Ralf Schumacher believes one highly-rated driver on the Formula 1 grid could be available ‘at any time’ to replace Andrea Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes due to clauses in his current contract.
Kimi Antonelli goes into the final third of his maiden Formula 1 season off the back of a tricky run of races.
Antonelli has only scored three points since his podium at the Canadian Grand Prix in June, fewer than all but three other drivers on the grid, Carlos Sainz, Yuki Tsunoda and Franco Colapinto.
That trio are currently at the bottom of the drivers’ championship, aside from Jack Doohan, who was dropped by Alpine after just six races.
Despite all of this, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has put his full faith in Antonelli.
Position Drivers’ Championship PointsPts 1 324 2 293 3 230 4 194 5 163 6 117 7 70 8 66 9 38 10 37
Wolff deployed a new tactic with Antonelli after Monza, calling his performance ‘underwhelming’ after a tricky FP2 session, a poor start to the race and a five-second penalty for his overly aggressive driving when battling Williams driver Alex Albon.
Although not officially confirmed, Mercedes are expected to continue with Antonelli and George Russell into 2026; however, the lengths of both of their contracts have not been confirmed.
Ralf Schumacher believes that if Mercedes wished to call on him, Sainz would be available ‘at any time’ to join the Silver Arrows.
What he’s ‘heard’ about the six-pole position driver’s contract might worry Williams boss James Vowles, who sees Sainz as a vital cog in the team’s long-term future.
READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats
Photo by Paddocker/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesRalf Schumacher thinks Carlos Sainz would be available ‘at any time’ if Mercedes wanted to sign him
Schumacher was asked on the Formel 1 YouTube channel who Mercedes should approach for 2026 if they decide against retaining Antonelli, and Sainz’s name came up.
He explained: “Well, a rookie for Mercedes is fine anyway, let’s say now in the season where they were and in this development phase, you can do that.
“But I agree with you, there’s nobody big on the market at the moment where you’d say, I absolutely have to have him now, most of them are all sorted.
CategoryAlex AlbonCarlos Sainz2025 points7016Grand Prix results*114Grand Prix qualifying88Grand Prix wins00Grand Prix poles00Grand Prix podiums00Best finish5th8thRetirements32Did not start01Fastest laps00Grand Prix points finishes116Sprint results21Sprint Qualifying21Sprint wins00Sprint poles00Sprint podiums00The 2025 F1 teammate head-to-head battle of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz
*Both drivers did not finish the Austrian Grand Prix
“And obviously, Toto Wolff doesn’t think much of Bottas, otherwise he would have kept him. You have to say that, sorry about that.
“So it’s difficult. Yes, the George Russell issue is a bit surprising, but maybe there’ll be a twist at some point, the punchline as to why they’re waiting so long, because I think Mercedes must be happy to have him by now, but there’s no alternative.
“So, they have to see it through for another year, and then they’ll have to see how things go.
“I think Carlos Sainz would be available at any time. I mean, there seem to be some clauses, I don’t know exactly, at least that’s what you hear. He would certainly be the first person that comes to mind.”
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How Carlos Sainz’s father reacted to Mercedes signing Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Sainz was one of the leading candidates to sign for Mercedes last season, before they eventually decided on promoting Antonelli.
He had learned that Lewis Hamilton would be replacing him at Ferrari and suddenly had every midfield team courting his signature.
In the end, Sainz settled on Williams, and even though he’s having a tough time, it appears to have been the right choice.
TEAMDRIVER 1DRIVER 2AlpinePierre GaslyN/AAston MartinFernando AlonsoLance StrollAudiGabriel BortoletoNico HulkenbergCadillacValtteri BottasSergio PerezFerrariCharles LeclercLewis HamiltonHaasEsteban OconOliver BearmanMcLarenLando NorrisOscar PiastriMercedesN/AN/ARacing BullsN/AN/ARed Bull RacingMax VerstappenN/AWilliamsAlex AlbonCarlos Sainz2026 confirmed F1 drivers
Albon has overtaken Antonelli in the drivers’ championship, and Williams should secure P5 in the constructors’ standings unless something completely unexpected happens.
Carlos Sainz’s father couldn’t understand why Mercedes chose Antonelli over his son, considering his experience.
It will be interesting to see how the next few years pan out for both drivers, especially as Sainz has the clauses in his contract that he suggests, as he could suddenly be at the centre of next year’s driver market.