Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz has a huge decision to make very soon that’s going to have a big impact on the Formula 1 grid.
After discovering he was going to lose his seat at Ferrari to Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 season, he has been trying to decide what next step he should take in his F1 career.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, pundit and former mechanic Marc Priestley has shared where he believes Carlos Sainz should go next.
After six race weekends, Sainz has proved that he’s more than a match for teammate Charles Leclerc.
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The Monegasque driver may be leading him in the points standings, but Sainz is the only Ferrari driver with a Grand Prix win to his name this season and his absence in Saudi Arabia has to be considered.
There are several teams on the grid courting the Spaniard right now, making his next move less than straightforward.
However, Priestley has told Sainz that he should be ‘seriously considering’ joining Audi for 2025 and beyond.
The German manufacturer will take over from Sauber in 2026 and become the newest works team on the grid.
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Marc Priestley tells Carlos Sainz to ‘seriously’ consider Audi move
Half of the current grid – depending on whether Lance Stroll’s rolling contract will continue – are still waiting to discover their fate beyond the 2024 season.
That also means that several gaps need to be filled and that’s where Carlos Sainz comes in.
He’s by far and away the strongest candidate available on the market right now – unless Max Verstappen decides to make the dramatic switch from Red Bull to Mercedes.
Red Bull is an option for Sainz with Sergio Perez out of contract at the end of the year, although they don’t appear to be rushing into a decision.
Juan Pablo Montoya has urged the current Constructors’ champions to sign Sainz if Verstappen leaves, but that seems unlikely at the moment.
Damon Hill has predicted Sainz to join Aston Martin, but that would depend on whether Lance Stroll decides to carry on.
Williams also like Sainz, but he’s very much a longshot option for James Vowles’s team.
Priestley believes that Sainz has to think hard about joining Audi and the benefits that would bring.
The question is whether a driver who has proven he’s capable of winning races in a Verstappen-dominated era has the patience to join a team that may be years off competing at the top of the sport.
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Carlos Sainz will difficult decision to make over Formula 1 future
Talking about the choice facing the 29-year-old, Priestley said: “If I was Carlos Sainz and there is so much more to this, I fully appreciate that, but if I was Carlos Sainz I would be seriously considering this Audi / Sauber option as a potentially really strong one.
“Leading a manufacturer team coming into the sport, you want to come in with a bang and do things properly.
“He could end up leading that team, alongside [Nico] Hulkenberg and could actually end up growing and being somebody who could really stand out.
“This is a team that are not going to do it by halves and yeah they’re inexperienced to some extent but they’re going to come in and throw money and personnel [at it].
“They’re putting a lot of preparation into this, they aren’t going to do this half-heartedly.
“That could I think be a really strong option I think for Carlos Sainz.”
Audi would love Sainz to follow Priestley’s advice and complete their driver line-up alongside Nico Hulkenberg for the next few years.
They have more than 400 Grand Prix of experience between them which would speed up their development.
Sainz still has some time on his side before he needs to make a decision and might just be hanging on to see what Red Bull or Mercedes do.
He’s already reportedly missed one Audi deadline and they may not be happy if he misses another.
The post ‘If I was Carlos’: Marc Priestley tells Sainz he would be ‘seriously considering’ one team for 2025 and beyond appeared first on F1 Oversteer.
