Reaching the pinnacle of motorsport is an incredibly difficult task for any driver and maintaining your place on the Formula 1 grid is an even tougher task.
It was a testament to all 20 drivers that they all retained their seats for the 2024 season, but that’s not going to be the case this year.
Speaking on The Red Flags Podcast, Will Buxton was discussing the fate of one driver who he wasn’t sure would ever make it to Formula 1.
The typical route into F1 is to go via each step of the junior formulas and winning Formula 2 doesn’t do your chances any harm.
However, the last two champions – Felipe Drugovich and Theo Pourchaire – have failed to make the grade so far.
Some drivers, such as Max Verstappen, skip steps entirely which was a gamble by Red Bull that impeccably paid off.
However, Will Buxton has admitted that he was surprised to see Carlos Sainz make it to Formula 1.
The Spaniard – who now has 188 Grand Prix under his belt – is one of the in-form drivers on the grid right now.
However, he’s still working on securing a seat for next season but is likely to have plenty of options on the table…
READ MORE: Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz’s life outside F1 from full name, girlfriend and height
Will Buxton surprised Carlos Sainz made it to Formula 1
Carlos Sainz was always going to have a chance of making it to F1 given the racing pedigree running in his family.
He’s the son of double World Rally Champion – Carlos Sr. – and was in karts from a very young age.
He joined the Red Bull Junior Team in 2010, racing in several junior Formula Renault series before winning Formula Renault 2.0 NEC in 2011.
Sainz recorded decent results over the next few years but nothing that immediately stood out.
That was until he stepped up to Formula Renault 3.5 in 2014 when he won the championship for DAMS.
He was racing against the likes of Pierre Gasly, Roberto Mehri and briefly Esteban Ocon that year but came out on top.
Buxton has admitted that he wasn’t sure if Sainz would ever make it to Formula 1 as a result of his junior career.
Carlos Sainz’s route to F1 questioned
Recalling the 29-year-old’s journey to reach the F1 grid, Buxton said: “Carlos [Sainz] knows this because we’ve spoken about it, but I never in his junior formula days, I never imagined that he would become the driver that he is today or have the longevity that he’s had.
“I didn’t actually think he’d make it to Formula 1!
“But since he has, people forget very quickly how well he compared to Max [Verstappen] when they were teammates at Toro Rosso.
“I think Carlos is phenomenal and there might be the question mark of whether Ferrari have kept hold of the right driver or whether they needed to change drivers at all, or whether they’re actually upgrading or not in getting rid of Carlos who is still on the upwards trajectory and who we might not have seen the most out of yet.”
Sainz now working out his best option for 2025 and beyond
After driving for Formula 1 giants such as Ferrari and McLaren, Sainz has certainly proved to Buxton now that he deserves to be on the grid.
However, the Scuderia have decided to go in a different direction next year and Lewis Hamilton will be joining Charles Leclerc in 2025.
That means Sainz has to consider the several options that will be on the table for him over the coming months.
Christian Horner has been saying positive things about the Spaniard with a potential Red Bull seat available.
He could do a straight swap with Hamilton and head to Mercedes although that appears to be less likely.
Aston Martin wouldn’t rule themselves out of the equation while Sauber are very keen on Sainz before they become the Audi works team.
The post ‘I never imagined’: Will Buxton admits he ‘didn’t actually think’ 188-race driver would ever make it to F1 appeared first on F1 Oversteer.