'Internal reasons' led to Carlos Sainz being snubbed by Mercedes for Kimi Antonelli, claims F1 pundit

Mercedes reportedly rejected Carlos Sainz to name Andrea Kimi Antonelli as Lewis Hamilton's replacement for the 2025 season. According to the latest speculation, the team principal's reservation led to the Spaniard's snub.

Hamilton announced in February last year that the 2024 season would be his farewell stint with Mercedes. The seven-time world champion joined hands with Ferrari during the off-season to shock the F1 fraternity.

An unsettled Toto Wolff spent more than seven months searching for a replacement until his quest ended with 18-year-old rookie driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Ignoring his inexperience, Mercedes took the leap of faith after exhausting all options.

One notable option that the Silver Arrows let slide was Carlos Sainz. Sascha Roos of Sky Deutschland speculated on behind-the-scenes events and said:

"If I were Mercedes, I would have chosen and signed Sainz—and pushed Antonelli over to Williams for the time being. There are certainly internal reasons why Toto Wolff decided this way" [via PlanetF1].

He further claimed that Wolff had shortlisted three names - Fernando Alonso, Mick Schumacher, and Sebastian Vettel - but nothing went as planned.

“None of the three made it; I didn’t expect that. Alonso probably didn’t get an offer. But none of the other well-known names made it either. In the end, of course, nobody could have counted on the young Kimi Antonelli before the season," Roos added.

Carlos Sainz reportedly held a meeting with Mercedes, including team principal Toto Wolff. However, due to alleged differences in the length of the contract, a deal couldn't materialize.

Hence, with options narrowing down, the Spanish driver signed a multi-year deal with Williams Racing. He will team up with Alex Albon to fuel the backmarker team's ambitious growth project.

For Mercedes, Kimi Antonelli will team up with George Russell as the 2025 F1 season marks his debut on the big stage.

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Red Bull boss opens door for reunion with Carlos Sainz

Carlos Sainz with Max Verstappen (Image Source: Getty)

Before signing a multi-year deal with Williams Racing, Carlos Sainz was linked to the second Red Bull seat as Sergio Perez failed to match expectations. In a conversation with RacingNews365, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner made a major admission on Sainz's odds of a reunion with the team.

“Carlos is a great driver, and options still remain open with him in the future. He was considered, and in many respects, you’d say there was a real logic [to signing] Carlos, but we made the choice to look internally and put belief in the junior program," Horner said (via PlanetF1).

Carlos Sainz was previously a part of Red Bull's junior program and raced for Toro Rosso alongside Max Verstappen. However, the Spaniard's relationship with his teammate was feisty, leading to his departure in 2017.