, in my book,” Clarkson said.

“That doesn’t appeal to Carlos Sainz who will want a longer-ter🧔m contract.

“I wo꧂nder whether Bottas could be that stopgap for Merce🌱des in 2025.

“He knows the team very well. H𓂃e has won 10 races.

“It will be ൩a much better option for him than anything el🍌se that’s on the contract.

“If Bottas goes to🌼 Mercedes, then Sainz’s options become Red Bull or Audi.

“I think he will look longer-term and think ‘Audi is a better long-term bet than Red Bull because of all the changes and the commitment of Audi, and the question ma💙rks around Red Bull Powertrains’.”

Bottas knows that he has only a�🐈� 50-50 chance of retaining his Sauber drive for 2025, because Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg has already been confirmed.

Either Bottas or Guanyu Zhou - and perhaps both - may 𒁃need to survey their options to stay in Formula 1 next season.

Haas now have a vacancy b𒁃ut will reportedly prioritise Olli🍌e Bearman.