Do you know what Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton have in common? They might be involved in the biggest Formula 1 team swap in history. The 7-time World Champion has already signed a multi-year contract with Ferrari. Thus, he will replace Sainz in the Maranello outfit in the upcoming season. On the other hand, some sources have linked the Spaniard to Hamilton’s seat at Mercedes. And guess who has added flames to these rumors? The #55 racer himself.

With the arrival of the F1 circus in Austria for the eleventh race of this season, the 2025 silly season might start soon. As of now, 7 seats at various teams are up for grabs. With his Ferrari contract ending after this year’s Abu Dhabi GP, Carlos Sainz must find a drive soon to stay in F1 next year. Despite sources saying that Sainz might partner Alex Albon at Williams, a certain post on Instagram claimed that should not happen.

According to the post, Mercedes’ rumored future recruit Kimi Antonelli should go to Williams. The 17-year-old has not even had an F1 test yet, so promoting him to take a seat at a top team such as the Silver Arrows would be unreasonable. Sainz, on the other hand, is a 3-time Grand Prix winner and has way more experience than Antonelli. But the Instagram post got the approval from the Spaniard himself as he ‘liked’ the post from his official IG handle.

If Kimi Antonelli does go to Williams to gain some experience before taking up a Mercedes offer, his path would be similar to that of George Russell. But even then, chances are less that Toto Wolff would go for Carlos. The Austrian has explicitly admitted that he is keeping the doors open for F1 Champion Max Verstappen. But does the Dutchman even want to leave Red Bull at the moment?

Max Verstappen’s feelings about the switch from Red Bull to Mercedes

Verstappen debuted with Red Bull in 2016 and has won three World Championships with them. At a time like this, leaving the Milton-Keynes outfit for Mercedes might seem like a gamble. But Toto Wolff believes if his team can prove itself to the Dutchman, he will take the gamble.

Speaking at a recent interview, the billionaire banker-turned-Team Principal claimed, “First and foremost, we have to make our cars faster. If the car goes fast, fast drivers will want to drive with us.”

However, Verstappen has denied harboring any wishes to shift from his current team. He spoke sternly about his allegiance to Red Bull, emphasizing, “I have a long contract with the team. I’m very happy where I’m at. And as I said before, we are focusing also already on next year with things that we can implement on the car. So I guess that should say enough of where I’m driving next year.”

Max Verstappen’s refusal of Toto Wolff’s offer means Carlos Sainz might be in consideration for the Mercedes seat if Kimi Antonelli‘s lack of experience becomes an issue.

Speaking of Sainz’s future steps, several other drivers on the grid want to watch his move first. Kevin Magnussen has implied the Spaniard is holding up the driver transfers of the F1 silly season for 2025. If Carlos indeed goes to Mercedes, it leaves Daniel Ricciardo, Nico Hulkenberg, Valtteri Bottas, Esteban Ocon, and Magnussen in a position to find seats for next year. Do you think any of these racers have a chance of getting Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes seat, though? Tell us about your thoughts in the comments below.