Wolff Names Driver In 'Strongest Position' To Get Mercedes Seat

Friday, 12 April 2024 at 21:00

Toto Wolff discussed the second seat at Mercedes, his decision-making process, and the driver who is currently supposed to be in the "strongest position" to get it.

Mercedes lost one of the biggest candidates for the seat yesterday (April 11th) when it was announced that the double world champion Fernando Alonso signed an extension with Aston Martin at least until 2026.

Silver Arrows team principal Toto Wolff previously said he was waiting for Max Verstappen to decide whether he wanted to leave Red Bull, but as it stands, it doesn't look like the 26-year-old would be seriously considering an exit.

Suppose Verstappen said no to Wolff; that leaves him with two candidates. Rumors that emerged today from numerous news outlets and journalists suggest that he has already signed Carlos Sainz or is very close to reaching an agreement with the Spaniard.

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On the other hand, when Wolff recently talked to Xinhua, he described Mercedes's academy F2 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli as "in the strongest position."

"He's definitely a very strong contender. I want to see how his F2 season develops, but we will wait and see what happens with some of the other drivers in F1. I don't doubt his raw speed, talent and ability."

"My feeling at the moment is that I don't want to rush [the decision], because Kimi is part of the ideas for next year and is very much in the strongest position, and that's why we don't need to rush into any other decision."

Emphasizing multiple times how he doesn't want to rush his decision, it would seem strange if Mercedes announced the signing of the Ferrari driver now, but as we learned with Lewis Hamilton, everything is possible. Wolff added:

"Obviously, some of the other top drivers are going to make a decision on what to do soon, but there's a feeling that points me in a direction not to take the decision too quickly."