Mercedes are reportedly closing in on an agreement to sign Carlos Sainz as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement for the 2025 Formula One season. It would see the Spaniard swap seats with Hamilton, who is ditching the German constructor for Ferrari.

After the fanfare surrounding potential driver changes for the 2025 campaign, it may end up being a simple straight swap between Sainz and Hamilton. That’s because Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport are reporting Sainz is close to an agreement with Mercedes.

Sainz was left without a team for the 2025 season after Ferrari signed Hamilton and opted to keep Charles Leclerc instead. But the doubts over his future might be put to bed by the end of the month, with claims an announcement by Mercedes could be imminent.

Even though the two deals would be conducted separately, Sainz replacing Hamilton at Mercedes would mean minimal changes on the grid. It had been reported that Mercedes were chasing Fernando Alonso as Hamilton’s successor, but the two-time world champion announced he was staying at Aston Martin beyond the current season.

There had even been some suggestions that Mercedes could attempt to lure Hamilton’s long-time adversary Max Verstappen to the Silver Arrows, but that now also looks far-fetched. Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull until 2028, meaning the Dutchman would have to walk away from his deal with the Austrian team to facilitate a move across the paddock.

In the end though, should Sainz sign for Mercedes, it’s likely to be a case of as you were for the most part, with most of the big-hitters staying put. Nonetheless, it could still prove to be an exciting 2025 campaign, with the season schedule having been released earlier this week.

One of the most notable changes is the return of the Australian Grand Prix at the start of the calendar, with the Albert Park Circuit hosting the opening race for the first time since pre-COVID. This year proceedings had got underway in the Middle East, but both the 2025 Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix have been pushed back because of Ramadan.

However, there is still no race in Africa – something Hamilton has previously been outspoken about. Commenting last year, the seven-time world champion said: “There’s one more race we need and that’s going to be Africa. We have all the other continents and why not there? So that’s the one I’m working on pushing right now.”