Carlos Sainz laughs off speculation of him joining Audi in F1 2026, as he speaks on Ferrari’s form and also Marc Marquez.
Out of the blue and with the struggles that Ferrari is facing, it didn’t take much time for Sainz to be linked with a different F1 team. But interestingly, it isn’t an outfit which is operating at the moment, but will be on scene from the 2026 season.
Even though Sauber is in play at the moment, Audi – who will call the shots – will only join in 2026 and reports linked the German manufacturer with Sainz. The Spaniard was quite amused by this as he laughed off the speculation whole-heartedly.
He doesn’t even have a contract for 2025 yet as his Ferrari deal ends in 2024. “I don’t understand that they are talking about what can happen in 2026 when I still don’t have a contract for 2025,” said Sainz to Marca. “It annoys me that invented and uncorroborated rumors come out.”
There is no denying that it hasn’t been the start that he or the team wanted but it is the reality that they are in. They seemingly did not expect such pace from Red Bull and or Aston Martin. “The truth is that it has not been an easy start to the season,” said Sainz.
“Everyone at Ferrari expected much more after having been fighting for pole positions and wins last year, I think we have gone to the races with that intention. We have been amazed at how fast Red Bull is going and how much other teams like Aston Martin have improved.
“You have to work hard at the factory in Maranello, make improvements to get back on the podium and fight for victory. The objectives are clear; get back on the podium as soon as possible and win again. It is true that, with the advantage that Red Bull has right now, we are going to have to improve a lot if we want to be in the fight for victory.
“It does not mean that something could happen to Red Bull and Aston Martin in any race and we can sneak in first, but for now we are going to need your help and we will have to focus on what we have. Even so, I continue to go to all the races thinking that, until it is mathematically possible, we have to try to win races, maximize the points and improve, which is what we have started in these first races.
“If we hadn’t had the sanction from Australia, now we would have another twelve important points, which in the end they don’t let me add, but it is what it is,” summed up Sainz, who continued to be disappointed with the FIA’s non-action on Ferrari’s request. The Spaniard did vent his frustrations but has no choice and has to move on.
In this off-period, Sainz also had the chance to meet MotoGP champion Marquez in Madrid this week. He hails the Honda rider for his determination and also his Amazon Prime series. He adds about his crash and how he will come back stronger in the future races.
“Marc and I follow each other, we encourage each other and we have a very good relationship,” said Sainz. “As many of you know, when I come to Madrid I try to see him, in fact, I had lunch with him and we caught up this week. I loved the documentary on Amazon.
“I was watching it and I think a great job has been done to show the more human side of Marc, what the drivers went through in our difficult moments and show the support that is so important to the fans. The positive messages from him always encourage you and I think it’s often very easy to criticize from the outside without knowing what a driver is going through at the time.
“I am sure that before seeing that documentary there were people who criticized Marc and then, when they saw how bad he was having, they thought that he had been very hard on him anyway. I really liked that and I am also convinced that the three weeks that Marc has now been out to recover, as he always does, will make him come back stronger. The weekend in Portugal, the guy pulled a pole and a podium out of his sleeve that didn’t exist. Whenever he can, he gives the bell and will continue to do so,” summed up Sainz
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