‘Mercedes is patient with driver choice thanks to Verstappen, Audi wants to be quick’

Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz control the driver market for the 2025 season. Seats from Audi and Mercedes are very popular, and now it seems that Audi wants to hurry and force Mercedes to change their current strategy – take their time.

At the beginning of 2024, there were still many question marks about what will happen to the driver market towards 2025, as more than half of the drivers were still without a contract. Ferrari and McLaren are now ready after the extension of the contract of Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris and the transfer after this season of Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari, while another driver and Mercedes seat is available with Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso due to the extension of his contract. now also out of the market. Add to this the speculation surrounding Verstappen and his future after the turmoil surrounding Christian Horner and Red Bull Racing and you still have plenty of doubt.

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Mercedes wants to wait for Verstappen

According to Motorsport.com At the moment there seems to be little chance that Verstappen will leave Red Bull after this season and go to Mercedes, but the slim possibility ensures that Mercedes will not make a decision at this time. “The insiders are suggesting that Verstappen is absolutely ready to stay at Red Bull at this point, but even if there was a 0.01% chance that he would be let go, Mercedes would be mad to turn a blind eye to that now that the seat is available and that’s why (Mercedes) don’t want to commit to anyone else.” now, even if some put pressure on them to make a quick decision that Antonelli will have another can stay in F2 for a year or be loaned to another Grand Prix team, it needs a Plan B option.”

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Many teams are looking at Audi

According to the website, unlike Mercedes, Audi seems to want to make a decision quickly, and does not want to wait a long time to sign and announce the two drivers for 2025. fall in the driver market, the fact is that Audi (and its current Sauber team) wants decisions too quickly on the offer that has already made Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg are both on the radar of the German manufacturer, but sources suggest that Audi has done. It’s clear that if no decisions are made by May, it won’t rule out looking elsewhere.”

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