Despite a disappointing result, the speculation of the vacant Mercedes seat for the 2025 Formula 1 season continues.
Both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton failed to take the chequered flag with the seven-time world champion struggling before his engine failed.
Covering the race for Sky Sports F1, Karun Chandhok made a case for one current driver to step into the 39-year-old’s shoes.
Even if Mercedes are no longer the team to beat on the grid, they’re still a works team with plenty of experience in winning titles.
Any driver in the bottom five teams would love to be driving a Silver Arrows right now despite the ‘fundamental’ issues with the car.
However, Chandhok believes that after the Australian Grand Prix, Mercedes simply have to consider bringing in Carlos Sainz to replace Lewis Hamilton after his superb victory on the streets of Melbourne.
Chandhok tells Mercedes to look at Sainz after win in Australia
There is no shortage of drivers currently being linked with a place alongside George Russell on the grid.
Fernando Alonso might not be the most popular partner for the Brit after their battle on Sunday, but he’s on a list of potential candidates.
Alex Albon has refused to rule out a move despite his Williams contract not expiring until the end of 2025.
The likes of Pierre Gasly and Valtteri Bottas have been suggested as options as well, while youngster Andrea Kimi Antonelli will be in the conversation.
However, no one is in better form than Carlos Sainz right now and after his superb drive in Australia, Chandhok thinks Mercedes now have to consider him.
Reports in the past have suggested that he was ‘gunning’ for a seat in Toto Wolff’s team.
He will have plenty of options for 2025 and it might be a case of both parties trying to sell themselves to the other.
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Reflecting on the 29-year-old’s display, Chandhok said: “It was a superb performance and I think he had the measure of Charles.
“Since the start of qualifying, he had the measure of Charles, he executed a perfect race.
“I think if you were Mercedes looking at it there, and you say, ‘You know what, we’ve lost an established A-list star, we’re coming into a final year with these regulations, got new regs coming in 2026. We need an experienced driver who’s shown they can cope with the pressure of winning a Grand Prix, there’s one there straight away’.
“So, I think he would be a great fit alongside George Russell at Mercedes but what do I know?”
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Martin Brundle admitted during commentary that he couldn’t understand why Sainz wasn’t a candidate for the Mercedes seat.
He’s a key target for Audi although Sauber’s issues have been clear to see all season and it would have a lot of convincing for the 29-year-old to drop that far down the grid.
There’s also talk of Red Bull being keen on Sainz, but he’s unlikely to want to battle with Max Verstappen as a teammate again.
The team appears to be built around the Dutchman and would put Sainz on the back foot from the off.
As long as Sainz keeps performing, offers will begin to roll in for the Spaniard sooner rather than later.
He could be a key cog in the driver’s market and Mercedes may have to move quickly if he suddenly becomes their top target.
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