After Formula 1 rejected Andretti’s application to join the sport, the only new team fans can get excited about is Audi.
The German manufacturer won’t be adding cars 21 and 22 to the grid and instead will be taking over from Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber in 2026.
However, they’re likely to already have a big say in Sauber’s future driver line-ups and speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast, Tom Clarkson and Frederic Ferret were speaking about their potential options.
Sainz considered too old for Audi Formula 1 seat
It’s not been an easy start to 2024 for Sauber, with drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu both pointless after two races.
However, that hasn’t deterred Audi who have accelerated their commitment to take over 100% of the Sauber team.
That means that they’re likely to have a big say on who drives the car from next season onwards.
Bottas and Zhou are both out of contract at the end of the season which gives Audi plenty of flexibility with the driver’s market looking so fluid right now.
The Finn has shared that his ‘ideal’ next step is to sign a new deal with the team, but whether Sauber share the same feeling is yet to be seen.
His 24-year-old teammate has already been warned he probably won’t be on the grid next season, but his 11-place finish in Bahrain showed he still has potential.
Audi will likely want an old and young driver for their future line-up which leaves Carlos Sainz in a precarious position.
The 29-year-old Spaniard has lost his seat at Ferrari thanks to the arrival of Lewis Hamilton.
He’ll want to be in the most competitive car possible heading into 2025 and beyond and despite the family connection with the team, Audi might not be the best fit.
Audi considering all options before Formula 1 entry
Speaking about the Audi-Carlos Sainz connection, Clarkson said: “We haven’t discussed in the context of Carlos Sainz, Sauber. It was announced just last week that Audi are going to purchase all of the shares from Finn Rausing and they’re going to do it sooner rather than later so they can start properly building the Audi project in Hinwil.
“How tasty is that for a Carlos Sainz? Or again, is it the Williams problem that it’s not going to happen fast enough?”
Ferret replied: “Carlos [Sainz] is more mature than Alex Albon, he already won races so he needs a car where he can deliver at once.
“I think Audi is going to take time and especially if Audi wants a German driver and a young driver.
“So, Carlos is Spanish and he’s not young enough to be fitted in that seat, so I wouldn’t bet on him for the Sauber project.”
Who is on Audi’s radar for Formula 1 seat?
Audi are going to have plenty of options to choose from for their driver line-up, but won’t be many people’s first choice given the current state of the team.
Firstly, they will have to analyse whether they want to keep Bottas or Zhou or both drivers for one more year before their entry in 2026.
That seems unlikely, especially as new team principal Andreas Seidl would have reportedly parted ways with Valtteri Bottas last year if he could.
The £180,000-a-week Carlos Sainz is another option for Audi but he may be too old to be the younger part of a driver pairing if Nico Hulkenberg is the other racer they try and sign.
At the end of last year, he was in pole position for a seat in the team as they look to pair a German driver with a German team.
They have other options too, with Alex Albon an exciting option and Pierre Gasly a possible solution if he wants to quit Alpine at the end of the year.
It’s going to be a fascinating aspect of the market this season as drivers wonder if they should gamble on Formula 1’s newest works team.
The post ‘Wouldn’t bet on him’: £180k-a-week driver not young enough to be considered for Audi seat – journalist appeared first on F1 Oversteer.