Audi will enter Formula 1 in 2026 when they take over from the current Sauber team but preparations for their arrival in the paddock are already well underway.
They’ve already confirmed their first driver with Nico Hulkenberg joining from Haas at the end of the season.
Writing on his blog, journalist Joe Saward has explained the other options team principal Andreas Seidl is considering.
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The current Sauber team are in a difficult position right now and at Imola, they were the slowest car on the grid.
Normally, that would put them at the bottom of the pile in the driver’s market even with the amount of volatility expected ahead of next season.
However, the imminent arrival of Audi means that of the current options left on the grid, they’re one of the most enticing and don’t seem shy when offering out expensive contracts.
Saward suggested that the three options Audi have narrowed their search down to are Ferrari star Carlos Sainz and Alpine pair Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon.
Not only that, but they’ve decided which order they would like to sign them in to partner with Hulkenberg next year.
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Audi have narrowed their 2025 driver search down to three options
Half the grid is already set for 2025 limiting the options for both the drivers who are set to be free agents and the teams seeking to confirm their line-ups.
The most lucrative seat yet to be filled is alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull with Sergio Perez’s contract set to expire.
Carlos Sainz appears to be holding out for Christian Horner to decide that a change is needed and has already missed one Audi deadline.
The German manufacturer are still very keen on Sainz and have extended the amount of time they’re willing to wait for the 29-year-old to make a final decision.
However, Audi now have three options available to them as they begin to realise that Sainz’s delaying tactics could be detrimental if he does end up joining one of their rivals.
That’s why Alpine drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly are now in the picture.
They had an equally tough time in 2024 with the French manufacturer struggling near the back of the grid.
Ocon in particular is considering his options with the one-time race winner high on Haas’s list of potential drivers.
READ MORE: Alpine driver Esteban Ocon’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend
Audi lining up drivers for their Formula 1 project
Talking about the driver’s market, Saward said: “Haas is busy trying to build a better future and the whisper is that since Nico Hulkenberg signed for Audi, the team has been looking to have Esteban Ocon replace him.
“The other seat is going to go to Ferrari protégé Oliver Bearman, although the news has yet to be announced.
“Ocon is also on the list of drivers that Audi is interested in, but the state of the Swiss team and the time it will take to be fixed, plus uncertainty about the Audi engine in 2026, makes Haas a better option.
“The suggestion is that if Sainz and Ocon do not join Audi the available seat there will go to Pierre Gasly.”
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It says a lot about how Gasly and Ocon have performed this season that out of the three options available to Audi, they’ve put the four-podium former Red Bull driver below his teammate on their shortlist.
He’s been left frustrated throughout the campaign by a car that’s not particularly quick and Alpine gave their first batch of upgrades to Ocon in China.
It would be understandable if both drivers tried to move on ahead of the 2025 season, however, at this stage, Gasly is more likely to stay with the team than Ocon.
The post ‘Suggestion is’: Journalist ranks the three most likely options for 2025 Audi seat including 4-podium star appeared first on F1 Oversteer.