Audi would like to bring in Carlos Sainz to complete its first F1 driver line-up, but former Haas team boss Günther Steiner feels the team will have to wait until Red Bull and Mercedes make a move. ing.
Sainz is prepared to need to find a new home on the grid for next year, as Ferrari have opted to sign seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton as Charles Leclerc’s partner from 2025. He has embarked on the 2024 F1 campaign.
Gunter Steiner assesses Carlos Sainz’s Audi options
However, Sainz made a strong start to the season with a sensational win at the Australian Grand Prix after returning from appendix surgery, leading Red Bull and Mercedes to confirm him as an F1 option for 2025.
However, Audi is also keen on signing Sainz, a Spanish driver who can lead the team as the German marque prepares to join the grid in 2026.
Half of the line-up is already completed with Nico Hulkenberg arriving from Haas, but if Sainz completes it, Steiner said he would like to do so before Red Bull and Mercedes decide on their 2025 line-up. I don’t think a decision will be made. UPS.
Hamilton’s departure means there is definitely a vacant seat at Mercedes, while Red Bull are considering whether to extend Sergio Perez’s stay.
As part of a column on the F1 website, Steiner wrote: “One of the big players in the current driver market is Carlos Sainz, but he doesn’t have a seat for next year because he lost to Lewis.
“Once Red Bull and Mercedes decide what to do with the empty seats, Carlos could be in the slot.
“Carlos will know that he has an option with Sauber, who will become Audi in 2026. I think they would like to have him in the team. But Carlos will be aware that the door to a big team will be closed. I don’t think I’ll be in a hurry to sign anything until I know it’s there.
“He has won races this year and is in great form, so I can understand why it would be ideal to give him a chance to continue that in his next project.
“The seat that everyone really wants is Red Bull, but the team is not in a hurry to make a decision because the Czechs are doing a great job. Mercedes is not in a hurry either.
“So Carlos can wait. He’ll get a good seat eventually. The only question is how good that seat is.”
More on where Carlos Sainz is heading in F1 in 2025
👉 Carlos Sainz, world champion ‘doing the right thing’ by eliminating Ferrari driver’s 2025 F1 risk
👉 Carlos Sainz plays ‘dangerous poker game’ with Mercedes’ ‘one year’ option on the line
And Steiner believes Sainz has a big asset in his father, two-time world rally champion Carlos Sainz Sr.
Steiner considers him “one of the smartest negotiators” he knows and has advised him to play a “huge role” in ensuring his son ultimately remains on the F1 grid beyond this season. There is.
“The father, Carlos Sainz Sr., who I know very well, will play a big role in determining his son’s future,” Steiner predicted. “He’s one of the smartest negotiators I know. The guy is very good. Look at how he helped Carlos get into F1.
“He himself has won two world championships in rallying and even won the famous Dakar Rally at the age of over 60. He is always in the right car at the right time.
“He will support us to do what is best at the time. There is no doubt about that – so there is no need to worry about Carlos!”
Interestingly, Sainz Sr. recently signed a deal with Ford to return to the Dakar Rally in 2025, aiming for his fifth win alongside a number of manufacturers participating in the event.
Ford is set to partner with Red Bull on the newly established Red Bull Powertrain Project from 2026, but could this be an indication of where Sainz Jr.’s future lies?
Read next: Ford’s announcement sparks fan speculation about Carlos Sainz’s next move
