A member of Carlos Sainz’s entourage has denied rumours that the Spaniard has agreed a deal to join Sauber for the 2025 season ahead of their Audi rebrand, instead reiterating his desire to secure a new, long-term contract with Ferrari. Sainz’s desire to be a team leader was cited as the driving force behind the switch.
However, according to Motorsport.com Italy, the Spanish driver has signed no such agreement, with an anonymous member of his camp confirming “Plan A is Ferrari. Plan B is Ferrari, and plan C is also Ferrari.”
While Sainz’s camp has denied the rumours linking him to the Audi project, there is likely to be some interest in the move, at least on the side of the German manufacturer. The project will be headed by Andreas Seidl, who worked with the 28-year-old during their time at McLaren and is familiar with the workings of the ‘smooth operator’.
With Zhou Guanyu’s immediate future likely to be determined with short-term deals and Valtteri Bottas unlikely to be trusted to spearhead the launch of Audi at the end of his contract in 2025, Sauber are currently without a clear team leader around which they can build.
With most of F1’s other big names tied down on long-term deals, Sainz would be a good fit for the role.
The prospect of a team leader role may be appealing to Sainz, but the more comfortable move for the Madrid-born driver would be to stay put at Ferrari. The team may have lost their way this season, but team-mate Charles Leclerc has still claimed two pole positions and Sainz’s maiden Grand Prix victory with the team at Silverstone last season will still be fresh in his memory.
Unfortunately for Sainz, his hopes of being treated as Ferrari’s lead driver are close to zero, with the team set to finalise Leclerc’s bumper new deal this summer, potentially keeping the Monegasque driver at the team until 2029, pending the activation of certain clauses.
The new terms reportedly being offered to Sainz are far less convincing. Team principal Fred Vasseur is hoping to tie the Spaniard down for another year on top of his current contract, which expires at the end of 2024, although the former McLaren and Renault driver is holding out for a longer deal – one he may not get.