Towards the end of the 2023 season, Frederic Vasseur advised that the hectic season with the development race with Mercedes was the reason their drivers’ contracts were not renewed. He promised that it would happen in due time, and it did, but at Carlos Sainz’s cost. Vasseur’s $500 masterstroke might leave Sainz without a seat for 2025. But, why and how?

In the first week of February, Lewis Hamilton announced joining Ferrari for the 2025 season, just days after Charles Leclerc’s contract extension. Everyone was expecting a Sainz extension after Leclerc but Frederic Vasseur had a surprise for us. This left Sainz without a seat for the 2025 season. On the contrary, Lewis Hamilton was made a $500 Million offer, a $100 million salary, and the remaining $400 million was promised as investments in Hamilton’s charities.

Regardless, the thing going in the Spaniard’s favor was the fact that he’s the hottest property on the driver market, with many exceptional performances in 2023 and 2024 so far. Despite Leclerc and Sainz’s manager confirming that the Spaniard is talking to multiple teams, Sainz seems frustrated as the contract talks and negotiation for the future are going nowhere and seem to have come to a halt. 

According to as.com, Carlos Sainz elaborated on the frustration and said, “The situation is that there is no progress, everything is quite stopped. There doesn’t seem to be any progress. If there aren’t any, you can’t tell anything new either. I’m waiting for all the options to be put on the table and then make the decision that suits me best. F1 doesn’t work like this, you can’t set all teams a deadline. But I’m talking to everyone, as I’ve always said, and the situation hasn’t been unblocked.”

While things might be stagnant, Lewis Hamilton is seriously looking at the Ferrari driver as the replacement for the 7X championship.

Toto Wolff in observation mode as Carlos Sainz impresses

Lewis Hamilton’s exit left not only Sainz without a seat but also left Toto Wolff with the headache of finding a suitable replacement. The Mercedes CEO is rumored to have made Sainz a 1+1 year contract offer, where the extension will be based on certain criteria. Sainz, on the other hand, wants a 2+1 contract, and this difference seems to have stalled the negotiations. Yet, Toto Wolff came out and talked about the possibility of signing Sainz.

Toto Wolff said, “There’s always plenty of meetings. I can’t really say about the second driver [at Mercedes].” He added, “I think we want to take our time, see where Max’s thinking goes, and at the same time, monitor the other drivers. Carlos [Sainz] was very strong in Miami again and that’s why we are in a little bit of an observation mode at the moment.”

Where do you think Carlos Sainz will end up? Mercedes or Audi? Or will he have to sit out for a season?