Andrea Kimi Antonelli, a rookie this season, was brought on board by Mercedes. The young Italian has the task of following in the footsteps of Lewis Hamilton. In fourteen Grand Prix races, he has shown flashes of great speed, although he has also made costly mistakes recently. Former driver and analyst Ralf Schumacher believes that it’s never too late for Mercedes to give Carlos Sainz a call.
While Antonelli had a flying start to his Formula 1 career, it didn’t take long for him to start buckling under the pressure. A sprint pole and a podium finish in the early stages of the season are not enough to make up for the mistakes of the recent Grand Prix races – in his last ten races, Antonelli only finished in the points three times. It’s no wonder that Toto Wolff has not yet offered his protégé a new contract. According to Schumacher, Mercedes could always choose to contract Carlos Sainz.
Sainz is currently driving for Williams, after losing his Ferrari seat to Lewis Hamilton last year. The Spaniard also cannot speak of a resounding season. While Williams scored more World Championship points than in the past seven years combined, the majority of these are from veteran Alex Albon. In an interview on the YouTube channel of Formel 1, Schumacher hinted that certain clauses in Sainz’s contract allow him to move to Mercedes.
‘No top drivers on the market’
“A rookie for Mercedes has never been a problem,” says Schumacher. “At this stage, the last season before major changes in the regulations, you can afford that. Besides, there is currently no one on the market who you would say: ‘We absolutely need to have them’. Most top drivers are tied down. Moreover, Toto Wolff does not think highly of, for example, Valtteri Bottas. Sorry to say it, but otherwise he would have kept him.”
“So yes, that makes it difficult,” Schumacher judged. “I find the issue around George Russell somewhat surprising,” he referred to the ongoing contract negotiations between the Brit and team boss Toto Wolff. “Perhaps there will be a twist – an explanation for the long wait. Mercedes must now be happy that they have him, because there is no alternative. They will watch it for another year to see how it goes. That being said, I think Sainz is always available for Mercedes,” he concluded. “There seem to be some clauses in his contract. If I were Mercedes, I would give him a call right away.”
According to Ralf Schumacher, there are certain clauses in Sainz’s contract that could allow him to be brought to Mercedes.
