After the shock announcement this morning that Lewis Hamilton is joining Ferrari, it leaves Carlos Sainz without a contract for the 2025 season.
The Spaniard whose contract was due to expire at the end of the 2024 season has had a mixed time at Ferrari winning the 2022 British Grand Prix and the 2023 Singapore GP whilst struggling with reliability problems, questionable team decisions and driver mistakes.
Sainz does have options with Mercedes, Red Bull, Aston Martin and new entrants Audi all monitoring the driver.
Contract Issues
It has long been reported that Ferrari and Carlos Sainz have struggled to find a middle ground with negotiations stalling over a new contract.
The Spaniard wanted a three-year contract whilst the Italian-based team was only offering a one-year extension. This led to tension building between the camps and contract talks were put on hold till the end of the season.
Negotiations began early last season but due to the demands and expectations from both sides, Ferrari explored other options and signed Lewis Hamilton which compiles Sainz into leaving the team at the end of the season. A driver as talented as Sainz is not willing to be a reserve driver for the Maranello-based outfit.
Red Bull
With Sergio Perez’s future at Red Bull uncertain for the 2025 season it gives Sainz a chance to stake his claim to be Max Verstappen’s teammate. Sainz who was at the team racing for Red Bull’s sister team Toro Rosso (now known as Visa Cash App RB) was the Dutchman’s teammate when the pair were at the team.
Embed from Getty ImagesWith Sainz being younger than Perez it could tempt Christian Horner to make a move for the free agent. As the pair have previously worked together at Toro Rosso it could make Max Verstappen open to the idea of working with Sainz once again.
Mercedes
With Hamilton joining Ferrari for the 2025 season it leaves Mercedes with a huge void to fill. The Brackley-based team could move for Sainz as he is a proven race winner and given the fact that Mercedes are masters of making strategies work it could be the start of a successful partnership.
Embed from Getty ImagesWith Mercedes being an established team with multiple world champions having raced for the team and winning multiple championships’ Sainz would most likely join Mercedes as they are one of the best and complete teams on the grid.
Audi
The new team on the grid is Audi with the German manufacturers partnering with Sauber for the 2026 season. Throughout last season speculation began to grow that Sainz will join the team for their debut season in 2026 with neither side either denying or confirming the rumours.
With the team set to compete in the 2026 season Sainz would be without a seat for 2025 and could take a season sabbatical to help the team design a car that is competitive to challenge the other teams on the grid.
Aston Martin
Aston Martin’s struggles were there for all to see last season, having positively started the season with Fernando Alonso getting multiple podiums; they saw their form falter as the season went on as the car struggled to compete with their rivals.
Embed from Getty ImagesWith Fernando Alonso still showing his class in the 2023 season, it could lead to Lance Stroll finding his spot in the team under threat as a series of Q1 eliminations and angry interviews showed the Canadian may need a break from the sport and Sainz could fill in for the 2025 season for Aston Martin.
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