Carlos Sainz has two clear ‘landing spots’ after Aston Martin tied down Fernando Alonso, F1TV journalist Lawrence Barretto says. Alonso confirmed on Thursday night that he had signed a new multi-year contract with Aston.
That likely prevents Sainz, who’s looking for a new team after Ferrari dropped him in favour of Lewis Hamilton, from joining for 2025. BBC Sport’s Andrew Benson has already explained that team owner Lawrence Stroll won’t drop his son Lance.
Writing on X, Barretto named two alternative destinations for Sainz, who won the Australian Grand Prix last month and has finished on the podium at all three races he’s started in 2024. Alonso’s decision could set the first domino in motion in what’s expected to be a hectic driver market.
Red Bull director Helmut Marko admitted after the last race in Suzuka that the team would have to consider Sainz in light of his performances. The 29-year-old started out as a Red Bull junior driver at Toro Rosso, racing alongside Max Verstappen, before joining Renault.
Meanwhile, Mercedes have a confirmed vacancy thanks to Hamilton’s departure. However, Damon Hill says they haven’t made many ‘welcoming noises’ for Sainz, and they’re now ‘looking likely’ to promote junior Andrea Kimi Antonelli instead.
Journalist names two possible spots for Carlos Sainz
As you’d expect based on Benson’s report, Barretto says that the Alonso announcement ‘shuts’ the door at Aston Martin. Now, Williams and Sauber are the favourites to sign the three-time race-winner.
There’s still a chance that he could return to Red Bull alongside Verstappen, but this is the least likely option. Sergio Perez has made a solid start to the season with three runner-up finishes in four races as he looks to keep his drive.
Ferrari have emerged as Red Bull’s closest challengers this season, so both Williams and Sauber would represent a significant step down. Indeed, they are two of the three teams yet to score a point in 2024.
Sauber may carry more appeal on the basis that they will become an Audi works team in 2026 following a takeover. However, the German manufacturer doesn’t expect to be competing for titles for around five years.
Could Sainz partner Alex Albon?
If Sainz does join Williams, then it seems a near-certainty that he’ll race alongside Alex Albon. Albon is under contract with the team until the end of next year, and while F1Oversteer understands he’s entering discussions over his future, no strong contenders have emerged for his signature as yet.
Logan Sargeant was hanging by a thread at the Grove outfit from the outset, and his position only seems to be more precarious now. There have even been suggestions that he could lose his drive to Antonelli before the year is out, such is the team’s dissatisfaction. Williams could effectively train the Italian for his step-up to Mercedes next year.
It’s less clear who would complete Sauber’s line-up. Their current drivers, Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas, are both out of contract. It may be that Audi push for Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg to ensure they have a German driver representing their brand on their arrival.
Sainz and Hulkenberg previously raced in the same colours at Renault in 2017 and 2018. The Spaniard had the edge in their first year together, but the latter prevailed in their second season before Sainz jumped ship to McLaren.