That’s certainly the view of Esteban Ocon after Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari for next season caught most of the paddock by surprise and left a prime seat open at Mercedes.
The question now is how soon things will start to move at other teams, and how quickly the remaining pieces fall into place thereafter.
Thus far, only seven of the 20 seats are filled beyond this season, with McLaren and Ferrari having secured two drivers not just for 2025 but also into the era of the new regulations that begins the following year.
The only other drivers officially signed up are Max Verstappen at Red Bull until 2028 and George Russell at Mercedes until 2025. However, for obvious reasons, Lance Stroll is set to stay with Aston Martin for the foreseeable future, even if his status has not been made public.
Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren have secured the services of Russell, Verstappen and Norris for the future
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
That still leaves 13 vacancies for 2025, and the potential for much to happen. But when will the merry-go-round spring into action?
There are two ways of looking at the market. One option is that things will start to move quickly and that teams and drivers will act fast in the coming weeks in order to secure the deals that they want, so they’re not left hanging when the music stops.
On the other hand, there are so many seats and so many top drivers still available that both sides might wait to see what happens, somewhat like racing cyclists eyeing each other up and waiting for someone to sprint into the distance.
The latter view is perhaps the more realistic one, especially given that the teams with the most desirable seats either can’t or are unlikely to move fast.
Will Mercedes promote a rookie?
While the vacant Mercedes drive will appeal to anyone currently without a contract for 2025, the team has an eye on its own protégé, Andrea Kimi Antonelli. A stunning rookie F2 season would give the team the opportunity to make a bold choice and fast-track the Italian straight into an F1 race seat. However, it can’t make a call until well into the season.
Plan B would be to place the youngster at Williams, a strategy Mercedes followed with George Russell. However, the Grove team has its own agenda and a seat might not be available for him even if Toto Wolff is pushing for it, so that could force an earlier decision.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli would be a…
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