“Sainz would be available at any moment”, Mercedes receives a ‘tip’ to resolve the Antonelli situation

Mercedes still does not have any confirmed driver for the 2026 season, although it is assumed that George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli will continue with the team for at least another year. However, in the case of the Italian, the certainty does not come from a performance that justifies his stay, but rather from a future expectation and perhaps from the lack of solid alternatives.

So far this season, with 16 Grands Prix already, Kimi Antonelli is not faring well in comparison to George Russell. He has only beaten him once in qualifying, and on Sundays, the race where the 19-year-old has seen the checkered flag before his teammate has yet to come.

Thus, while the Briton has accumulated 194 points and is fourth in the overall standings, Antonelli contributes only 66 points to the fight for Mercedes' constructors' championship, being ninth in the table behind Alexander Albon and his Williams.

“Without a doubt, he would be the first person that comes to my mind”

Wolff trusts Antonelli

The latest disappointment regarding Antonelli occurred in Monza, where the young local driver finished only ninth. In fact, even Toto Wolff criticized his driver for the first time this year, although on the other hand, he claims to maintain his full confidence in him.

“He will only be a prodigy when he performs in Formula 1. We hope it happens sooner rather than later, but certainly not from the start,” said the Mercedes team principal.

“He cannot put the car in the gravel escape and then expect to be in the fight. The whole race was disappointing. Nothing changes in my support and confidence in his future, because I believe he is going to be very, very, very good. But today was a disappointing day,” he acknowledged on Sunday after the race.

Toto, call Carlos Sainz

The poor performance of Antonelli has led to some criticism and even opinions on what Mercedes should do. In the case of Ralf Schumacher, this clearly points in the direction of Carlos Sainz.

“A rookie for Mercedes is fine in any case, let’s say that now, at the moment they are in, you can do it. But there is no big name in the market right now that says: ‘I need to have him now’,” starts saying the former driver and now F1 analyst.

“There is no alternative, so they will have to keep him for another year, and then they will have to see how things go,” he adds, before pointing to Sainz. “I think Carlos Sainz would be available at any moment. I mean, it seems there are some clauses, I don’t know exactly, at least that’s what you hear. Without a doubt, he would be the first person that comes to my mind.”

Vowles stakes his claim

However, at Williams, they are not willing to lose the Spanish driver, no matter how much a brand so linked to the British team like Mercedes claims him.

James Vowles has indeed denied Ralf Schumacher's theory, stating that there are no exit clauses in Carlos Sainz's contract.

“There are exactly 10 people in the world who know what is inside the contract, only 10. And I guarantee you that none of you are. Carlos [Sainz]'s people know, and I know what’s there. So everything you’ve read on the Internet is speculation, that’s all,” assures the Williams team principal.

Vowles also adds that the duration of Sainz's contract, two seasons with an option for two more, was a request that came from the driver and his desire to commit long-term to the Williams project.

“The message that [the agreement is for] 2025, 2026 and beyond did not come from me, it came from Carlos. I want to make it very clear to everyone that he is committed and that this is where he wants to be,” he concluded.

Fuente: Planetf1.com