Carlos Sainz’s Formula 1 future is going to be one of the biggest talking points of the 2024 season.
His Ferrari seat is going to Lewis Hamilton next season but his incredible performances this season have made him the centre of attention in the driver’s market.
Speaking on The Race Podcast, journalist Lawrence Barretto has been discussing where the Spaniard could be driving in 2025.
One option for Carlos Sainz was taken off the table this week.
Fernando Alonso announced he would be staying at Aston Martin for at least the next two seasons and despite suggestions Lance Stroll may not necessarily deserve his place in the team, his father is unlikely to let him go unless he decides to walk away.
Mercedes are still searching for a replacement for Hamilton, but Sainz doesn’t appear to be their first choice.
The 29-year-old is also keeping a close eye on what’s going on at Red Bull, with Sergio Perez’s contract expiring at the end of the season.
Finally, Sauber are desperately trying to sign Sainz before they become the Audi works team in 2026.
However, Barretto has suggested that Sainz might be better off taking a gamble and joining Williams instead of the German manufacturer.
They’re almost certainly going to have a spare seat for 2025 given the performances of one of their drivers.
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Carlos Sainz could take a gamble and join Williams in 2025
Talking about Sainz’s future, Barretto said: “There is a lot to be said for a long-term project. But I’m just not sure if that’s the project that he wants at the minute.
“I think he would want to take a gamble, that’s why I think he would want to wait for Red Bull or personally I think he might want to give a gamble on a Williams maybe.
“If you want a slightly better short-term option, Williams are in a much better spot than Sauber are at the minute.
“And even when Audi come in in 2026 with an engine that’s unproven of course, they started development significantly after all of the other engine manufacturers that they’re up against, it’s still going to take them several years.
“Whereas at least it feels like Williams are going in the right direction and the kind of problems that they’ve had this year with not having a spare chassis and being short on parts, this is a short-term issue, they should be much better set next year.
“And it just feels like in terms of pure performance, he won’t be fighting to get out of Q1 in a Williams next year, that’s just the reality of it, whereas with a Sauber that’s what he’s going to be doing.
“I think that can really be a detrimental impact on you as a driver going forward, I think on a mental side, so I just think that Williams is a better bet than Sauber at the minute.”
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Williams Racing from team principal to Mercedes relationship
Carlos Sainz move might spell the end of Logan Sargeant’s F1 career – opinion
Should Sainz decide to gamble on a move to Williams over joining Audi, then it might be bad news for Logan Sargeant.
Alex Albon’s contract runs until the end of 2025 and despite interest from Red Bull, it’s hard to see him leaving James Vowles’s outfit at the end of this year.
Logan Sargeant, however, might be lucky to see out the entirety of this season at this rate.
He suffered the ignominy of having to give his chassis away to Albon in Australia and spun out again in Japan.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli has been suggested as a potential replacement midway through the season but if they can somehow convince Sainz to join – having previously held a meeting with his management – then they would suddenly have one of the strongest line-ups on the grid.
The post ‘Much better spot’: Lawrence Barretto says Carlos Sainz could ‘take a gamble’ on Audi rivals in 2025 appeared first on F1 Oversteer.