F1 News: Carlos Sainz Likely To Join Audi Project From Next Year According To Sky Pundit (2024)
Carlos Sainz's chances of leading the Audi project are high considering the influence he comes with and the kind of performance displayed over the last few years.
Former F1 driver Anthony Davidson suggests that Carlos Sainz, currently with Ferrari, is expected to join the Audi project in the upcoming year once his contract concludes at the end of 2024. This potential move follows Lewis Hamilton's recent announcement of joining Ferrari in 2025.
Key Takeaways:
Ex-F1 driver Anthony Davidson suggests Carlos Sainz is expected to join Audi in 2025 after his Ferrari contract ends, following Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari in the same year.
Left without an F1 seat for 2025, Sainz has been linked to Audi, Mercedes, and Red Bull. His father's ties with Audi from winning the Dakar Rally could influence the potential move.
Davidson sees Sainz as a valuable addition to Audi, bringing experience and wisdom to guide the team, especially reuniting with his former team principal, Andreas Seidl.
Hamilton replaces Sainz next year and thus, the Spaniard has been left without a racing seat in Formula 1. Consequently, he has been linked with several teams as the 29-year-old driver actively looks for suitable options.
The first team he was linked with was Audi, which is set to enter the F1 grid through the takeover of the Sauber F1 team in 2026. Sainz's father, Carlos Sainz Sr, recently won the Dakar Rally, racing for Audi. It is believed that he has been playing a major role in forming a bridge between the German manufacturer and his son.
Sainz was also linked to Mercedes since Hamilton's seat remains open to be occupied next year. In addition, Red Bull was another name that came up, given the high chances of Sergio Perez's exit from the team after the 2024 F1 season.
The Spaniard has displayed exemplary performance since his F1 journey began in 2021 when he entered Ferrari as Sebastian Vettel's replacement. Last year, he was the only non-Red Bull driver to have won a Grand Prix in the entire season.
WhenDavidson was asked during pre-season testing about Audi rumors linking Sainz, he answered:
“I assume that’s going to happen.
“I just think that’s a very good place for an experienced, professional racer like he is to end up, to help nurture a new team.
“It’s still Sauber, of course, but there’ll be new people within that team that want to make their own mark and moment in time in Formula 1 and I think he will be a brilliant driver to help guide and measure the aspirations – perhaps slight overoptimism as well – in some moments.
“I think he’s an excellent driver. And we see it at Ferrari as well, when sometimes the strategy is wavering a little bit, going off-piste slightly, he’s always there to rein it back in and keep people’s feet on the ground.
“I see him as that kind of stalwart, a driver that speaks with authority. I think that will go a long way if he turns up at Audi and I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest.”
A move to Audi in the future would reunite him with his former team principal, Andreas Seidl, whom Sainz worked with for two seasons before joining Ferrari. Davidson added:
"Exactly that. There’s that working relationship right there.”
Explaining Sainz's expertise as a "wise" driver, he added:
“Ferrari were the [only] other team than Red Bull to win a race last year and Carlos was that driver to make it happen.
“Carlos is such a professional. That’s how I see him. He’s always there, a solid driver. I think, in mixed conditions, he’s very, very good.
“Such a wise head that he has and he showcased that brilliantly in Singapore last year, playing the old DRS game with his good old buddy Lando Norris behind them, using him basically to protect himself with the DRS.
“How clever is that? So he’s a very wise driver.
“I’m sure he’s got a lot of fans out there that are gutted to see him going, but when Lewis Hamilton comes knocking at the door it’s hard not to open it.”
Following the announcement of the complete takeover of the Sauber Group to accelerate preparations for the brand's entry into F1, the first driver has now been confirmed: Nico Hülkenberg has signed a multi-year contract with Sauber and will start for the Audi factory team in 2026.
Hulkenberg has signed a multi-year contract that will see him drive for Sauber in 2025, after which the team will be taken over by German manufacturer Audi for the 2026 season and beyond.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says Sebastian Vettel “is someone you can never discount” when it comes to potentially replacing Lewis Hamilton next year, despite preparations ramping up for the team to test Formula 2 racer Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Sainz remains without a seat for the F1 2025 season, having learned over the winter that he will be replaced by seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton.
New Audi models coming in 2024. Audi will be launching quite a few new EVs this year, with the highly anticipated Q6 e-tron making it's debut and the A6 e-tron coming soon after. There will also be a few new petrol-engines cars, and the brand's naming structure is getting a shake up as well.
While Audi and Porsche will enter Formula One with their names on teams' engine covers, Diess confirmed there are no plans for the master Volkswagen brand to follow, stating "it doesn't fit". "Porsche has to be the sportiest car brand in the world – so Porsche has to do motorsport," the executive said.
Multi-year deal means driver Hulkenberg will help usher in the Audi works Formula 1 team era in 2026. The Sauber/Audi project has signed 36-year-old Nico Hulkenberg as one of its drivers for at least the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
Think Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Kimi Raikkonen, and add Andrea Kimi Antonelli to that list. His star has been rising since he first arrived on the Italian F4 grid with Prema in 2021.
Sainz's destination, meanwhile, remains unknown, with the 29-year-old left without a seat in 2025 given the impending arrival of Lewis Hamilton. Asked ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix when news of his future might be expected, Sainz responded: “When I have it, you'll know.”
Carlos Sainz's biggest racing fan is his girlfriend, Rebecca Donaldson. The Spanish F1 driver, who currently competes for team Ferrari, was first linked to the Scottish model in the summer of 2023 — shortly after calling it quits with Spanish journalist Isa Hernáez, whom he dated for nearly seven years.
He speaks multiple languages, not only being proficient in his native Spanish but also fluent in English and Italian. Like many other F1 drivers, Carlos loves dogs and has his own pup called Piñón.
Speaking to German business publication Handelsblatt, he said: "There is a clear decision from the board of management and the supervisory boards of Audi and Volkswagen that Audi will enter Formula 1 in 2026.
Address: 5789 Michel Vista, West Domenic, OR 80464-9452
Phone: +97313824072371
Job: Education Orchestrator
Hobby: Lockpicking, Crocheting, Baton twirling, Video gaming, Jogging, Whittling, Model building
Introduction: My name is Rob Wisoky, I am a smiling, helpful, encouraging, zealous, energetic, faithful, fantastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
