Carlos Sainz’s F1 future has been uncertain for over five months now. Many would’ve expected a top team to already pick Sainz up given his recent form. However, that hasn’t been the case, and it is partly due to Sainz’s fault, as he refrains from making a choice. As a result, others on the track looking for seats are growing increasingly impatient.
Kevin Magnussen, Zhou Guanyu, and Valtteri Bottas are among the drivers who are waiting for Sainz’s call. F1 journalist Adam Cooper says (on X), “Looks like people are tired of waiting for [Sainz] to make his mind up – and that things may start moving very soon.
Fun evening in the paddock talking to people about the driver market, including some of the key players. Looks like people are tired of waiting for @Carlossainz55 to make his mind up – and that things may start moving very soon. @OconEsteban appears to have a few options.
— Adam Cooper (@adamcooperF1) June 28, 2024
The three teams Sainz is still linked to are Audi (now Sauber), Williams, and Alpine. Audi has already signed Nico Hulkenberg and wants a star driver to be his partner. Williams, meanwhile wants to create a formidable lineup involving Alex Albon and Sainz. Alpine entered the mix last, largely due to the return of Flavio Briatore, who wants the Spaniard.
Sainz is taking his own sweet time to make the final decision. At the Spanish GP, he revealed that he would calmly think about the same once the ongoing triple header gets over, but that is still a week away. Others on the track are frustrated as the season has almost reached its midway point.
Keeping Cooper’s claim in mind, Sainz needs to make a quick decision, or else, his options may continue to get even thinner.
Carlos Sainz’s trust issues stopping him from finalizing a team
Sainz was keen on joining a big team after his Ferrari exit became official. He was once heavily linked to Red Bull and Mercedes. But those options vanished soon, and Sainz is now only left with backmarkers to choose from.
It is taking Sainz a lot of time to make a decision because it is big. As quoted by Crash, he said, “By talking to teams, it has kind of showed me how tough this sport is. How little sometimes you have to believe what people say at the beginning of negotiations, conversations.
“Also to trust people very little in the paddock. Because it’s really a very political sport”, he added.
All the three teams Sainz is linked with currently are struggling. Alpine, however, is back in the mix for points at the very least, something Audi and Williams aren’t. However, since he wants a multi-year contract, Sainz has to carefully assess the long term project of each outfit before making a final call.
