Marc Priestley thinks Mercedes will now be considering ‘really good’ driver for 2025 seat

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Mercedes will now be ‘looking at’ one driver in particular to replace Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 season, Marc Priestley says.

Hamilton is headed to rivals Ferrari for next year and will take over from Carlos Sainz at Maranello.

Former F1 mechanic and BBC pundit Priestley, speaking on his YouTube channel, says one of the available drivers is making a strong case right now.

Toto Wolff is dreaming of luring world champion Max Verstappen from Red Bull.

And a recent report indicates that Verstappen is ‘increasingly likely’ to make the sensational move.

But with more than half the grid out of contract at the end of the year, it’s inevitable that other drivers are in the discussion too.

Fernando Alonso apparently has his eye on the drive as he nears the end of his Aston Martin deal.

However, Martin Brundle suspects that his incident with George Russell at the Australian Grand Prix may hurt his chances.

Elsewhere, Damon Hill thinks Lando Norris will be in contention despite signing a new McLaren deal recently.

And Williams driver Alex Albon has refused to rule out joining the Brackley outfit either.

Mercedes could also commit to making Russell their team leader and promote academy driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli from Formula 2.

Marc Priestley says Mercedes will see Carlos Sainz as strong option

Priestley says that Australian GP winner Sainz is now emerging as a compelling candidate.

He also thinks a return to the Red Bull stable could be on the cards for a man who made his F1 debut at Toro Rosso.

With Verstappen’s future uncertain, Christian Horner may have one eye on the Dutchman’s old Toro Rosso teammate.

Priestley says Sainz’s form will be sparking plenty of ‘conversations’ behind the scenes.

“If you’re Mercedes you’re looking at Carlos Sainz thinking ‘this is actually a really good option for us’,” he said.

“Not just Mercedes, but if you’re Red Bull potentially thinking about a post-Max Verstappen era, Carlos has been part of that gang before. Could he be an option to go back there again?

“Who knows? These are the conversations that will be happening up and down the pitlane, but the point is Carlos Sainz is driving those conversations.”

Will Sainz join Mercedes for 2025?

The feeling before this weekend’s race was that Sainz wasn’t a front-running option for the Silver Arrows.

Hill expressed concern about the optics of hiring a driver that had been moved aside for Hamilton.

But Brundle questioned why Mercedes weren’t actively pursuing the 29-year-old.

Sainz won driver of the day at the opening race of the season in Bahrain after battling to third place.

He then missed the next Grand Prix after contracting appendicitis, which forced him to undergo surgery.

Just two weeks on, he took the third victory of his career ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc after Verstappen retired.

He’s just 11 points off the top of the standings despite his absence in Jeddah.

In addition to Mercedes and Red Bull, Aston Martin is also a possible destination for the Spaniard, with Alonso and Lance Stroll both out of contract.

Sainz could also make a bold move to Sauber, who will become Audi in 2026 following a takeover.

However, the team are currently languishing in ninth place in the championship as one of three who have failed to score so far.