Motorsport Where can Sainz continue in Formula 1?
Carlos Sainz has to make his place available at Ferrari next year. photo
© Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/AP/dpa
Carlos Sainz impresses in Melbourne. Just two weeks after an operation, the Ferrari driver wins the Formula 1 race. But he doesn’t yet have a job for 2025.
The Spaniard Carlos Sainz (29) impressively promoted himself with his Formula 1 victory in Australia. Just two weeks after an appendix operation, the Ferrari driver celebrated his third Grand Prix success and made himself attractive to a new employer.
Next year, Sainz will have to free up his place alongside Charles Leclerc for record world champion Lewis Hamilton, who comes from Mercedes.
“I’m still without a job for next year. That will help,” said Sainz about his success on Sunday in Melbourne. But he primarily races “to prove to myself that I can do it if you give me a car and that I can be at the front. That’s the mentality and the approach that I have and which I will maintain for the rest of the year.”
Audi, Mercedes, Red Bull – or something completely different?
Sainz is linked to several teams. Kick Sauber, which will become the Audi works team from 2026, is considered an option. Likewise, Sainz can be a candidate for Mercedes, where Hamilton is contesting his final season. However, world champion Max Verstappen, who was stopped by a brake defect on Sunday, is considered the top candidate if he wants to leave Red Bull.
Sainz still has good connections to the racing team of the Austrian-Thai drinks company. The Madrilenian eventually went through Red Bull’s youth program and made his Formula 1 debut for the then sister team Toro Rosso in 2015. Verstappen’s current stable rival Sergio Perez, who was facing early release last year, only has a contract for this season.
“Everyone in the paddock knows the value of Carlos,” said Sainz’s Ferrari teammate Leclerc. “I’m sure he will have many opportunities. He just has to make the best decision for his career.”
dpa
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