Guenther Steiner says £154k-a-week F1 driver has ‘shown nothing’ for years

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The standout vacancy on the 2025 Formula 1 grid remains Lewis Hamilton’s seat at Mercedes. Right now, it looks to be between Kimi Antonelli and Carlos Sainz.

Antonelli has long been the favourite to succeed Hamilton despite the fact he’s just 17 years old. Mercedes see him as a prodigious talent, which is why they’re considering a mighty gamble.

But the Italian’s mixed fortunes in his debut Formula 2 season show some of the perils of inexperience. He may have won his first race in the Silverstone Sprint, but he’s still a slightly underwhelming eighth in the championship.

Yes, he’s ahead of teammate Oliver Bearman – who’s joined the 2025 grid with Haas – and Prema are struggling collectively. But Mercedes have nonetheless been left pondering whether he needs more time.

That has seen Sainz come back into the equation. The Spaniard has certainly proven himself at the highest level, having racked up three wins, five pole positions and 23 podiums.

But Sainz has already rejected a one-year deal from Mercedes, who want to keep a seat open for Antonelli or Max Verstappen in 2026. This dilemma could see them turn to a different 12-month stop-gap instead.

Guenther Steiner says Valtteri Bottas won’t get a top seat again

Esteban Ocon alerted Mercedes to his availability even before he confirmed his Alpine departure. Toto Wolff continues to manage the Frenchman, who spent a year as his reserve driver in 2019.

Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas would also be a short-term candidate. He spent five seasons at Brackley alongside Hamilton between 2017 and 2021, winning 10 races.

Jacques Villeneuve has suggested that Wolff will re-sign Bottas as a dependable buffer before finding a lasting solution. But Guenther Steiner disagrees.

Speaking on the Red Flags Podcast, Steiner cast doubt on Bottas’ chances of returning to a competitive car. He questioned whether his motivation has dwindled after a rather anonymous spell at Sauber.

“I think he will have difficulty to find a good seat again,” he said. “Mercedes knows him very well, and they maybe know something we don’t know, and they know how to get him going again.

“With that car [in] the last years, he has shown nothing. Maybe it’s not completely his fault. Can you imagine for a driver who won races every year on a consistent basis, going to fight for P17 for two or three years?

“That takes you down, in my opinion. At some stage, you think ‘why do I actually do this’, you know?”

Bottas could leave F1 for another series in 2025

Things have got progressively worse for Bottas since he relinquished his Mercedes seat to George Russell at the end of 2021. Sauber provided a solid package in his first year, allowing him to finish inside the top 10 in the championship.

Last year, though, he only scored points at four out of 22 races, dropping to 15th in the standings. And now he finds himself rock bottom, with Sauber the only team yet to get off the mark in 2024.

Despite that, he’s retained some appeal in the market. Williams may reportedly re-sign Bottas as an alternative to Sainz.

But if they decide not to pay his £154k-a-week salary (Spotrac) and look elsewhere, he could lose his spot on the grid altogether. Indeed, several IndyCar teams are interested in Bottas should this come to pass.