According to the Italian ‘Gazzetta dello Sport’, Carlos Sainz has signed a contract with the Mercedes F1 team. Mercedes is said to have chosen the Spaniard as a replacement for Lewis Hamilton, who will leave Mercedes at the end of this year to drive for Ferrari next year.
After the announcement of Lewis Hamilton’s future switch to Ferrari, the rumor mill immediately started turning about who would replace Hamilton at Mercedes. At the same time, there was heavy speculation about the future of Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard was linked to a possible switch to Red Bull, Aston Martin, and Mercedes, among others.
According to qualified sources from the Italian ‘Gazzetta dello Sport’, Mercedes would have chosen Carlos Sainz to replace Lewis Hamilton next year. Sainz is said to have signed a two-year contract for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. The reporting follows the news that Fernando Alonso extended his contract with Aston Martin for two years.
In addition to Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso was also linked to a possible switch to Mercedes, but with the loss of Alonso as a possibility, they would have gone for the other Spaniard at Mercedes: Carlos Sainz.
Mercedes protege Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who was also linked to the vacant racing seat at Mercedes, would first be posted to Williams to gain his first experience as a full-fledged F1 driver. Williams is a so-called ‘customer team’ of Mercedes.
However, nothing is official for the time being and we are waiting for official news about the future driver line-up at both Mercedes and Williams.