What future for Carlos Sainz Jr. in Formula 1?

Carlos Sainz Jr. is going through his last season with the Scuderia Ferrari. After the announcement of Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Maranello starting from 2025, the Spanish driver will find himself without a seat at the end of this year 2024.

Following the official announcements from Mercedes and then Ferrari, Carlos Sainz Jr. has responded to the news via his social media. After a few lines dedicated to the Scuderia, he concluded his message by mentioning his future. « Announcements regarding my future will be made in due course. »

Which team could Carlos Sainz Jr. turn to? With now no less than 13 drivers out of contract at the end of this year, the Spanish driver could sign anywhere. Here are the more or less plausible options that would be available to him.

Mercedes, in exchange for Lewis Hamilton

Caught off guard by the departure of their seven-time world champion, the German team now has to find a teammate for George Russell. But Mercedes has numerous options, and one of the most coveted seats on the grid will undoubtedly attract many drivers, including Carlos Sainz Jr.

Although he has never been linked to Mercedes during his career, the former Red Bull academy driver could rebound with the Silver Arrows following an exchange with Lewis Hamilton, who will reclaim his place at Ferrari in 2025. However, Toto Wolff, team principal of Mercedes, has hinted that the choice for Lewis Hamilton’s replacement might be bold, which would seem to exclude the arrival of Carlos Sainz Jr. But, as the past few days have shown once again, anything is possible in Formula 1.

Red Bull, his former family.

The Spanish driver joined the Red Bull Junior Team in 2010 as he was climbing the ranks in single-seaters. Today, the winner of two F1 Grand Prix has still not had the opportunity to progress to the Austrian team, although he raced for Toro Rosso between 2015 and 2017. But he has always been overshadowed in the Red Bull academy by a young Dutchman named Max Verstappen, who is now a three-time F1 world champion.

At the end of the 2024 season, Max Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Pérez, will see his contract with Red Bull come to an end. If the Mexican doesn’t impress his team leaders, he could easily be let go by the Austrian team, which is often merciless with its second drivers. Red Bull could then turn to another Hispanic driver, and Carlos Sainz Jr. could potentially support Verstappen in 2025. But would he still want to be relegated to the status of a second driver? Doubt may exist.

Aston Martin, replacing its compatriot.

The end of the season is likely to be marked by a game of musical chairs like we have rarely seen before. If, for the first time in history, the 2024 grid remained unchanged compared to the previous one, the 2025 grid could be completely shaken up. And it’s Mercedes, through Lewis Hamilton’s replacement, that could kick off the famous “silly season”. In the event that Fernando Alonso is tempted by one last exceptional gamble by signing with Mercedes, a seat would be available at Aston Martin.

Carlos Sainz Jr. could then try to lead the project led by Lawrence Stroll, who keeps his son Lance under his wing as a regular driver. He would therefore find himself in a role as the top driver to develop Aston Martin and continue the evolution of the Silverstone team.

Stake F1, which will become Audi in 2026.

Formerly known as Sauber, the Stake F1 Team will be taken over by Audi in 2026, as they enter Formula 1. The connection between the German automaker and the Sainz family is already established, as Carlos Sainz Jr.’s father has just won the Dakar Rally driving an Audi. He has even confirmed that his son is interested in this project of Audi entering F1.

But in the meantime, while waiting for Audi’s arrival in 2026, the Spaniard will have to compete throughout the 2025 season in a team that may end up at the back of the pack. At the end of this season, both Stake drivers, Valterri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou, will see their contracts end. Will Audi have a say in Stake’s line-up in 2025? It remains difficult to assert at this time.

What about the other teams?

Finally, anything can happen in Formula 1 and it’s not to be ruled out a surprise arrival of Carlos Sainz Jr. in another team. Except for Ferrari, of course, and normally McLaren, who have secured contracts for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, there remain four other options for the Spanish driver. The choices of Haas or Racing Bulls would be truly surprising and would indicate a decrease in ambition for the driver, who will be 30 years old at the beginning of 2025.

So there are two other potential options remaining: Williams and Alpine. The drivers from both teams will see their contracts expire at the end of this season. The transfer market could then be explosive, and Carlos Sainz Jr. could also sign with these two teams. Especially since according to certain British sources, Carlos Sainz would have been in contact with Williams since the end of last season.

Carlos Sainz Jr. has one more season left to shine at Ferrari and show his worth to the team directors on the grid, who will undoubtedly be closely watching the Spanish driver’s season.