Lewis Hamilton finally put pen to paper this week as he signed a new ten-month deal at Mercedes.

After lengthy negotiations, the two parties came to an accord as Hamilton extended his partnership with the German giants to the end of the 2021 season.

It seems compromises were made though as it has been widely reported that Hamilton was after a multi-year deal.

However, with one eye on the mandatory budget caps soon to be introduced in the sport, Mercedes were only willing to offer their star driver a single-season deal.

The nature of that deal has set tongues wagging as to whether or not Toto Wolff and co. simply needed to bridge a gap until they can replace Hamilton with one of the prodigiously talented youngsters already on the circuit.

While Hamilton will almost certainly be favourite for the 2021 season title, 2022 could look a lot different.

With that in mind, here are five potential replacements that Mercedes could bring in should their partnership with the recently-knighted British star come to an end this year.

Max Verstappen

It is no secret that Wolff is a big fun of the Dutch phenom.

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Verstappen has shown a growing maturity in the last few season and, behind the wheel of a Silver Arrow, could be absolutely unstoppable.

However, as one of the biggest names in the sport, it will take some deal to coax him away from Red Bull.

You can be sure that won't stop Wolff, a man known for getting what he wants, from making him his number one target.

George Russell

Russell's performance at the Sakhir Grand Prix when stepping in for Hamilton was the perfect audition.

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He dominated most of the race and was only cruelly denied his first Grand Prix win late on.

That performance highlighted his immense potential and showed that he could be the tailor-made replacement for Hamilton.

Charles Leclerc

It is often forgotten that the French star is just 23 years old.

The Ferrari man has already shown maturity beyond his years and is quickly becoming one of the hottest properties in the motorsport world.

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You can't help but feel that Leclerc will be thirsting for world titles in the not-so-distant future and Mercedes could be the place where he makes those dreams come true.

Lando Norris 

The maverick McLaren driver is one of the most exciting prospects to emerge in F1 in recent years.

Bags of potential and lightning quick, the 21-year-old has a bright future ahead of him at the top of the Formula 1 world.

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Should Mercedes come knocking with a juicy offer, it would be hard to see him turning them down.

Mick Schumacher

While Schumacher has shown his immense potential in the lower echelons of Formula 1, he remains a rather raw and untested talent.

Signing him would certainly represent a massive gamble on the part of Mercedes but, as has been said before, behind the wheel of that remarkable Silver Arrow, anything is possible.