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 c🎃all of how to replace a seven-time F1 cham🀅pion.

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 seat is decided.

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

But Mercedes have opted not to s🌠nap him up, even if that risks Sainz going elsewhere, becau🦹se 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 Imola.

“He i♕s a Ferrari race winner in the last two years, and someone with hℱuge experience.

“I’m prepared to compromise in certain decisions, and to wait how the situa♔tion ends up over the summer and into autum🃏n.

“In George Russe🎃ll we have a great driver that is with us, and is fantastic.

“And then let’s see𓂃 who is going to be his teammate. But we d🍌on’t need to take this decision now.”

Mercedes’ choice to delay committing to a certain driver could be because they are wa😼iting for Max Verstappen to clari♏fy 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 atꦛ this stage.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli has the backing of Hamilton to be Mercedes’ new dri🦩ver.

The teena♋ger is driving in Formula 2 thiꩵs year, but has been thrust into several tests of Mercedes F1 cars to assess his speed.

Wolff said a🦩bout Antonelli: “We are hyping that young man for a long 🔯time now.

“He will be very good and a greܫat driver one day in F1, but he’s 17.

“Fourteen months ago he drove an F4 car.

“And there’s so much expectation in Italy. We are a l🐟ittle 💞bit guilty also of that.

“I think we should let him do his F2 thing, and deliver results, and not be 😼too carried away with what could be or should be.

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

“H🐻e’s going to be in F1 🌜one day. But let’s not rush it.”

Should Mer🤡cedes wait too long to acquire Sainz, be unable to extract Verstappen from Red Bull, then d🐽ecide that Antonelli will not be ready for F1 in 2025, it leaves them with a headache.

They could, ♔at that stage, opt for ♈a stop-gap solution for a year.

Several drivers on the F1 grid have an expiring contract this season and could be attainable includ🧸ing Esteban Ocon, the Mercedes junior driver now with Alpine, or Valtteri Bottas, who teamed with Hamilton previously under Wolff’s leadership.