Sainz back in contention for a 2025 Mercedes F1 seat as Wolff confirms talks with the Spaniard

Although F2 sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli has been tipped to take over seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton's seat at Mercedes, it has emerged that Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz has put himself back on the radar of Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff.

After Lewis Hamilton announced his shock departure from Mercedes in February, a series of drivers were rumoured to have a chance to take over the seven-time champion's seat at the Brackley-based outfit.

However, just a few weeks after Hamilton's announcement, Italian sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli emerged as hot favourite for the vacant Mercedes seat.

With Red Bull having gone through an internal turmoil, Max Verstappen was also believed to have been in talks with Wolff, but the Dutchman and the Austro-British outfit have confirmed on multiple occasions since then that they intend to continue their journey together.

This has left Andrea Kimi Antonelli as the main contender for the seat, but with his results fluctuating in Formula 2, it is believed that Wolff might give him more time before promoting him into Mercedes. The young Italian, who will only turn 18 in August, might spend a season at Williams next year.

When asked about this dilemma by Mundo Deportivo, Wolff's response was: “There is no one-size-fits-all answer to that. I think we have narrowed down the pool of drivers we want to work with in the future.

“And we want to make a decision in favour of what Mercedes can have in the next five-to-six years. And Kimi and George have been our junior drivers for a long time and I would like to stay true to the programme.”

With Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz yet to decide over his future, he might also have a slight chance to replace the seven-time world champion, effectively switching race seat with Hamilton.

Wolff previously suggested that Sainz is not a real contender to partner George Russell at Mercedes, but in his recent interview with Mundo Deportivo, he fuelled speculation again, claiming that the Spaniard is a safe bet given his experience and consistent performances.

“That said, with Carlos, you have a sure value, especially in a very tight championship next year, you have another driver who is going to be very competitive, who, if our car is good, could help us secure a fight for the Constructors’ Championship.”

“With Carlos, you have a safe bet. There are certainly many arguments in favour.”

“That is why I also want to take my time with the decision and keep all options open as long as possible. And when I spoke to Carlos I already told him: ‘I am not sure you can wait as long as I would like you to wait. I don’t want to make a decision quickly.

“If we have more time to decide, Carlos is definitely still a chance, but Carlos needs to make a decision on what he does with the other teams.”

Asked about Antonelli, Wolff added that the talented Italian has been able to cope with the pressure despite his young age and the pressure he has been under.

"What I like in terms of his attitude, generally his family, who has been always close to him, is the objective assessment of a situation, and that is good or not good enough. And I don't think that the pressure harms at all the way he performs in the car and how he drives.

"You can clearly see it's a good benchmarking with Ollie Bearman. They are pretty close. Ollie had an obviously very good race in Austria and Kimi on the Sunday, had a clutch release issue in the second race. So you've got to swim. That's clear.

"It was a rapid career progression. He's 17. Hasn't got even a driving license for a road car. And the best ones will be able to cope with that, with the amount of scrutiny and the pressure, and it's going to get bigger.