Carlos Sainz’s options to find a seat on the Formula 1 grid for 2025 are narrowing.
The Spaniard is being replaced at Ferrari by Lewis Hamilton next season.
Red Bull has re-signed Sergio Perez to a two-year contract extension, and the three-time world champion Max Verstappen will likely remain with the team. Sainz had been waiting for a seat to open up at Red Bull, but that is now a remote possibility for next season.
Mercedes is searching for Hamilton’s replacement and is lining up their Italian protégé, Andrea Kimi Antonelli. He is undertaking an extensive F1 testing program alongside racing in FIA Formula 2.
Sainz has been eager to secure a new contract quickly, while Mercedes is happy to wait until much later this year to promote Antonelli. This difference in urgency doesn’t make the German team a realistic option for Sainz to partner with George Russell in 2025.
Sainz does have options further down the grid, although both are unlikely to offer the 29-year-old a race-winning car in the short term before F1 ushers in new regulations in 2026.
Williams and Sauber remain on the table, with both teams likely having vacancies at the season’s end.
American driver Logan Sargeant continues to struggle at Williams and has been publicly pressured by Team Principal James Vowles.
For Williams, Sainz would represent an experienced driver to lead them into the new rules in 2026 alongside Alex Albon, who has drastically improved over his F1 career.
Sainz’s other option, Sauber, would be relatively unattractive based on their performance this season.
This Swiss team suffered a lack of raw speed in Monaco and remains last in the Constructors’ Championship, the only team yet to score a point this year.
Despite their poor form, Sauber will be taken over by Audi in 2026 ahead of Formula 1’s new engine rules.
The automotive giant has already signed German driver Nico Hulkenberg for next season, meaning one of Valtteri Bottas or Zhou Guanyu will leave the team.
Little is known about Audi’s project, and there is no guarantee that the team will hit the ground running when it joins the grid.
The uncertainty of a new engine manufacturer may push Sainz towards Williams, who has the stability of Mercedes’ power.
At 29, Sainz cannot take a short-term view of his next move, as a wrong decision may be tricky to recover from.