Carlos Sainz is aware about the hold-up he is creating in the F1 driver market, as others weigh in their thoughts.
The F1 driver market games continue on as the sport head towards the summer break. After Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari to go with the pending Audi entry, it has shaken-up the grid which has several out-of-contract drivers.
Certain seats have filled up but one key driver remains in the market, on whom all the other decisions depend. Current Ferrari driver Sainz is yet to make up his mind, whether to go with Sauber/Audi and or make a bold switch to Williams.
He does have Mercedes and Alpine options too, but with rumours around Sergio Perez floating, he can put his name in the Red Bull hat too. The Spaniard is aware that his move will more or less firm up the other seats and give us the 2025 F1 grid.
But he is not in a hurry yet even though other F1 drivers and even teams to a certain extent are getting impatient, especially the current Sauber pair of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu. They are firmly dependent on his call before their moves.
Bottas has links to Williams, while Guanyu has his name linked with Alpine. Neither are yet thinking about move outside F1. Logan Sargeant, meanwhile, only has Williams, who are keeping all of their options open with public cry for Sainz.
In all of this, Esteban Ocon seems content as he is poised to be named as a Haas driver as early as next week before the Belgium GP. That will seal of the American team’s line-up, who confirmed the departure of Kevin Magnussen after hiring Oliver Bearman.
Decision, conscious of hold-up –
Sainz: “For sure that every week or a day that goes by I’m closer to taking the position. But I’ve been busy watching the Euros and I didn’t want to mention it, I haven’t taken a decision. Sorry. I am conscious of it [holding-up]. But at the same time, I don’t think it’s going to change because, yeah, it’s only the timing that I’m changing, I’m not changing probably the outcome of anyone, as probably all teams by now have their priorities and their decisions making depending on each scenario, no? At the same time, this sport and this world has taught me to be a bit more on the selfish side and look out for myself and and take the decision that I need to take whenever I need to take it and whenever I have all the options in the table and ready to take the decision and not rush things if I don’t need to.”
Teams patience –
Sainz: “The teams have been very patient, and I thank them for that. But I’ve also had to be patient, you know, it’s not like I’m the only one and here the only one deciding. I’ve also had to take my patient pill with other things, and I had to be patient. So at the same time, yeah, I thank everyone that is having to hang in there, while I take the decision. And I think, yeah, what I don’t fully understand is why the market is happening so early this year? Like why everyone is so much in a rush when I remember what it used to be at summer break, September, July used to be when all those situations started to happen.”
Other F1 drivers in limbo –
Ocon: “There is nothing more to say on that topic. Obviously, we are still working on these things and you guys will be the first to know once it’s done, I hope that soon it will be finalised. Did it [my leaving announcement] help? I don’t it changed much. Obviously, it’s very clear what our intentions are for the future. We know where we’re going, you know, we know that my future won’t be in here [Alpine].
“As for my relation with Alpine, no, honestly, no, it’s not like that. We keep the work going as we were doing before. As some other journalists have asked, I haven’t been put out of meetings and things for the future that I must not be aware of, these kinds of things. That hasn’t been the case. I’m still very much on board on every technical aspect of things. And that’s how it should be because otherwise we’re not moving forward.”
Guanyu: “I mean working on next year’s stuff is not myself related off track side. I think I am trying everything to give on track and obviously my management is working on my future, I leave that to them. I had a good bit of time with the break after the triple-header. Lets say that the result is not wanted but at least from my side I am finding, little bit of rooting back together with the car.
“Before the start of the triple-header, I was a bit lost and now great to finally find some ground back and hopefully it goes better. As for looking outside F1, at the moment no. Obviously, once you go somewhere else, it is tricky to come back. Even though a lot of other series are interested in having me but I am not talking to any teams beside Formula 1, that’s quite simple.”
Sargeant: “Honestly, I leave that to my manager, I am sure he will have a good catch up throughout the summer break, but at the moment, like I said, keep doing what I am doing, keep trying to perform better and better every single weekend and I don’t see why I can’t.”
Bottas: “Still waiting. Maybe for Carlos, but maybe not. At some point, I don’t think everyone is going to wait for him, but I’m still waiting for something. If I’m honest, I was hoping that things would be sorted before this weekend, because there was a weekend off, but I’m still going to wait for a bit, but I don’t have a clear answer. Obviously for me, I’m getting to the point that hopefully sooner than later [things are sorted].
“As everyone knows, if things drag on until August break, it can start to become quite nerve-wracking. Yes. I think it’s still an option [to be with Sauber/Audi]. It is part of the business, for sure. But I want to be in a place where I have the respect and let the people know what I can achieve and give to the team. Could be [that fresh challenge can be appealing], depending on the project.”
Here’s last on the driver market from Silverstone
Here’s these F1 drivers statements from Austria
Here’s last from the set of drivers regarding F1 2025
Here’s link to a F1 Discord channel, join in to interact