Formula 1: The big mistake Toto Wolff might be making for 2025
Ever since the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which saw Lewis Hamilton lose his chance of winning an eighth world championship on the final lap, Mercedes have struggled to build a car capable of winning races.
But recent upgrades to the W15 have made it look like arguably the fastest car on the grid, with George Russell winning in Austria and Lewis Hamilton winning his home race at Silverstone.
Since Hamilton’s departure from the team was announced in early February, there have been many rumors regarding who his replacement might be.
Several names have been brought up, including Carlos Sainz Jr, Valtteri Bottas, Alex Albon, and Kimi Antonelli, among others.
It appears that Wolff is quite set on promoting Antonelli to fill the vacancy left by the seven-time world champion, but despite apparently pulling out of the race for Sainz, the possibility of the Spaniard coming in has resurfaced again.
What does Wolff’s latest comment mean?
Not too long ago, the Mercedes team principal reaffirmed that recent success from the team and the competitiveness of the car will not have any influence on who will be signed for next season.
Mercedes have certainly narrowed down their list of potential candidates, including Antonelli, but Wolff has not given much indication as to who Hamilton's replacement will be.
However, Wolff also made some comments about the possibility of Sainz joining the team for next season as well, comments that seem to contradict the claim from a few months ago that the 29-year-old was out of the running. The team boss sees Sainz’s value and what he may add to a tight championship battle next season.
Recent success from Mercedes should play a role
The back-to-back wins from Mercedes have given them a greater total than what they produced in 2022 and 2023 combined. With their development and design team finally getting it right with the W15, odds are the W16 will also be competitive right from the beginning.
With 2025 set to be the final season before the new regulations kick in, Mercedes should jump at the opportunity to compete for both championships.
Given that more competitive results should be on the table for the team in 2025, they should plan accordingly and have two drivers with high levels of skill and lots of experience. They cannot afford to not factor in their recent improvements.
George Russell has both, and so should his next teammate. Antonelli, however, should be given more time to develop before coming into Formula 1, or at least before joining a competitive team.
The better option to pair with the British driver is Sainz, who is still without a contract, despite reports that talks had advanced with both Sauber/Audi and Williams.
Next. Formula 1: Why a recent trend proves the need for a fundamental change. Formula 1: Why a recent trend proves the need for a fundamental change. dark
With the summer break coming very soon, contract negotiations for all drivers without seats for 2025 will ramp up. Indications are that Sainz is holding out for a seat at Mercedes, perhaps on a short-term deal. He and Antonelli seem to be the final two candidates to be Russell’s teammate, and how this all plays out over the next month or so should be very interesting.
feed