He could also be a strong candidate for a one-year stint with Merc until they get Kimi ready for the seat.

There is a perception that he has only raced against weak opponent(s) in Williams(Sargeant and Latifi). A year at Merc will certainly clear the doubts. Vowles could help him get in Merc and year against Russell could raise his stock even more.

I assumed Audi had its eye on him.

He is not young, I don’t think he can take a gamble on Audi getting the 2026 regs right and being front of the grid.