With Carlos Sainz now expected to sign for Williams, the path is clear at Mercedes for 17-year-old Kimi Antonelli to make his Formula 1 debut in 2025.
Team boss Toto Wolff was holding the Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton’s cockpit open for Max Verstappen, but the triple world champion now appears contractually locked in at Red Bull at least for now.
"Max is very strong," Mercedes’ Wolff told the Belgian broadcaster RTBF on Saturday. "We can see that they have returned to having a car that suits him better for Spa-Francorchamps. He is the strongest at the moment.
"But you never know, we have a youngster who is arriving and who is very strong," said the Austrian, undoubtedly referring to his own young F2 protege Antonelli.
"He is only 17 years old - not even old enough to pass the license to drive a normal car," Wolff laughed. "At the same time we are continuing to observe the market."
However, George Russell can expect to have a fresh-faced rookie teammate from Italy next year.
"There’s a lot of talk about leadership because Lewis is leaving," Russell told the same local broadcaster at Spa. "But the way I look at racing and my driving, I think it’s been my best season in terms of speed.
"I’m not going to change anything next year," the Briton added. "I’m going to build on what I did this year. Lewis and I have the same influence within the team. We have the same level of respect from the whole team.
"Now that he’s leaving, I hope my future teammate will have the same impact that I have as well. We’re lucky to be two drivers driving the same car and we need all the information from each driver. The team always has to come first.
"It’s the team that gives you the opportunity," Russell concluded.