After the sensational news Lewis Hamilton would be joining Ferrari for the 2025 season and beyond alongside Charles Leclerc, it sadly signalled the end of Carlos Sainz’s time with the Scuderia. Carlos has so far had a superb three seasons with Ferrari and has started 2024 strongly, beating Leclerc in the two races they have contested together, including a fantastic win in Australia.
Now Sainz faces a predicament, where next? As PlanetF1 charmingly said, he now becomes the most wanted unwanted driver in F1 and surely has offers up and down the grid. In this feature, we look at the Spaniard’s options.
Mercedes
The first and most feasible option at this moment would be to perform a straight swap with Hamilton and take his seat at Mercedes.
Despite their recent form, a team simply does not forget how to win championships, Red Bull have proven this, so the Mercedes seat would be a perfect option to match Sainz’s ambitions of reaching the top and beyond.
Will Toto and the rest of Mercedes be happy with this, especially with rising star Andrea Kimi Antonelli rumoured to be first choice.
Red Bull
Sainz’s second option could be a return to the Red Bull family and line up alongside Max Verstappen once again. The two joined F1 together in 2015 at Toro Rosso and fared well against each other, although the duo soon went their separate ways, as Max was promoted to the senior team, while Sainz was loaned to Renault.
Christian Horner has hinted at the possibility of offering Carlos a return to the Red Bull family, and with so many drivers out of contract at the conclusion of the 2024 season, and Sergio Perez’s drive constantly scrutinised, would Red Bull, and indeed Sainz, be happy with a reunion?
Kick Sauber
The third option, and first “out there” choice would be Kick Sauber, who return to the Sauber name in 2024 following the conclusion of their sponsorship deal with Alfa Romeo.
Although this may sound like a strange move initially, it would be a switch with an eye on the future as from 2026, Sauber becomes Audi, with the potential that brings in terms of results.
Audi has a superb history of making it to the top in motorsport, having proven this in the World Rally Championship and World Endurance Championship series throughout their time competing in motorsport.
Coupled with Andreas Seidl at the helm, the man who took Sainz to McLaren, could we see Sainz commit to a long term project?
Aston Martin
A fourth option for Sainz would be Aston Martin, who are on the rise following a successful 2023, which saw the Silverstone based manufacturer claim eight podiums on their way to fifth in the constructors standings.
However the vast majority of those points were scored by Spaniard Fernando Alonso, whereas Lance Stroll found himself tenth in the standings in arguably F1’s third fastest car.
Although unlikely, due to father Lawrence owning the team, there are rumours that Aston Martin shareholders are becoming increasingly agitated by Lance’s intermittent form, could Sainz’s availability be the prompt for the team to commit to a fresh new look?
However, with Alonso out of contract as well, there is potential Sainz’s compatriot could head out the door, with Mercedes a likely destination. This could open the door further for Sainz to make the move work.
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