Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is in an enviable position in the paddock when it comes to the Formula 1 driver’s market.
There are only a few available seats left for the 2025 season and the most exciting prospect for the remaining free agents on the grid is at Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari not only left Mercedes in a difficult position but sent the driver’s market into overdrive.
Typically, teams and drivers start to put plans into place for the following year during the summer break.
This year, there’s a chance that every seat on the grid for 2025 will already filled by the end of the Belgian Grand Prix next month.
Toto Wolff spoke to Mundo Deportivo and was quizzed about who could replace Hamilton.
Youngster Kimi Antonelli appears to be the most likely candidate although his debut Formula 2 campaign isn’t going to plan.
Mercedes are also admirers of Max Verstappen and while Martin Brundle could see him driving for the Silver Arrows one day, that move looks extremely unlikely for 2025.
Wolff has now admitted that there’s ‘definitely’ still a chance that Mercedes move for Carlos Sainz.
However, the Mercedes team principal suggested that Sainz would likely want to make a final call on his future before the German manufacturer are in a position to offer him the seat.
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Carlos Sainz ‘definitely’ still an option for Mercedes 2025 race seat
Asked whether he would consider hiring Sainz for next year, Wolff said: “I don’t want to make a decision quickly. But yes he is. If we have more time to decide, Carlos [Sainz] is definitely still a chance, but Carlos needs to make a decision on what he does with the other teams.”
Carlos Sainz has been left in the lurch this season after Ferrari decided to offer Hamilton a contract to drive alongside Charles Leclerc next year.
The Spaniard – who has five F1 pole positions to his name – started the season in fantastic form and won the Australian Grand Prix after having appendix surgery, capitalising on a rare Max Verstappen retirement.
However, in recent races, he’s slipped back behind Leclerc although the Monegasque driver had a race to forget in Austria.
Virtually every team that still has a seat available is interested in signing Sainz for next year.
He’s now got to weigh up whether it’s worth hanging on to see whether Wolff is going to offer him the Mercedes seat or if he should commit to one of the teams further down the grid.
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What options does Carlos Sainz have for the 2025 Formula 1 season?
Although Sainz is ‘definitely’ in contention for the Mercedes seat should he be patient and wait to see what happens with Antonelli and Verstappen, he’s got more concrete options elsewhere on the grid.
Audi have been interested in Sainz for months but it looks very unlikely that he’ll join the only team on the grid who are yet to score a point this season.
Sainz appeared to be very close to signing for Williams at one point and James Vowles would love to have the Spaniard in his car alongside Alex Albon, although he may have now stopped negotiations with the British manufacturer.
However, Alpine have since made an improved offer for Sainz with Flavio Briatore now working on deals behind the scenes.
All of these options come with pros and cons but the strongest option is undoubtedly Mercedes should Wolff end up making Sainz a final offer.
He’s already waited this long to make up his mind and could be tempted to delay his decision even further, especially with Antonelli having a tough time in Formula 2.
The post ‘Yes he is’: Toto Wolff says five-time F1 pole sitter is ‘definitely’ still a candidate for 2025 Mercedes seat appeared first on F1 Oversteer.