Williams, Audi, and Alpine remain the final three teams linked with Carlos Sainz, as his Ferrari departure looms. All three teams are out of contention for podiums and wins at the moment, but Sainz has to choose between them if he wants to continue with his F1 career after the next six months. Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner meanwhile, knows where he would go if he were Sainz.
“I would personally, try to go to Audi with an out clause [at] the end of 2026,” he said on the Red Flags Podcast.
Steiner choosing the German manufacturer as the ideal destination for Sainz is down to the fact that they have deep pockets. The Italian-American talks about how Audi is one of the largest car manufacturers in the world, which means they have the finances required to succeed in F1.
❗️ Audi will complete a 100% takeover of Sauber ahead of its 2026 #F1 entry, rather than the 75% takeover that was originally planned.
Oliver Hoffmann is leaving the Audi board to head up Audi’s F1 programme while ex-McLaren boss Andreas Seidl will be the Audi F1 team CEO. pic.twitter.com/jMKes1O7XX
— The Race (@wearetherace) March 8, 2024
Steiner understands that Audi, who will take over from Sauber from 2026 onwards, won’t be in a good place at the beginning. They will have a long learning curve in terms of their F1 engine development as well as adapting to fine-tuning the aerodynamics of their car like the existing top teams.
However, the former Haas Boss also reminds that neither Williams nor Alpine will be at the front in the beginning either, owing to their large performance deficit to the top teams currently. This puts all three teams roughly on the same level, but if Audi has the “deepest pocket”, being a part of the Volkswagen group, Sainz should choose them.
This, however, comes in direct contrast to recent reports which put Audi as the third-favorite to sign the Madrid-born driver.
What team is Carlos Sainz most likely to sign for?
Over the last few weeks, Williams, and then Alpine emerged as the favorites to land Sainz’s signature. Williams’ Team Principal James Vowles publicly declared him as his number one priority for 2025 as he looks to build a strong line-up along with Alex Albon.
Alpine meanwhile, emerged as a frontrunner when Flavio Briatore returned to the Enstone-based outfit as Executive advisor. He wants Sainz, a star driver with proven race-winning abilities to lead the team on its path to resurgence.
As Steiner suggested, no team can guarantee Sainz winning cars, which initially was his number one priority. However, the three-time Grand Prix winner has to assess options carefully and select a project that looks most likely to pay its dividends. Which team he chooses, however, remains to be seen.
