F1 News
Sainz Sr. off from Audi to Ford: will Sainz Jr. definitely not go to Audi?
- Cas van de Kleut
There are many rumours surrounding Carlos Sainz's future at the moment. The Ferrari driver is leaving Ferrari after the current season, so he will have to look for a new seat. At Audi, the Spaniard is a top contender for a seat, partly because his father drove for the German car manufacturer. That has changed, as Ford have announced that Carlos Sainz Sr. will drive the Dakar rally for the US team in 2025.
Audi have pulled out of the Dakar, so Sainz Sr. was looking for a new team to drive the competition with. Last year, the Spaniard still managed to win the rally, so Ford has made a big deal of attracting with the rally legend.
Sainz Sr. therefore sets ambitious goals for his arrival at Ford, where he has been a factory driver before: "I am looking forward to driving the Raptor again and I started this project with ambitious plans. The biggest of which is to win the Dakar."
Sainz Jr. definitely not going to Audi?
Sainz Jr. has been linked for some time to Audi's Formula 1 team, which will enter the motorsport's premier class in 2026. His father's connections at the German manufacturer could have helped with the possible switch, but now that Audi have pulled out of the Dakar and Sainz Sr. is making the switch to Ford, that may have affected the Ferrari driver's choice. Before the Miami Grand Prix, it was announced that Sainz Jr. had rejected Audi and so his father's departure could be the final blow to a switch to the German team.
This article was written in collaboration with Kada Sarkozi.