Carlos Sainz is exploring all available options for his future in Formula 1, following Ferrari’s decision to not extend his contract, opting instead for Lewis Hamilton for the 2025 season.
With two victories to his name at Ferrari, Sainz is now in the position of finding a new team to continue his career in F1.
He has been associated with Audi’s forthcoming entry into the sport in 2026, yet the Spaniard is keeping his options open.
“My name now is linked to everything not only Audi or Mercedes, because realistically, I’m talking to everyone and I’m seeing all my options,” he told media.
Sainz has made it clear that he will not contribute to the development of Ferrari’s 2025 car, choosing instead to concentrate on extracting the best performance possible from the SF-24.
“My future is clear in terms of I will not be in Ferrari in 2025, so all the focus is on 2024 on how to extract the maximum performance,” said Sainz.
“We will push that out together to win as many races as possible and be competitive this year. Obviously, I will not be focusing on developing this car, because I’m not going to drive it next year and they will not want me to be involved for the future.
“But in regards to this year’s car, I’m going to be flat out and giving my absolute best with the expectation of them giving also their best for this year.”
The announcement of Hamilton taking over Sainz’s spot came after speculation last year that Ferrari was pursuing the seven-time world champion. Despite these rumors, Sainz believed his contract with Ferrari would be extended.
“It was a hard hit. Of course it was a hard hit because I didn’t expect it. I was pretty sure I was gonna renew my contract with a Ferrari and all the conversations until then had been positive,” said Sainz.
“We were fairly confident that we would be together, but then everything changed very quickly and my situation changed completely.”
The Spaniard remains optimistic about his prospects in F1, stating, “I still feel like I’m in a good situation, I still can choose where to go next. I’ve put myself in a good position to be able to choose well and where I want to do my next steps in my career.”
