Lando Norris confirmed his contract extension at McLaren beyond the 2025 season, the year when his current deal was expiring. While the team has not disclosed the duration of his commitment at Woking, it certainly puts away the focus from the Briton in this year’s silly season. Now, all eyes will stay on what Ferrari does with the future of Carlos Sainz, who is up for renewal at the end of 2024.
According to The Race, Norris and even Charles Leclerc’s contract extensions naturally leave Sainz as the main contender in this year’s driver market. Thus, Scott Mitchell-Malm opined that the Spaniard and Ferrari have an interesting decision to take that will impact the driver market.
Sainz and Ferrari have been reportedly discussing his contract extension since last year. There were reports that the 29-year-old is not getting a long-term deal from the Italian outfit, which is crucial for him from a stability standpoint.
On the other hand, there were rumors of Audi as well approaching Sainz to be part of their 2026 team and thus join Sauber a year before they enter F1. While Sainz strongly refuted these rumors, it may be a bankable option for him if Ferrari negotiations falter.
Reports suggest that the Maranello team is only keen on giving a 1-year or 1+1-year deal (option deal for 2026) to the Spaniard. Contrastingly, the deal Charles Leclerc has signed lately has been rumored to be of 5 years (2+3 year deal) till the end of 2029.
This reflects the Italian team’s potential bias toward Leclerc, however, they may certainly deny it. Regardless, Ferrari has to take a firm call sooner rather than later to retain a solid and reliable driver like Sainz.
Is it Ferrari’s loss if they fail to retain Carlos Sainz?
Carlos Sainz was the only driver to stop Red Bull’s dominance in 2023. His Singapore GP masterclass should be enough to portray his caliber in F1 currently. Any team would want a reliable pair of hands and a sharp racing brain like Sainz’s. So, it certainly puts the ball in Ferrari’s court if they want to make the mistake of losing the Spaniard.
Even experts from The Race believe that the Italian outfit is making a mistake by not extending Sainz’s deal. Given the way he has worked harmoniously with Leclerc, they may not find a better and consistent teammate for the Monegasque.
Both Leclerc and Sainz are often even on pace and can be a solid pairing to maximize constructors’ championship points. Add to that, the comfort level and understanding the 29-year-old has gained in his three years of stay at Maranello.
Any new driver replacing him may have to start from scratch and may struggle to match Leclerc, besides bedding in at the team. So, it will be Ferrari’s loss to break up an established solid driver pairing, if they fail to retain Sainz. However, if not Sainz, then what other drivers can the Italian team bring in to partner Leclerc for 2025?
What are the options for Sainz and Ferrari if they don’t extend their contract?
Alex Albon has come up as the likely candidate to replace Carlos Sainz after his resurgence at Williams. Albon is one of the most highly-rated drivers on the grid currently and many teams are reportedly looking to sign him up for 2025.
For Sainz, he sure does have several options beyond Ferrari. Sauber-Audi is one of the most likely possibilities. With his father having connections with Audi and former McLaren boss Andreas Seidl at the team, it would be a good home for the Spaniard.
Besides Sauber, there are outside possibilities of Aston Martin and Red Bull. If the former outfit decides to move over Lance Stroll and bring in a more consistent driver, that could be Sainz’s shot to partner Fernando Alonso. Meanwhile, if Sergio Perez faces the axe in 2025, it could be great timing and a homecoming for the #55 driver at RBR.
