A few weeks ago, Carlos Sainz admitted that he would not stay at one of the major F1 teams after seeing the doors of Mercedes and Red Bull close.
However, as the Spaniard continues to ponder his future, it appears the door could reopen for him to join Mercedes next year.
Sainz has considered offers from Alpine, Sauber and Williams for next year following his move from Ferrari, with the Mercedes drive seemingly destined for his 17-year-old protégé, Formula 2 racer Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
But Antonelli has had a difficult season in F2, as his Prema team struggled with the new generation of cars. Antonelli is team-mate to Oliver Bearman, the young Ferrari driver named as Haas’ F1 driver for 2025 on Thursday.
Wolff had previously said Mercedes wanted to focus on younger drivers, which prompted him to drop Sainz, but he was coy about the state of the driver market when I asked him earlier in the day what, if anything, had changed to make him an option again.
“The driver market is quite dynamic and interesting at the moment,” Wolff said. “I think it’s because some drivers and some teams have more options. So it’s interesting. And you know, as Bernie (Ecclestone) said, last week I had one opinion, this week I have another.”
Speaking about Antonelli, Wolff admitted his F2 season had been “a bit tricky” and he had coped with the pressure given the scrutiny surrounding him.
“There’s a lot of talk about him,” Wolff said. “His track record in junior formula and karting is unique. And it’s clear that the pressure is on. It’s like his father says: a champion has to be thrown into cold water and has to swim. So they’re very clear about that.”
Wolff praised Antonelli’s attitude and the support of his family, saying they always had an “objective assessment of the situation, of what is good or not good enough.”
“You have to be able to swim, that’s for sure,” Wolff said. “He’s had a rapid progression in his career; he’s 17 and doesn’t even have a driving licence for a road car. The best will be able to cope with the amount of scrutiny and pressure, and it’s only going to increase.”
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Carlos Sainz faces dwindling F1 options after top teams look elsewhere for 2025
