“We’ll make noise,” was the phrase used by Frédéric Vasseur at the beginning of summer 2023 to comment on the recruitment campaign aimed at strengthening Ferrari’s racing department after a disappointing start to the season. A year later, the promises made by the Frenchman have been kept, as at the beginning of the year Fréd announced the signing of Lewis Hamilton and the contract renewal of Charles Leclerc, completing a dream line-up. This move consequently left Mercedes with a vacant seat and put Toto Wolff in the position of having to find a suitable replacement for the seven-time world champion to partner with George Russell.
A replacement that has been much talked about for months, leading the Brackley team to consider a series of candidates, from established drivers like Carlos Sainz (who then joined Williams, likely due to the possibility of freeing himself in 2026) to young and promising talents like Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who today appears to be the main candidate to replace the seven-time champion. But it was precisely about the Spanish driver’s figure and his actual contacts with the Stuttgart house that Sky Sport F1 pundit Craig Slater spoke in a recent podcast, emphasizing first of all how Carlos chose the best option on his table, especially after understanding that Red Bull was not a feasible path due to the greater power acquired by Christian Horner and the consequent total trust in Sergio Perez.
“He chose the best available option, and the options were limited. The place at Red Bull, especially in the last month, was not available. There was a push and pull between him and Red Bull. Maybe because now Horner has authority, rather than Helmut Marko, a situation that changed this season, maybe it was a move against him. Horner stuck with Perez. So, it doesn’t seem to have been an option.” – Craig Slater pointed out.
Red Bull, as mentioned, represented a valid option for Carlos Sainz, on par with Mercedes, with which he seems to have come close to an agreement. However, according to the Sky expert, this option was never very concrete because the top management of the German side was never really interested in the Spaniard but always more inclined towards the young Kimi Antonelli, also to justify the investments in the team’s youth program.
“Mercedes made sense for him because of the timing when Mercedes and Sainz wanted to make their decisions, it seemed like he was a possible contender again. Or discussions could have reopened. But it didn’t go well. I tried to contact people at the top of Mercedes. I don’t think Mercedes made a concrete offer to Carlos Sainz. So, I think it was always a long shot.”
A choice that, in some way, seemed obligatory for Carlos Sainz (except for a recent attempt by Alpine, which failed due to tight deadlines) and justified by the mere idea that the situation at the Grove team could improve over the next year.
“In the end, he had to decide between Williams, Audi, and a late offer from Alpine that turned his head. He chose Williams, not a great short-term option. He is aware that these projects can be harmful to a driver’s career in the short term. You can go from being a hero to nothing. I think his opinion is ‘next year I will be at my best with Williams’.” – the Sky Sport F1 pundit concluded.
Leave a Reply