Lewis Hamilton leaving for Ferrari in 2025 kicked off the 2024 silly season into overdrive even before the lights went out in Bahrain. The Briton’s decision to join the Prancing Horse next year has cost Carlos Sainz, who will lose his place with the Italian outfit. With it confirmed that Sainz will be leaving Ferrari, he is yet indecisive about his future. However, it seems that Sainz could sign with Sauber [which will become Audi] after former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto joined the Swiss-based outfit.
Sainz was always known to be closer to Binotto than Charles Leclerc ever was at Ferrari. And now that Sauber has announced Binotto as the leader of the Audi project in 2026 with current bosses Oliver Hoffmann and Andreas Seidl leaving the team, Sainz might rethink his position on joining the Swiss-based team next season.
The Spaniard has been a target for many teams lower down the grid, including Sauber/Audi. However, the 29-year-old has been on the lookout for a more competitive drive, somewhere he can continue to fight for podiums and wins.
But Binotto’s comeback means that if he can’t get a seat at Mercedes or maybe even Red Bull, then he’s likely to join the Audi project. “I think first of all, I’m not up to date with every team,” Sainz said as quoted on Formula1.com. He then added,
“But I think the arrival of Mattia is very positive as he has the experience of what it takes to build a team. I think my future is still being discussed and analysed very carefully and there are changes to every team I’m looking at every week. I’m just going to keep giving myself time to analyze.”
While Sainz is looking to delay his decision even further, the options for him, which were abundant for the longest time, are now shrinking down fast as teams are looking to lock their lineups for 2025.
Sainz might find himself in trouble sooner rather than later
One of the teams keen on signing Sainz was Haas. However, they have now confirmed that they have secured the services of one-time Grand Prix winner Esteban Ocon. With Oliver Bearman already confirmed at Haas, that door is now closed for Sainz.
James Vowles also made it pretty clear that he was trying to sign Sainz at Williams for 2025 and beyond. However, the former Mercedes strategist is now also growing impatient due to the Spaniard’s indecision.
Welcoming Esteban Ocon to the team from next season!
The Formula One race winner has signed a multi-year contract and becomes the first grand prix race winner to drive for the team since our F1 debut in 2016.#HaasF1
— MoneyGram Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) July 25, 2024
Red Bull has already made it clear that they can’t meet Sainz’s contract demands. This leaves Mercedes as the only competitive team the three-time winner could potentially sign for in 2025.
If the Brackley-based squad did indeed go for the young Kimi Antonelli in 2025, Sainz might be forced to settle with whatever’s left at that moment. But for now, the F1 paddock waits patiently for the Spaniard’s decision.
