The Australian Grand Prix was another disastrous event for Lewis Hamilton as he failed to take the chequered flag.
The seven-time world champion’s Mercedes suffered an engine failure that saw him pull off the track before the race reached half distance.
Lewis Hamilton has entered the final year of his time with the Silver Arrows and commentating on the race for Sky Sports F1, David Croft and Martin Brundle were discussing his future replacement.
Toto Wolff knows what an important decision he has to make given the team’s current trajectory.
After winning so many championships together, Hamilton and Mercedes will be parting ways with the team looking like the fourth-fastest car on the grid.
Brundle doesn’t understand why Mercedes aren’t now looking at Carlos Sainz as his potential replacement.
Martin Brundle doesn’t understand why Mercedes don’t want Carlos Sainz
The 2024 driver market is going to burst into action at any moment, with so many seats available and so many drivers hoping to remain on the grid.
Carlos Sainz is the highest-profile driver who is definitely looking for a new team after being replaced by Lewis Hamilton.
After securing a podium in Bahrain, he missed out on the race in Saudi Arabia due to appendix surgery that handed Oliver Bearman his Formula 1 debut.
The young Brit performed admirably, but Sainz returned to action and blew the field away in Melbourne.
A brake failure for Max Verstappen forced him to retire from the race and after a brilliant qualifying session, Sainz was catapulted into the lead.
He never looked back and took the third win of his Formula 1 career.
With Mercedes looking to replace Hamilton with the best driver possible, Martin Brundle doesn’t understand why Carlos Sainz isn’t on their radar.
It’s going to be one of the most coveted seats on the grid and suddenly the 29-year-old is putting himself in the shop window to partner George Russell going forward.
Mercedes have important call to make with Hamilton’s replacement
Talking about the Spaniard’s weekend in Australia, Croft said: “He’s having an absolute stormer of a weekend here. Two weeks ago, he was sat watching Ollie Bearman in Saudi Arabia and thinking, my target’s Australia, I’m going to do my best to get down there.
“Whether he thought he had a chance to come down here and secure a victory, I’m not quite sure.
“He said he would make the race, but what a weekend he is having.”
Brundle added: “It’s superb and the weird thing for me is I don’t think Sainz is in the running for Hamilton’s Mercedes seat for example.
“I don’t understand why not or the Red Bull seat should Max Verstappen leave which is not out of the question at all given various circumstances.
“Sainz is advertising for some employment.”
Who could Mercedes replace Lewis Hamilton with?
It’s easy to understand why Brundle believes that Sainz would be a good fit for Mercedes going forward.
Previous reports have suggested that he was ‘gunning’ for the seat in the past, but there are other drivers also in the frame.
Fernando Alonso is on their list as a short-term option with his Aston Martin contract coming to an end.
Young driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli is also being considered by Toto Wolff although his Formula 2 campaign hasn’t got off to a brilliant start.
The likes of Valtteri Bottas and Pierre Gasly have also been floated as options which may show just how far away Mercedes are from making a final decision.
Right now, Sainz can’t do any more than he currently is to show prospective F1 teams what a strong option he is.
While Ferrari will have no regrets about letting him go, they’ll be hoping Charles Leclerc can prove that he’s the best long-term option for the team throughout 2024.
The post ‘The weird thing’: Martin Brundle doesn’t understand why Mercedes aren’t interested in 29-year-old driver appeared first on F1 Oversteer.