Mercedes-Benz F1 driver Lewis Hamilton recently said that he is not expecting current McLaren driver and F1 veteran, Fernando Alonso, to be his teammate for the 2018 season. Hamilton voiced out his opinion after rumors started to surface claiming that the Mercedes F1 team is considering Alonso to replace Lewis' current teammate, Valtteri Bottas.

When asked about the possibility of Alonso replacing Bottas, Hamilton said, "He has obviously got a lot of potentials and a lot of growth to go, but it is all about finding the right balance in the team. So far Valtteri and I have a great balance and the scales weigh up nicely."

According to Sky Sports, rumors about Mercedes picking Alonso as their F1 driver started to surface when Nico Rosberg announced his retirement. Mercedes AMG F1 executive director Toto Wolff even confirmed in December that the team had "considered" Alonso as a viable replacement for Rosberg. Despite these rumors, some observers have commented that Alonso had never been a serious pick for Mercedes, which later decided to sign Bottas as Hamilton's teammate.

The recently concluded Chinese Grand Prix was won by Hamilton. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel came in second. The two drivers are now tied for the top spot in the driver's championship, each with 43 points.

During the 2017 F1 season opener in Australia, Vettel edged out Hamilton for the top prize, with the latter in close second place.

As for McLaren, the team has faced quite a lot of hurdles so far. At the Chinese Grand Prix, Alonso retired after 33 laps due to a driveshaft problem while his teammate Stoffel Vandoorne also retired after 17 laps due to problems with his car's fuel pressure.

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