Carlos Sainz responds to Aston Martin snub with ‘best options still open’ claim
Is Carlos Sainz closer to resolving his F1 future?
As Aston Martin scratched their name off his list of potential 2025 teams, Carlos Sainz has made it clear his “best options” for next season are still available.
Sainz’s hunt for a 2025 race seat continues after the Spaniard was informed even before the first race of this campaign that Ferrari would not be renewing his contract, having instead signed Lewis Hamilton on a multi-year deal.
Carlos Sainz: For sure, all my best options are still open
Effectively auditioning in front of his potential 2025 employers one race after another, Sainz has staked his claim as one of the leading stars on the grid with three podiums in three starts, including his third career win at the Australian Grand Prix.
That victory means he remains the only non-Red Bull driver since 2022 to have won a grand prix.
And yet he’s still jobless, as he put it, for 2025.
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Carlos Sainz pushing Ferrari towards buyer’s remorse after Lewis Hamilton swap
While it was claimed that the 29-year-old had four or more options, including Aston Martin, his choices are down by one after the Silverstone team re-signed Fernando Alonso in a multi-year contract.
Sainz isn’t too fazed, after all, his “best options” are still on the table.
“For sure, all my best options are still open, which I think is a positive thing and is something that obviously requires a bit of time, given the situation of the market,” he said ahead of the Chinese GP weekend.
“I think it’s going to take some time for everything to make their own mind [up] and their own decisions, but the good options are still open.
“There hasn’t been barely any progress over the last couple of weeks so there’s nothing really to update you on.
“Obviously it gets to a point where the sooner that everything develops the better, because at the same time it’s not like it’s affecting my performances at all this year.
“But the earlier you take this out of your head and of the situation the better. But it requires time and it requires some decision-making, so now is the time to let that happen and see how things progress.”
Carlos Sainz: F1 2026 a coin toss
Sainz’s options are now said to include Mercedes, Williams and Audi with the latter reportedly putting a big-bucks offer on the table.
Meanwhile, multiple reports from Italy last week claimed Sainz was on the verge of agreeing a deal to join Mercedes in what would be a direct seat swap with Hamilton for 2025.
But while today Mercedes is the better of those options, 2026 will see Formula 1 undergo a complete overhaul with new cars and new engines.
As such Sainz concedes it’s “impossible” to say which would be the better option in the years to come.
“2026 a bit like a coin toss,” he said. “It’s impossible to know right now who is going to get it right for 2026.
“So even when I take the decision for when where I’m going to be 2026/2027 – it doesn’t matter how much you talk to teams, how much they sell you how good they’re doing with the engine – the reality is no one knows.
“If someone wins in 2026, in my opinion it’s not because of smart decision-making, but because you’re just in the right place and the right time.
“Regarding 2025, for sure my opinion is, with the level I’m showing and I’m driving now, obviously being in a competitive car would be very appealing for me.
“But again, it doesn’t depend on me and I need to keep waiting.”
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