F1 | Briatore meets Wolff: does he push Alonso to Mercedes?

A coffee in a well-known Monegasque patisserie. Obviously Flavio Briatore did not fail to document his meeting with Toto Wolff on his social channels, a now usual practice. Since Mercedes unexpectedly found itself with a vacant seat ahead of the 2025 season, Wolff has been forced to return to the driver market to evaluate all available options.

Also in the mix is ​​Fernando Alonso, whose contract with Aston Martin will expire at the end of this season. The meeting between Briatore (historic manager of 'Nando') and Wolff comes at the perfect time to evaluate the possibility of meeting their respective needs.

Wolff today can afford to be able to decide calmly, a luxury that Alonso himself can also grant himself, given that Aston consider him the first choice for 2025. In Mercedes, however, Fernando's candidacy has pros and cons. The first obstacle, obviously, is the age one. Replacing Lewis Hamilton (39 years old) with the forty-two-year-old Alonso, especially in Stuttgart, does not seem like the most fascinating of options, especially in view of a restructuring already underway.

On the other hand, however, if the desire is to have a driver with a good track record, there are no alternatives. Fernando could be a sort of ferryman, if he agreed to sign a '1 + 1' solution it would guarantee Mercedes the possibility of opening the doors to Kimi Antonelli when the time is right.

It is unlikely that Alonso will be able to obtain a two-year contract, assuming that Mercedes actually decides to focus on him, if that for Fernando is a fundamental aspect, the negotiation is destined to stall.

However, this negotiation has already triggered one effect, and it is the stalemate of all the others. Especially for Carlos Sainz and Alexander Albon it is crucial to know what Alonso's future will be: if Fernando leaves Aston Martin it will be excellent news for Sainz, vice versa Albon would return to being the first on Toto Wolff's list. In cascade the effects also arrive on other negotiations, ranging from the future of Ocon to that of Sergio Perez, as well as for all the drivers targeted by Audi, one of Sainz's potential choices.