“We didn’t want to have Carlos (Sainz) wait as he needs to take a decision” : Toto Wolff reveals why Mercedes did not offer a seat to the Ferrari driver
Carlos Sainz has found himself in search of a seat for the next season, as Lewis Hamilton is all set to replace the Spaniard at Ferrari in 2025. Carlos Sainz has been linked with several teams over the past couple of months, which includes Red Bull and Mercedes.
Red Bull offered a two-year contract extension to Sergio Perez which rules out that option. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has also made his decision on Carlos Sainz’s potential move to the team. The Austrian boss has decided against the move, as he wants to focus on the long term future of the team.
F2 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli has been a leading contender for the vacant Mercedes seat. Toto Wolff has made it clear that the team’s goal is to reinvent themselves, and there is no better way to do it then to focus on the younger generation of drivers.
“We just want to concentrate on Kimi, that is our future, young drivers,” Wolff told Sky Germany. “We want to commit to that, to young drivers and that is what we’ve told Carlos,” he added.
Toto Wolff believes Carlos Sainz deserves a top seat
Toto Wolff believes that Carlos Sainz deserves a top seat on the grid. The Spaniard claimed a stellar victory in Australia, just a couple of weeks after his appendicitis surgery. Carlos Sainz has been delivering consistent results, finishing on the podium four times this season.
“I think first of all, Carlos deserves a top seat. But for us, we’ve embarked on a route now to say you know what we want to reinvent ourselves a bit going forward and Kimi Antonelli definitely plays a part in that.We haven’t taken a decision yet for next year, but we didn’t want to have Carlos wait as he needs to take a decision for himself. That’s just fair. He’s doing a super job,” said Wolff.
Ferrari and Mercedes had contrasting weeks in Canada, as the latter managed to claim its first podium finish of the season. George Russell finished P3, whereas, his teammate Lewis Hamilton finished P4. This was a surely a step in the right direction for the Silver Arrows, who brought in a bunch of upgrades in Canada.
On the other hand, both Ferrari drivers finished outside the points. This came as a real surprise, as Charles Leclerc claimed the race win in Monaco just a week earlier, with Carlos Sainz finishing P3.
