Hamilton’s departure for Ferrari left Mercedes faced with the need to look for a replacement for the 2025 season, but four months later, they have not made the decision, nor do they seem close to making it. Or actually yes, but his choice does not depend on them, but on Max Verstappen who could decide on a surprising change of scenery.
Toto Wolff He has never hidden that his first wish would be to win the three-time champion if he leaves Red Bull, but it is therefore a Plan A subject to the decision of another person. And to convince him, facing 2025 or 2026, he knows that the only way is to build a winning car.
When in an interview with DAZN F1 Asked if one of his dreams was to work with Verstappen in the future, Wolff replied: “I think we are in a brutal reality in this sport, that there is no room for dreams. If we have a good car or if we have the best car, “The drivers will want to race with it. And I think that should be our main objective.”
However, Wolff also assured that he is not having conversations with Verstappen, only focusing on improving his car, to which Christian Horner replied wryly: “Max will be here next year. And Toto says there were no talks? So they’re talking [sobre fichar a Verstappen] but aren’t they talking to him? AHA…”
If Verstappen stays, then Mercedes is clear that Andrea Kimi Antonelli, its junior driver who competes in Formula 2 this year, is the one chosen. When asked what will happen to the young man (17 years old), Wolff said that what he wants is to see him in the premier category, but he did not hide that it could be with his team, with a client team… in the role of third driver. : “I would very much like to see him in Formula 1 next year, but if it is with us or with another team or as a test driver, I don’t know.”
With that, Wolff confirmed that they have not made the decision yet, and that they will continue to wait: “No decision has been made on any driver. I said that we want to keep that decision as long as possible, because who knows what will happen.”
The name of Carlos Sainz also appeared on the Mercedes list, which Wolff himself mentioned during the first weeks after Hamilton’s announcement. However, it soon became clear that this option would not be executed, and Wolff explained it like this: “We want to focus on a completely new generation if it ends up being Kimi, or see what Max does. We didn’t want to keep Carlos waiting any longer, because I think “We could make a decision in November. I mean, Carlos is a driver who has won with Ferrari, but all this comes from the decision that Ferrari decided to put Lewis Hamilton in the car for next year.”
Therefore, we will still have to wait several months, barring Verstappen’s bombshell, to find out who will be George Russell’s partner next year.
