Toto Wolff has shared his strategy on how 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Mercedes will select 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Lewis Hamilton’s replacement.

Hamilton will go to Ferrari in 2025 meaning Wolff must make the colossal call of how to replace a seven-ti🌸me F1 champion.

The decision is also holding up the entire 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:2025 F1 driver line-up, with market decisions pending while arguably the most coveted sea꧒t is decided.

Carlos Sainz, who is a free agent because Hamilton ♓will take his Ferrari drive next year, is an obvious cꦦandidate.

But Mercedes have opted not to snap him up, even if that risks Sainz going elsewhere, because they want to bide their time. Audi (Sauber until 2026) are an option on the table🎉 for Sainz.

“I think Carlos has his place in Formula 1,” Wolff said after the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Im🥀ola.

“He is a Ferrari r♛ace winner in the last two years, and someon🌄e with huge experience.

“I’m prepar𝔍ed to compromise in certain decisions, and to wait how the situation ends up over the summer and into autumn.

“In George R🥃ussell we have a great driver that is with us, and is fantastic.

“And then let’s see who i🅘s going to be his teammate. But we don’t need to take this deci✨sion now.”

Mercedes’ ch𓆉oice to delay committing to a certain driver could be because they are waiting🥃 for Max Verstappen to clarify whether there is any unrest at Red Bull that could cause him to seek an exit.

But the likelihood of Verstappen leaving🌼 Red Bull, where he is on course for a fourth F1 title this season, in 2025 seems remote at this stage.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli has the backing of Hamilton to be Mercedes’ neꦍw driver.

The teenager is driving in Formula 2 thisܫ year, but has been t🍒hrust into several tests of Mercedes F1 cars to assess his speed.

Wolff said about Antonelli: “We are hypi♛ng that 🍷young man for a long time now.

“He will ▨be very good and a great drive🔯r one day in F1, but he’s 17.

“Fourteen months ago he drove an F4 car.

“And there’s so much exp🍌ectation in Italy. We are a little bit guilty al🌸so of that.

“I t༒hink we should let him do his F2 thing, and deliver results, and not be too c🦄arried away with what could be or should be.

“Look at George - he won F2 in his rookie year. At the same time, Kimi has delivered in those꧑ junior series and is in F2 now so we’ll see.

“He’s going to 🦂be in F1🗹 one day. But let’s not rush it.”

Should Mercedes wait♒ too long to acquire Sainz, be unable to extract Verstappen from Red Bull, then decide that Antonelli will not be ready for F1 in 2025, it leaves them with a headache.

They could, at that stage,🔜 o🅰pt for a stop-gap solution for a year.

Several dri🅘vers on the F1 grid have an expiring contract this season and could beꦗ attainable including Esteban Ocon, the Mercedes junior driver now with Alpine, or Valtteri Bottas, who teamed with Hamilton previously under Wolff’s leadership.