Wolff all but confirms Antonelli for 2025 – With Carlos Sainz chess piece now off the board, the remaining driver contracts for 2025 should fall into place relatively quickly. Valtteri Bottas was close to a move to Williams had the Spaniard decided his future was elsewhere, but the Finn should now be resigned by Sauber/Audi who were holding out for Carlos as their first choice.

Alpine are yet to declare their hand in terms of a partner for Gasly but it could be a lifeline for Kevin Magnussen who Haas F1 have said will leave them at the end of this year.

This leaves Mercedes and Hamilton’s replacement and it appears all hope of Max Verstappen leaving to join the silver arrows for next year aer all but over. Comments from Toto Wolff now reported in Belgium suggest Mercedes will back junior driver Kimi Antonelli.

 

 

 

Wolff eyes Red Bull changes

“I will continue to observe the market,” Wolff tells Autosportwereld. “I am not sure how things will evolve further at Red Bull.

“The criteria for our next driver is simple – we want the best driver available. At the moment, my first option is Kimi Antonelli,” he said.

Of course given Wolff’s delay a number of drivers are now committed to other teams who would have fitted the bill at Mercedes. Nico Hulkenberg is the stand out missed opportunity by the former world champions but the German has secured a long term future with the Sauber/Audi team.

Further, it appears Wolff is to make a long term commitment to the Mercedes academy driver: “Other drivers would sign a one or two-year contract, but that’s not enough for us,” Wolff insisted. “So I’m happy to take a risk with Antonelli, because it’s a calculated risk.

Hamilton calls out Mercedes team

 

 

 

Mercedes prepared to sacrifice a title?

“If you look at the progress of (Oscar) Piastri, it took him a year and a half to compete for victory at the level of Lando Norris. We want to try to do the same with Kimi.”

Mercedes have won three of the last four Grand Prix and it appears both they and McLaren are capable now of competing for titles. The loss of a driver of Hamilton’s experience will be felt in Brackley and the fear will linger that a rookie driver in 2025 might cost them a title. Wolff appears to have considered this issue but remains resolute that Antonelli is the long term future for the team.

“In 2025, with the changes in 2026, we’ll be in transition anyway,” added Wolff. “So it’s a good season to bring him into our team.

“Of course, there are risks, but they are not so much in his talent as a driver. He would be exposed to the media and the skills of George Russell, one of the best drivers on the grid. But Kimi has enormous potential,” said Wolff.

“His speed and talent are already at a certain level, he just lacks the experience.”

Mercedes ‘cheating’? Russell DSQ

 

 

 

Toto reflects on drivers leaving

Having been shocked by Lewis Hamilton’s announcement that he was leaving for Ferrari next season, Wolff immediately sought to embrace this as an opportunity stating the team could make a “bold decision” when replacing the seven times world champion.

“I have always seen the departure of a driver as a new opportunity for the team,” the Mercedes boss insists. “Change is good – you have to embrace it.”

Yet Mercedes have ‘lost’ only two drivers during Wolff’s tenure at the helm of Mercedes. The first was also a shock for the Austrian as Nico Rosberg announced his Shock retirement just days after beating Hamilton to the title in 2016.

Valtteri Bottas is the other driver to depart Mercedes during the time of Wolff’s leadership as against the advice of Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes ditched the Finn in favour of George Russell for the start of the 2022 season.

F1 testing shootout planned for Lawson and Ricciardo

 

 

 

Mercedes out of options

Toto reflects that he was surprised at the timing of Lewis’ decision. “When Lewis told me the news, I initially thought ‘Why now and not halfway through the season?’ But he thought it was necessary not only for him, but also for the team.

“We don’t have to rush,” Wolff concluded. “We want to wait to make the right decision.”

With Sainz now committed for 2025, its difficult to see who else Mercedes could recruit other than their junior Italian driver, hence Wolff’s candidness. But they could rue the lack of experience next season should their car be as close to the front of the field as it appears at present.

Meanwhile Red Bull have decided to retain its line up immediately following the summer break. Sergio Perez was confirmed as Max team mate last night by Christian Horner and Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda will see out the year at sister team RB.

This is WHY Sainz joined Williams

 

 

 

Marko defeated by Horner

This is a victory for Horner over Dr Helmut Marko who stated prior to the Austrian GP he wanted Liam Lawson racing F1 full time and before the end of 2024.

Speaking to Kleine Zeitung, Marko revealed: “The shareholders have made it clear that it is a junior team and we have to act accordingly.

“The goal was that [Ricciardo] would be considered for Red Bull Racing with exceptional performances. That seat now belongs to Sergio Perez, so that plan is no longer valid.

“We will have to put a young driver in there soon. That would be Liam Lawson.”

The Red Bull consultant is always considered in his use of language and stating there switch must be ‘soon’ clearly implies before the start of 2025.

Now with Perez being retained this appears most unlikely and is a victory for Christian Horner over Marko who is pressing for youth.

Ricciardo dealt huge blow

 

 

 

Williams boss addresses Sainz exit claus

James Vowles has finally got his man Carlos Sainz. The Williams boss changed his tune at the Canadian Grand Prix from ‘we’re talking to a number of drivers’ to “Sainz is Williams number one target.”

The Williams team principal together with commercial director James Bayer have been persistently spreading the ‘good news’ of the huge Williams inward investment and a vision of a future for the third oldest F1 team – which is bright.

Part of that renewal process was to cut the dependency of the team on pay drivers like Logan Sargeant and Nicolas Latifi before him. Bayer told Bloomberg in June that the team’s sponsorship roster was now full and the team had more than sufficient funding to spend up to the cost cap limited regulated for by the FIA… READ MORE