Carlos Sainz, the top impending free agent, was courted by Mercedes, Red Bull and Audi ahead of his farewell season with Ferrari. Sainz, soon to be replaced by Lewis Hamilton in 2025, is taking his sweet time to reach a consensus as he had multiple offers lined up on the table.
However, Carlos Sainz appears to have stalled the silly season with his delayed future decision. And Sainz’s indecisiveness is causing inconvenience to the rest of the drivers, who are, in fact, also looking for their future in F1 beyond the 2024 season. An ex-Mercedes race winner spoke up against the issue at the British Grand Prix.
Valtteri Bottas’ Future In F1 Hanging In Balance!
Kick Sauber driver and ex-Mercedes race winner Valtteri Bottas stands at risk of losing his seat in F1 following the conclusion of the 2024 season. Sauber, set to be taken over by Audi in 2026, appears to debut in F1 with a clean slate, i.e. with a fresh lineup. They have already signed Nico Hulkenberg and have reportedly approached Carlos Sainz for the second seat as well. However, the Spanish driver is struggling to come to a decision. He has offers lined up from Alpine, Haas, Williams, Audi and Mercedes. While Sainz was expected to announce his future decision at the Spanish Grand Prix, he is now unlikely to make an announcement before the summer break.
Meanwhile, ex-Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas is seemingly unhappy with Carlos Sainz stalling the market. Bottas is set to lose his Sauber seat after the Audi takeover, and he has had negotiations with Williams. However, with Sainz also being on Williams’ radar, Bottas is forced to play the waiting game. “Kind of waiting for a piece to fall into place, and then it should all happen pretty quick,” Bottas said at the British Grand Prix. Notably, Bottas also has offers from IndyCar, given that he will lose his seat in F1 by the end of the year. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz was also in talks with the Silver Arrows before the negotiations stalled over differences in contract length. Mercedes wants to keep their options open for teenager Kimi Antonelli to debut in 2026, while Sainz is not agreeing to settle on anything less than a minimum three-year deal.
Max Verstappen Once Again Linked To Mercedes
Amid major shake-ups in driver lineups, Red Bull star and three-time world champion Max Verstappen is once again linked to rival Mercedes. Despite Max declaring his profound loyalty towards the drink-based outfit, ex-RB driver Robert Doornbos firmly believes the 2026 regulation changes will be a game changer.
“I still believe he will go to Mercedes. We talk about 2026 because it’s important to be with the team with the best engine,” Doornbos said. The former driver added that with Red Bull’s performance falling and the Silver Arrows becoming increasingly competitive, Verstappen could likely end up changing his priorities by next year. And Toto Wolff already has left the door open for the Dutch driver.
Stay tuned with Sports News International for more such updates about your favorite F1 team.
