Karun Chandhok says 19-podium driver would be safer bet than Antonelli for Mercedes seat

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Karun Chandhok has named a lower-risk option for Mercedes as they consider Andrea Kimi Antonelli for a 2025 seat.

The Silver Arrows have reportedly made Antonelli their ‘plan A’ to replace Lewis Hamilton, who’s joining Ferrari for next year.

But Chandhok says there’s an argument that Mercedes would be better served with a more experienced hand.

The 17-year-old has won five single-seater titles so far in his fledgling career, including the Formula Regional Europe and Middle East championships last year.

He’s graduated into Formula 2 this year with Prema alongside Ferrari youngster Oliver Bearman.

After a slow start in Bahrain where he finished 14th in the sprint race and 10th in the feature race, he improved in Saudi Arabia with back-to-back sixth-place finishes.

Toto Wolff will be aware of the unparalleled challenge of succeeding Hamilton, who’s won six of his seven world titles with the Silver Arrows.

Hamilton is statistically the most successful driver in F1 history with 103 wins and 104 pole positions under his belt.

Karun Chandhok talks up Carlos Sainz over Andrea Kimi Antonelli

Writing in his column for The Intercooler, Sky Sports F1 pundit Chandhok suggested that Mercedes could play it safe by signing ‘proven quantity’ Carlos Sainz.

Sainz, who started out with Toro Rosso in 2015 and also raced for Renault and McLaren before joining Ferrari, has competed in 184 F1 races.

He’s won two of those, taking his first victory at the 2022 British Grand Prix before denying Red Bull a clean sweep last year at the Singapore Grand Prix.

He also has three fastest laps, five pole positions and 19 podiums under his belt.

And Chandhok says that Sainz could be seen as a smarter candidate, especially with a major regulation change on the horizon.

He wrote: “The safer option would be to take Carlos Sainz as an experienced and proven quantity for 2025 and 2026 while the team tries to reassert its position as a title contender and also take on the challenge of the new rules in 2026.”

Will Sainz join Mercedes for 2025?

Team principal Toto Wolff personally wants Max Verstappen in the car alongside George Russell next year.

But he knows that it will be extremely difficult to convince the three-time world champion and current drivers’ standings leader to leave Red Bull.

Sainz missed the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix through illness but impressed at the season-opener in Bahrain, winning driver of the day after battling his way to third.

Journalist Rebecca Clancy has already claimed that the 29-year-old is ‘gunning’ for the seat that Hamilton will leave vacant.

However, Damon Hill has doubts over whether Wolff would want to bring in a driver who’s been discarded by Ferrari.