The European press continues to wonder which team Carlos Sainz will play for in 2025, as he avoids answering such questions himself – apparently because he himself does not yet know the answer.
The uncertainty has lasted for four months and in that time the Spanish Ferrari driver managed to win the Australian Grand Prix. In total he has been on the podium four times this season, including last Sunday in Monaco, for which he deserved praise from the Scuderia management.
Carlos obviously does not want to “play too short”, and he hopes to sign a contract with a strong team, as he is now in excellent form. It is logical that the Spaniard turned to Mercedes and Red Bull Racing, and not just negotiated with Sauber, which will become Audi’s factory team in 2026.
But during the weekend in Imola, Mercedes actually refused him, making it clear that they were betting on the young Italian driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli, for whom a very tight test program had been drawn up for this year, in which he seems to have completed very convincingly. the steering wheel of a W13 car.
It seems Red Bull are not expecting Sainz either as they are in favor of extending Sergio Perez’s contract for another season despite all the Mexican’s failures this year. At least, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, Christian Horner insists on this. In addition, Red Bull’s reserve team consists of Yuki Tsunoda, who is now performing very confidently and regularly earning points.
However, the situation could change before the end of the year, as Red Bull Racing is going through difficult times and there is a possibility that a vacancy will suddenly arise in the team if Max Verstappen suddenly decides to change workplace. .
But this all comes with a lot of ifs, while it seems the two more realistic options Sainz is currently considering are Sauber/Audi and Williams.
In the first case, Carlos will be guaranteed a multi-year contract and very generous fees, but it is clear that, given the current state of the Swiss team, he will have to be patient and forget about the struggle for high results for a long time . time and hard work, laying the foundation for future success. But the downside is that if a more attractive offer suddenly appears, it will be quite difficult to free yourself from long-term commitments.
But there is an alternative scenario: sign a contract with Williams for 2025, become Alex Albon’s partner for one season and offer the opportunity to stay in this team if things go uphill. This option gives much more freedom of movement. Furthermore, in 2026, when Formula 1 switches to next-generation engines, Williams will be assured of Mercedes engines, which are likely to be quite efficient.
In general, Carlos Sainz has to make one decision or another, and there is less and less time to think. At the same time, the Spanish newspaper Marca, which usually has inside information about his compatriot’s plans, literally writes the following:
“We can say that nothing has changed in recent days regarding the Madrid native’s prospects, and he is still considering all six possible options. One of them is linked to Red Bull, as Max Verstappen continues to consider whether to stay in this team and has not yet definitively rejected Toto Wolff’s offer to move to Mercedes.
Sainz has not yet decided on the possible scenarios and plans to wait as long as possible.
“Formula 1 is a big carousel, everything is connected and there are no circumstances yet that can unblock the situation. I am prepared to wait as long as necessary,” he said during the Monaco Grand Prix.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
