Carlos Sainz faces a future shrouded in mystery beyond the current Formula 1 season, openly stating, “I have no idea” where he’ll end up racing. After a winter of anticipation, the only thing clear for Sainz is that he won’t be with Ferrari come 2025, revealing, “Funnily enough, my future was decided before the first race and it is that I am not going to continue at Ferrari.”
Despite previously hoping to secure his future before the 2024 season kicked off, Sainz finds himself sidelined after this year as Ferrari opted for Lewis Hamilton. Reflecting on the shock turn of events, he remarked, “As I’ve said before, it happened in an unexpected way. I was looking forward to signing a contract with them, everything seemed on track for that, everything was going in that direction. In the end, it didn’t happen, as you know.”
Speculation has been rife about Sainz’s next move, with ties being made to Sauber in anticipation of Audi’s 2026 entry. Yet, intrigue spiked when Carlos Sainz Sr., a rally icon, was seen discussing matters with Red Bull’s leadership team in Bahrain, hinting at potential negotiations about his son.
Highlighting his current situation, Sainz shared, “I am free for 2025, and I have no idea yet who I will race with. I have to take my time to decide, see all the options available and try to choose the best one for me, not only for 2025 but also for the next three or four years.”
With winter testing his immediate focus, Sainz emphasized the importance of concentration, stating, “At the moment winter testing is my priority, it only lasts three days and these are the only days we have. So if your mind is elsewhere, you are wasting time. We will still have time to sit down and decide.”
As the F1 community watches the early signs of the 2024 pecking order, Sainz hopes for more competitiveness than currently seems to be the case, expressing, “Let’s hope that for F1 and for Ferrari, there are more victories like mine in Singapore this year, more battle with Max (Verstappen). If not, 24 races is a lot!”
Veterans within the sport, including Pedro de la Rosa and Christian Klien, have voiced their support for Sainz’s future. De la Rosa assured, “A driver like him will have no problems continuing in F1,” while Klien added, “Carlos is a very good driver and he will explore his options. He will definitely get good offers.”
