Scrap for Carlos Sainz’s signature hots up - did Toto Wolff drop a key clue?
"Last week ꧃I have an opinion, this week I h🔯ave a different one.”

The battle for 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Carlos Sainz’s future is heating up at Silverstone.
The Ferrari driver will be replaced by 🍷Lewis Hamilton next season, so is plotting his ne🦂xt move.
The 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:2025 F1 driver line-up hinges on where Sainz pledges his future.
Willi🔯ams, Sauber and Alpine are the three tea𓆏ms credited with the strongest interest, but Mercedes could surprisingly re-enter the mix.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, their 17-year-old prodigy, is ninth in For꧅mula 2 after seven rounds and Mercedes haven’t yet committed to him by offering him an F1 deal.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolꦯff was asked by if Sainz is still an ไoption for him.
“I don't want to make a decision quickly. But yes, he i𓂃s,” Wolff replied.
“If we have more time to decide, C🐬arl🍨os is definitely still an opportunity, but Carlos needs to make a decision about what he does with the other teams.
“I think we have narrowed down the group of drivers we want to work with in the future. And we want to make a decision in favour of what Mercedes can have in the next five-ꦉsix years.
“And Kimi and George have been our junior drivers for a long ܫtime and I would like to stay true to the p𓆉rogram.
“That said, wi♛th Carlos, you have a certain value, especially in a very close championship next year you have another driver who is going to be very competitive, who if our car is good, could help us secure a fight for the constructors' championship.
“There are certaiওnly many arguments in favour. That's why I also want to take my time♒ with the decision and keep all options open for as long as possible.
“And when I spoke to Carlos I🍷 already told him: ‘I'm not su🎉re you can wait as long as I would like you to wait.’”
Wo༒lff appeඣared to hint at Silverstone that Sainz had re-entered his thinking.
Wolff said about Antonelli, the a🗹pparent frontrunner for the 2025 Mercedes seat: “He h🌳as a lot of pressure. He’s been talked a lot about.
“His junior formula and go-karting track record is one of a kind. And that’s clear that the prꦬessure ramps up.
“It’s like his father says, ♐a champion needs to be thrown into cold water and needs to swim. So they are very clear about that.
“But the driver market at the moment is quite a dynamic, interesting thing. I think because some of the 🍬drivers have more options, and some of tꦜhe teams have more options.
“So it’s… interesting. And you know it’s like Bernie said, last week I have an o💛pi𓄧nion, this week I have a different one.”
Have Alpine won the race for Sainz?
However, in Italy they are certain 🐻that Flavio Briatore’s Alpine will win the race for Sainz’s signature.
Briatore, who signed Michaeꦅl Schumacher to Benetton and Fernando Alonso to Renau🧜lt, has made an F1 comeback with Alpine.
He will convince Sainz to si🧜gn on the dottꦏed line for Alpine in a project tailored to the 2026 engine rules, report.
Williams team principal James Vowles said at 🔯Silverstone he has prepared a Plan Y and Plan Z, if he loses ou⛎t on Sainz.
“I’ll go back to saying he’s a world class dꦬriver,” Vowles said.
“The decision isn’t imminent. It’s not that we need to make it today,ꦚ and what I’ve said all along is that the timeline isn’t important to me.
“What’s important is that whatever decision we come to or the driver comes to it’s about forging a long-term relꦅationship with each other – i.e. we both see the journey we’re on and want that to be a part of their lives.
“I’m fairly sure you’ll see this all cleaned up b𒊎efore we get to September, which is the normal time if you look at it as a team.
“We are just now goin𒉰g back into a normal schedule where August is spent doing contracts, but I’m pretty sure you’ll find it all finalised by then.”

James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sp𒆙orts, to football, to F1.