Several seats remain vacant and at the top of many teams’ shopping lists is Spain’s Carlos Sainz, a three-time Grand Prix winner with nine years of F1 experience under his belt.
Sainz has been linked with seats at Red Bull and Mercedes but is unlikely to move to either team as the former has re-signed Sergio Perez until 2026, while Kimi Antonelli is likely to partner George Russell at Mercedes for 2025.
Williams was seemingly poised to sign Sainz during the Spanish Grand Prix, but with the Spainard still yet to make his final decision, the legendary British marque may look elsewhere.
Three teams remain realistically capable of signing Sainz. But which team should the Madrid native choose?
Alpine
The three-time constructors champions have had a rough start to 2024. Technical chiefs Matt Harman and Dirk de Beer left the team following a dismal Bahrain GP in which Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon finished well adrift of the points.
Although results have improved, the team hasn’t been out of the public spotlight. In May’s Monaco GP, longtime karting rivals and teammates Pierre Gasly and Ocon came together on the opening lap, damaging both cars and putting Ocon out of the race.
Heading into June’s Canadian GP, it was confirmed Ocon would leave the team at the end of 2024, with Alpine’s reserve driver Jack Doohan suddenly becoming a major contender to partner Gasly for 2025. The Australian junior who finished third in the Formula 2 championship has been Alpine’s reserve driver since 2023 and represented them in five young driver FP1 sessions.
To get Alpine back at the front of the grid, Renault group CEO Luca de Meo shocked the F1 world at June’s Spanish GP by announcing former Benetton team principal Flavio Briatore as an executive advisor to the team.
Briatore has not been involved in the running of an F1 team since his inolvement in the ‘crashgate’ scandal at the 2008 Singapore GP where Nelson Piquet Jr was told to crash on purpose in order to help Fernando Alonso win the race. The Italian was banned for life for the incident but his sentence was later overturned in a Paris court. Since then Briatore has remained involved in the F1 paddock by continuing to manage Alonso.
Although the Renault group is unlikely to sell the team, there is growing speculation the manufacturer will abandon its engine programme to become a Mercedes customer.
The potential transition from Alpine to Mercedes could tempt Sainz away from Williams and Audi and with the team slowly refinding it’s form again with Gasly and Ocon scoring points in every race since May’s Monaco GP. Still, it is not guaranteed that Alpine will get the contract or suddenly become competitive overnight.
Audi/Sauber
It’s an exciting time at Sauber. With Audi taking over the team in 2026, there is for the first time in a long while real optimism for the future.
Currently, things look far less rosy for the Hinwil-based team after a wretched start to the season which has been dogged by a lack of on-track pace and pitstop maladies. The on-track woes have meant Sauber are the only team yet to score points in 2024.
Sauber’s current drivers, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, are unlikely to be retained for 2025, with the team already signing German veteran Nico Hulkenberg from Haas to form part of its lineup for 2025.
The Sainz family has previously had a very strong relationship with Audi, with Carlos Sainz Sr used the manufacturer’s rally-raid machine, the RS Q e-tron, to win the 2024 Dakar Rally.
Sainz had denied he would make a potential switch to Audi before May’s Miami GP, preferring to wait before deciding on his next destination.
It gives Audi a chance to look elsewhere. Ocon is a contender to partner Hulkenberg with hotly rated Red Bull junior Liam Lawson also in the mix.
WilliamsThe third option for Sainz is Williams, a team which is heading in a positive direction under the management of former Mercedes-Benz strategy director James Vowles.
Vowles has already made his mark on the team, guiding Williams to a seventh-place finish in the 2023 constructors championship and fending off stiff competition to retain Alex Albon for 2025 and beyond.
Williams’ second driver, Logan Sargeant, has also been heavily backed by Vowles despite struggles with his form in his rookie campaign earning a second season with the team.
But the American’s second season has been far from impressive, and is still well adrift of Albon in both qualifying and the race. As a result, it’s extremely unlikely Sargeant will get a third season at Williams, with the American set to switch to IndyCar in 2025.
This opens the door for Sainz, who has been compelled by Vowles’ pitches to him and had looked to secure his seat at the Spanish GP before outside factors delayed the deal.
Conclusion- Sainz should take the gamble on AudiWith a smorgasbord of options on the table, it’s no surprise Sainz hasn’t decided yet.
Although Alpine is a fascinating project and a Vowles-led Williams is full of ambition, Audi seems to be the most logical choice for a driver keen to have manufacturer backing behind him.
The 2026 engine and aero regulations are a real opportunity for teams like Audi to challenge the current front-running teams of Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren. If Audi gets their package right, Sainz should have no problem occasionally fighting for podiums or even the odd victory.
Add in his family’s ties with the Ingolstadt manufacturer as well as the chance to become not only the number-one driver but also the face of its F1 project, and it’s clear to see why Sainz should choose Audi.
