Mercedes rejected the chance to sign free agent Carlos Sainz as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement, instead promoting teenage sensation Kimi Antonelli. As a result, Sainz has had to drop into the midfield with Williams.
When Ferrari announced the 2025 signing of Hamilton in February, Sainz would have hoped to remain at the front of the grid. Former team McLaren had committed to both of their drivers, but Red Bull and Mercedes had vacancies.
Sainz insists Red Bull did him a ‘favour’ by deciding not to sign him. They seemingly don’t want a driver fast enough to create tension with Max Verstappen, their long-established number one.
But Mercedes had shown they were willing to maintain parity in the garage during the Hamilton/George Russell partnership. And yet, they didn’t make a satisfactory offer to multiple race-winner Sainz.
One report claims Mercedes would only give Sainz one year when he wanted a longer-term agreement. Perhaps he feared ending up in the same position after 12 months.
Sainz could have been an effective placeholder for Antonelli, who would have another year to prepare. But he wasn’t interested in that arrangement, so Toto Wolff hired the Italian straight away instead, making him the third-youngest F1 driver ever.
Carlos Sainz Sr can’t understand why Mercedes didn’t place Kimi Antonelli at Williams
Former F1 driver Marc Surer is close to the Sainz camp. Speaking on the Formel1.de YouTube channel, he reflected on the circumstances of the Spaniard’s Williams move.
A return to Red Bull, who gave him his big break in F1, was apparently on the table at one stage. But while they played it safe, Mercedes wanted to take a calculated ‘risk’.
Russell spent three seasons developing at Williams, Mercedes’ engine customers, before receiving the call-up. Carlos Sainz Sr says it’s illogical that Wolff didn’t take the same approach with Antonelli.
Of course, this assumes that James Vowles would also have been interested in the teenager. As a former Mercedes strategist, he was keenly aware of his talent, but the accident-prone Franco Colapinto has also shown him the dangers of relying on rookies.
“We talked about the opportunities he had,” Surer said. “Red Bull was certainly one, because he started at Toro Rosso. He would have taken a Mercedes seat.
“At Mercedes, why take the risk now with the very young one when you would have had the chance to place him at Williams like you did with Russell? I agree with Carlos’ father – that’s not logical.”
Carlos Sainz Sr has previously seethed at Mercedes over Kimi Antonelli in 2024
You can understand why there may be a feeling of bitterness within the Sainz camp. He once again proved this year that he deserves to be at the front of the grid.
Sainz won two Grands Prix and scored nine podiums, finishing a respectable 66 points behind Charles Leclerc despite missing a race in Saudi Arabia. Williams won’t be able to give him a car worthy of his talents for a few years yet.
No wonder, then, that Guenther Steiner says Williams have won the ‘lottery’ by landing Sainz. They held a long-term interest, but he always seemed an aspirational target.
F1 insider Ralf Bach says Sainz Sr was furious with Mercedes back in September. He thought their ‘cart blanche’ response to Antonelli’s heavy FP1 crash at the Italian GP was ‘crazy’
