Mercedes boss Toto Wolff reveals what he told Carlos Sainz amid decision not to sign Spanish driver. Toto Wolff explains decision not to bring Carlos Sainz to Mercedes alongside George Russell.

The scenario had already faded some time ago, but now it is confirmed: Carlos Sainz will not be a Mercedes driver in 2025. Team principal Toto Wolff himself revealed this from the paddock in Montreal ahead of the 2024 Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix, providing a significant clue about who will be the next Mercedes driver. Thanks to the excellent impression made during tests at Imola and Silverstone, Kimi Antonelli seems increasingly close to becoming George Russell’s next teammate.

Mercedes, Toto Wolff definitively drops Carlos Sainz

“We only want to focus on Kimi, this is our future, young drivers,” the Austrian told Sky Deutschland. “We want to focus on this, on young drivers. This is what we told Carlos.” – he added.

In recent days, there has been much talk about Kimi Antonelli’s excellent performance in the Silverstone tests, with some rumors suggesting he even lapped faster than Russell and Mick Schumacher at times.

However, Toto Wolff immediately dismissed the speculations: “Both Kimi and Mick completed the program we gave them, and the performances were exactly what we expected. Some claims that Kimi was faster than George and much faster than Mick are absolutely nonsensical. All three drove with different programs. All three were equally fast. George was by far the fastest, as it should be, but we followed our programs. It was not about setting fast times.” – the Mercedes boss pointed out.

As for Carlos Sainz, the only viable option now seems to be Williams, with James Vowles confirming the strong interest of the English team in the Ferrari driver: “Williams is not the same as three years ago. And by definition, the fact that we have talked to Carlos shows that we have changed our approach.”

“We want two top-level drivers to be part of our team in the future. We want the world to realize that we are here, that we are serious, and that we are investing to get back to the forefront.”

“The world is changing, and a driver like Carlos is very important in this sense for the overall picture of our situation. Naturally, the difference is that he has the choice to come here or not. The choice is up to him. I believe it is an easy decision to come here. But he has to make it.” – he concluded.

Source: f1ingenerale