What Options Does Carlos Sainz Have for 2025?
By Kate Krause
As many fans have heard, news recently broke that Lewis Hamilton will be driving for Ferrari starting in 2025. Because of this, they will be dropping Carlos Sainz, a Spanish Formula 1 driver who joined Ferrari in 2021, to open up the seat.
To me and many other people, this was exciting news for Hamilton, but truly heartbreaking for Sainz. Sainz has been a backbone for the Ferrari team since he started, consistently proving his merit in such a sought after position.
He has been a great teammate to Charles Leclerc, the other Ferrari driver who is keeping his seat for 2025, such as defending Leclerc’s position in races from other drivers, and even switching places with Leclerc if Sainz was ahead.
Many prominent individuals at Ferrari have spoken about this decision, including Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur. He expressed the difficulty surrounding the decision to take on Lewis Hamilton, consequently removing Sainz from the team.
Frankly, I am not sure why the change was necessary. Hamilton has won 6 world championships racing for Mercedes, with a total of 10 years driving for them as of 2023. Also, Carlos Sainz is not a liability for Ferrari, if anything far from it. In fact, in the 2023 season, he was the only driver not part of Red Bull to win a race.
This is what really confuses me about the situation, the fact that Sainz has results. He won a race last year, the only person to beat Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen during a Grand Prix.
Ferrari did speak out regarding the situation on their Instagram, posting a photo of Carlos Sainz with the caption: “We’ve still got one more season to give it everything together”.
When fans saw this post, including myself, it felt slightly similar to rubbing salt into an open wound. Sainz has already lost his seat, so to many it seemed like he didn’t need his team expressing this finality in such a public manner, no matter how light-hearted they attempted to make it.
But, what options does Carlos Sainz have, if he wants to continue having a future in Formula 1? To start, an option that could satisfy both Mercedes and Ferrari is if the two teams switched drivers.
Basically, Hamilton goes to Ferrari, and Sainz goes to Mercedes. Sainz and Hamilton are both incredibly strong racers in their own right, so they could excel profoundly in either team.
In addition, Sainz has good exposure to Formula 1 already, having started in 2015, so Mercedes would not be taking on any sort of rookie driver, something they haven’t done for some time.
This would also eliminate the complication of including any other teams in the discussion, as that could create a muddled environment where multiple teams are attempting to get information on the trade to see where they could squeeze in and offer.
An easy switch would be the most straightforward option, and would also force other teams to focus on potentially new talent if they are looking for a change within their drivers.
George Russell and Sainz are also close friends, so there would not be an issue of them being on the same team. Personally, I think they could work well together, maybe even create a new concept where they are both equally main drivers, something Sainz has been battling for at Ferrari for many years.
However, if a switch is not possible, there is an option for Sainz to go to Red Bull, or should I say, back to Red Bull. in 2010, Sainz was signed as a junior driver for Red Bull Racing F1 Team, and was an official driver for Toro Rosso later on, a team owned by Red Bull.
He then left for Renault, and after a few other changes ended up at Ferrari. But, with the impending leave of Sergio Perez, a seat for Sainz could open up as soon as next year.
This would be an incredible opportunity for Sainz, as Red Bull has been dominating the category in recent years, such as being Constructors Champions in the 2023 season.
Sainz has a great chance to perform well at Red Bull, with him and Max Verstappen also being good friends. And, with his previous affiliation with them, this move could be a great way to return to his roots in Formula 1.
Red Bull is an incredible team and is currently achieving unbelievable feats in the sport, so it would be a great step for any driver to join their team especially at one of their peaks, such as right now.
Red Bull is not done winning yet, so Sainz jumping on that train of success and racking up individual statistics to continue to propel him further in Formula 1 is an excellent idea for him.
Finally, and perhaps the most unknown and potentially risky move for Sainz, is joining the new team Formula 1 team, Audi, when they enter the arena in 2026. Audi outside of F1 is a very successful automobile manufacturing company, selling cars all over the world.
So, when they announced they would be entering the category of Formula 1 as a team in 2026, it did not seem too farfetched for an already established organization. However, despite providing engines for many teams in the past, they do not have any constructors experience as a full fledged team.
This means that joining Audi would be risky for any driver, as no one is sure how they will perform. In addition for Sainz, his contract ends at the end of the 2024 season, so he would have to wait a whole year before becoming an Audi driver.
Sure, he could participate in other categories in 2025, but if he is serious in his journey to drive for Audi, he would need to take a break from F1 until at least 2026. So, for Sainz at least with his immense experience and previous race results, Audi could be a precarious way to continue racing in F1. But being a new team, they could also have a fresh perspective on the sport and how they could excel.
With the many years until they join as a team, they have a significant amount of time to develop their car. They can discover new ways to improve aerodynamics, find new materials that are more cost effective and lightweight, and much more.
They have the advantage of time and money on their hands, which is unlike many F1 teams currently racing, who have less than a year to create a whole new car that is an improvement from their old one. Therefore if Sainz is willing to take a risk, Audi could be a good fit for him.
Overall, Sainz’s time in Formula 1 should be far from over, as he is a successful and young driver with many years of racing ahead of him. What I covered may not even be half of the options Sainz has, as many other teams could jump at the opportunity of him driving for them. So, I highly doubt this is the end for Carlos Sainz, and I cannot wait to see what he does in the future, wether it’s at Mercedes, Red Bull, Audi, or somewhere else.
