Carlos Sainz has been driving at Ferrari for over three years now. Having dreamt of driving in the Scarlet Red since his childhood, the Spaniard has got a great taste of the team’s huge fanbase and witnessed their passion and love firsthand. In an interview with Gazzetta’s Sportweek magazine, Sainz mentioned how he understood what passion meant during his time at Ferrari.
“Competing for Ferrari introduced me to the passion that people can have for a team, and you only see this if you race with the Cavallino and are among its fans”, the 29-year-old said. Winning for Ferrari is one of the best feelings any driver can experience in F1.
Sainz is one of the fortunate ones to have done so. Naturally, winning a championship for the Prancing Horse is even more prestigious and a driver can etch his name in the team’s folklore forever.
Unfortunately, Ferrari have not been able to fight for world titles in the past several years. Having won their last championship in 2008, Ferrari is desperate to break its drought. Replacing Sainz with Lewis Hamilton in 2025 is perhaps a step toward the same.
Though, even without Hamilton, Ferrari is performing great currently and seems to be on the ascendancy. Now, it may be ironic but Sainz is the driver who has won races for them in the past two seasons.
The Spaniard has been the only driver to break Red Bull’s dominant winning streak twice since 2023. Yet, Sainz will have to leave the Maranello stable at the end of this season, presumably for Audi.
Is Audi willing to give Carlos Sainz what Ferrari were not?
Carlos Sainz may be without a seat for next year but perhaps holds the aces in terms of his career prospects. The three-time Grand Prix winner is in a great position to negotiate the best deal on his terms with any team interested in him. However, as things stand, Audi seems the most likely team that may get his signature for 2025 and beyond.
The main reason for Sainz’s negotiations with Ferrari was the team’s reluctance to give him a long-term deal. The 29-year-old reportedly was adamant about getting a multi-year contract from the Italian team, given he wishes to have job security at this stage of his career.
Now, Audi may be offering him the same, as per several reports. The German manufacturer is taking on a long-term project in F1 by taking over Sauber from 2026 onwards. So, it may take time for them to hit their strides and be competitive. That is why they wish to have a seasoned driver like Sainz in their lineup.
Audi is presumably looking to build a team around the Spaniard. Thus, they are willing to give a multi-year deal to their potential lead driver. Now, it is up to Sainz to consider his options and then take the call.
