Although we have already made some important decisions – like Lewis Hamilton moving to Ferrari and Fernando Alonso re-engaging with Aston Martin – there is still a lot to sort out.
Perhaps what’s most fascinating is that not everyone follows the same schedule, making things extremely complicated for drivers and teams trying to chart their best path forward.
On the one hand, teams like Mercedes and Red Bull are pretty relaxed about how things are going as they seem willing to bide their time and wait to see what their best options are for 2025.
At Red Bull, Sergio Pérez did enough to warrant him being retained again, but we saw a good start to the campaign that didn’t carry over into the rest of the year.
This is why the team has repeatedly stated that it wants to wait a bit – potentially until the summer – to choose what it will do with who will line up alongside Max Verstappen.
Mercedes is also playing an oversight role in determining who will be best placed to become George Russell’s teammate in 2025 to replace Hamilton.
The early favorite is Andrea Kimi Antonelli, whose F1 testing program has been expanded as the German manufacturer intends to do everything in its power to bring him up to speed with grand prix machinery.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli drives a Mercedes W12
But there also remains this slim chance that Verstappen will potentially be available if the Dutchman and his entourage decide that the situation at Red Bull is not going as they would like.
Insiders suggest Verstappen is totally committed to staying at Red Bull for the time being, but equally, if there was a 0.01% chance he would be free, Mercedes would be stupid to let that slip through their hands at the moment even where she had an available seat.
That’s why he doesn’t want to commit to anyone else now, even though others are pushing for quick decisions.
But Mercedes also knows that if Verstappen doesn’t budge, and the conclusion later this year is that Antonelli could benefit from another year in F2 or being moved to another Grand Prix team, then they will need an option Plan B.
That’s why he does some research and sees who is available to get a clear picture of the situation, even if he doesn’t feel rushed to do anything.
But the appeal for drivers of potentially seeing a Red Bull or Mercedes seat up for grabs this summer if they wait is tempered by the fact that not all teams are willing to hold fire for that long.
And at the heart of what appear to be conflicting demands on how the dominoes will fall in the driver market is the fact that Audi (and its current Sauber team) wants decisions very soon on deals it already has do.
Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari, arrives on the track
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg are both said to be on the German manufacturer’s radar, but sources suggest Audi has made it clear that if decisions are not made by May it will not rule out looking elsewhere.
Sauber team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi suggested in China last weekend that Audi was at the forefront of its decisions.
“We are happy to be able to play a different role in the driver market in the future, thanks to Audi’s announcement and all the investments that will be made in order to improve our team,” he said .
“I think that if this is good news for our team, it is that ultimately we are attractive. And we are not spectators. We are a market player.”
It’s not entirely clear why Audi wants to be aggressive with its timing, although it could have something to do with its parent company’s board meeting times. However, this leaves a driver like Sainz in a particularly difficult situation.
Does he commit to an attractive offer from Audi now, or does he wait for a Red Bull or Mercedes seat which may or may not be available and risks losing everything?
There are high-stakes decisions to be made in the coming weeks and drivers are well aware that, as F1 moves closer to resetting its rules for 2026, what they do now could well decide whether they fight for victories and championships, or if they stand alone. also runs, over the next few years.
Although we have already made some important decisions – like Lewis Hamilton moving to Ferrari and Fernando Alonso re-engaging with Aston Martin – there is still a lot to sort out.
Perhaps what’s most fascinating is that not everyone follows the same schedule, making things extremely complicated for drivers and teams trying to chart their best path forward.
On the one hand, teams like Mercedes and Red Bull are pretty relaxed about how things are going as they seem willing to bide their time and wait to see what their best options are for 2025.
At Red Bull, Sergio Pérez did enough to warrant him being retained again, but we saw a good start to the campaign that didn’t carry over into the rest of the year.
This is why the team has repeatedly stated that it wants to wait a bit – potentially until the summer – to choose what it will do with who will line up alongside Max Verstappen.
Mercedes is also playing an oversight role in determining who will be best placed to become George Russell’s teammate in 2025 to replace Hamilton.
The early favorite is Andrea Kimi Antonelli, whose F1 testing program has been expanded as the German manufacturer intends to do everything in its power to bring him up to speed with grand prix machinery.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli drives a Mercedes W12
But there also remains this slim chance that Verstappen will potentially be available if the Dutchman and his entourage decide that the situation at Red Bull is not going as they would like.
Insiders suggest Verstappen is totally committed to staying at Red Bull for the time being, but equally, if there was a 0.01% chance he would be free, Mercedes would be stupid to let that slip through their hands at the moment even where she had an available seat.
That’s why he doesn’t want to commit to anyone else now, even though others are pushing for quick decisions.
But Mercedes also knows that if Verstappen doesn’t budge, and the conclusion later this year is that Antonelli could benefit from another year in F2 or being moved to another Grand Prix team, then they will need an option Plan B.
That’s why he does some research and sees who is available to get a clear picture of the situation, even if he doesn’t feel rushed to do anything.
But the appeal for drivers of potentially seeing a Red Bull or Mercedes seat up for grabs this summer if they wait is tempered by the fact that not all teams are willing to hold fire for that long.
And at the heart of what appear to be conflicting demands on how the dominoes will fall in the driver market is the fact that Audi (and its current Sauber team) wants decisions very soon on deals it already has do.
Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari, arrives on the track
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg are both said to be on the German manufacturer’s radar, but sources suggest Audi has made it clear that if decisions are not made by May it will not rule out looking elsewhere.
Sauber team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi suggested in China last weekend that Audi was at the forefront of its decisions.
“We are happy to be able to play a different role in the driver market in the future, thanks to Audi’s announcement and all the investments that will be made in order to improve our team,” he said .
“I think that if this is good news for our team, it is that ultimately we are attractive. And we are not spectators. We are a market player.”
It’s not entirely clear why Audi wants to be aggressive with its timing, although it could have something to do with its parent company’s board meeting times. However, this leaves a driver like Sainz in a particularly difficult situation.
Does he commit to an attractive offer from Audi now, or does he wait for a Red Bull or Mercedes seat which may or may not be available and risks losing everything?
There are high-stakes decisions to be made in the coming weeks and drivers are well aware that, as F1 moves closer to resetting its rules for 2026, what they do now could well decide whether they fight for victories and championships, or if they stand alone. also runs, over the next few years.
