13/06/2024
NEWS STORY
Looking to "reinvent" themselves, Mercedes looks set to recruit Kimi Antonelli as Toto Wolff rules out a bid for Carlos Sainz.
In the not too distant past, drivers like Carlos Sainz and Valtteri Bottas would have been tripping over one another in a bid to sign for Williams, but like the song says; 'those were different times'.
Indeed, despite the positivity of James Vowles, many still find it hard to accept that Alex Albon has committed his future to the team that, though the most successful British constructor in terms of titles, has done little of note for the past two decades other than finishing third in 2014 and 2015.
However, with Lewis Hamilton taking his seat next season, Sainz' options are limited, and following comments made by Toto Wolff at the weekend the Grove outfit appears to be his only choice.
Despite insisting that he didn't want to rush Kimi Antonelli into F1 too soon, it appears the Mercedes boss feels the time could be right as he ruled out a bid for Sainz.
"I think first of all, Carlos deserves a top seat. He's done a fantastic job," Wolff told Sky Sports. "But for us, we've embarked on a route now to say... we want to reinvent ourselves a little bit going forward and Kimi Antonelli definitely plays a part in that.
"We haven't taken a decision yet for next year," he insisted, "but we didn't want to have Carlos wait as well because he needs to take the decisions for himself. That's just fair. He's doing a super job."
"The number one target is Carlos," admitted Vowles at the weekend. "We are prepared to have a driver line-up that I think is going to be one of the best on the grid, if it's achieved, and that's a different era that we're going into.
"We're investing tens if not hundreds of millions to take this team back to where it was in terms of success."
Of course, there is Audi, but that would mean a season with Stake/Sauber not to mention what might well be a troubled inaugural season for the German team.
While Williams is very much a case of faded glory, perhaps Vowles is correct, perhaps the good times are set to return.
It will be a tough choice for the Spaniard.