Carlos Sainz is the ‘cork in the bottle’ in the Formula 1 driver market right now. At least that’s what Haas driver Kevin Magnussen said before the Spanish Grand Prix.
As a three-time race-winner with 22 podiums to his name, Sainz has arguably been the top free agent on the market this year. Ferrari, of course, elected not to renew his deal and sign seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton instead.
Damon Hill says the Hamilton announcement was ‘premature’ in the driver market landscape. Since February, multiple teams and drivers have been waiting to see what Sainz – and Mercedes – would do next.
Sainz may have initially hoped to remain at the front of the field. Mercedes did offer him a contract, but only the first year was guaranteed, so he said no.
With a return to McLaren off the table, the other option was Red Bull. Sergio Perez, underperforming significantly relative to Max Verstappen, was out of contract at the end of the year.
But in the end, Christian Horner prioritised harmony within the team by handing Perez a new deal. And this has left Sainz shopping in the midfield instead, with one journalist casting doubt on his chances of racing for a frontrunner ever again.
Carlos Sainz scuppers Mercedes and Williams driver announcements
Alpine have now joined the race to sign Sainz for 2025, alongside Williams and Sauber. It seems the Spaniard is willing to give serious consideration to the idea of returning to Enstone, six years on from his exit.
Ahead of Sainz’s home race in Spain, he looked almost certain to join Williams. Journalist Joe Saward talked up the prospect of a perfectly-timed announcement.
And on Thursday night in Barcelona, the F1 paddock was ‘certain’ that confirmation was imminent, according to Formula Passion. This would also have prompted Mercedes to unveil academy driver Kimi Antonelli as Hamilton’s replacement.
But in the end, Alpine’s late offensive led Sainz to press pause and both teams’ press releases will remain in the draft folder for now. It’s unclear at this stage whether his move to Grove is under any serious threat.
Sainz finds himself in an ‘upsetting’ situation
Initially, a move to Alpine seemed unrealistic for Sainz. His previous stint with the team had been brief, lasting just over a season, and they had hit their nadir in F1.
Bruno Famin’s team started the year as the slowest on the grid amid an ongoing exodus of senior personnel. But while the off-track environment remains unstable, the team are beginning to show improvements.
Having failed to score a point in any of the first five races, they have done so at four of the last five, and the last three in succession. This has seen them climb up to eighth in the championship, ahead of Haas, Williams and Sauber.
Sainz finally seemed to coming towards the end of his decision-making process. Karun Chandhok felt it had been an ‘upsetting’ time for the 29-year-old, who would have been relieved at the prospect of clarity.
But now Alpine have complicated matters. There are at least three strong reasons to turn Famin down, but equally they are a works team with far more F1 knowledge than Audi.
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