Lewis Hamilton sent the clock of Carlos Sainz‘s F1 stay ticking down in February by announcing his Ferrari move. The Spaniard, despite being Ferrari’s only race winner since the 2022 Austrian GP, which Charles Leclerc won, finds himself in an unfavorable situation. Though there are three teams, namely Mercedes, Red Bull, and Audi vying for his presence, each one has considerable downsides.

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has offered Sainz a contract, but it’s rather “stingy”. Mercedes, led by Toto Wolff, has reportedly made a measly offer, however, not in terms of money, but time. Sainz asked for a 2+1 year deal from the Silver Arrows but could only get a 1+1 year contract offer. The remaining offer from Audi (currently Sauber) is lucrative in terms of money and would be for a minimum of 2 years, as he’d like. But unlike RB or Mercedes, performance is where Audi is expected to hit a snag when they enter F1 in 2026.

So, though the German manufacturers are ‘pressuring’ him for a response, Spanish F1 Expert Alberta Fabrega has urged Sainz to stay away from them. “Audi is a good option for the future,” Fabrega said on the F1 Nation podcast. “But I think it will be difficult for them. Sauber is a team that is now fighting to be in Q3. So there is still a lot of development to go on the chassis to be fighting with teams like Red Bull or ones that are dominating F1. We know that Audi has a lot of heritage in F1 and a lot of success in different categories of motorsport. They will succeed in F1, but not sure, if at the beginning.”

He elaborated, saying, “So for a driver like Carlos, who has been the only driver who has won a race (apart from Red Bull), if you have the chance, you should try to go to a team that is fighting already for the podiums.”

Sainz has good relations with Audi because of his father’s connections. But Fabrega’s stance seems to be echoed by several F1 analysts, too. Red Bull or Mercedes remain the Spaniard’s best prospects for 2025. Having said that, it seems Sainz might be caught in a pickle as RB Advisor Helmut Marko’s recent update on the driver’s potential partnership complicated matters further.

Helmut Marko addresses Carlos Sainz’s awkward Audi-Red Bull situation

Red Bull had a massive driver issue to address in 2023. Sergio Perez was half as effective as Max Verstappen despite securing P2 in the drivers’ championship. Though he seems to have improved considerably in 2024, the Milton Keynes outfit hasn’t confirmed his extension yet for 2025. Christian Horner & Co want to take more time to assess the situation before re-signing him. This puts Carlos Sainz between a rock and a hard place.

“There is a certain time pressure,” Marko said, as quoted by GPfans. “If we are correctly informed, then Audi are putting pressure on Sainz and they would like an answer as soon as possible. We’re (Red Bull) certainly not ready to make a decision yet.”

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And even Carlos Sainz didn’t have a clear answer when asked about his future prospects. Perhaps he’s just as confused as we are. “I think for sure all my best options are still open, which I think is a positive thing and something that obviously requires a bit of time, given the situation of the market,” Sainz had told Sky Sports F1 ahead of the Chinese GP. The driver had also mentioned how it might take some time for all the stakeholders to reach a decision.

With Audi pressuring him while Red Bull asks for more time, Sainz could run out of options. He might then have to accept Mercedes’ offer on their terms, which might not be the best for him. What do you think about this complicated scenario that the Ferrari driver finds himself in?