Perez closes the door on Sainz: what should the Spaniard do next?
General
- Ludo van Denderen
It came as no surprise at all to Carlos Sainz, but that did not make the news any less unpleasant. After Red Bull Racing officially announced on Tuesday that it would continue with Sergio Perez for at least two more seasons, another door had been slammed shut for the soon-to-be unemployed Sainz. His options for the post-Ferrari era are getting smaller and smaller, so a decision on his future is expected soon.
Sainz had not been counting on Mercedes for some time. The German team - which is looking for a successor to Lewis Hamilton - briefly considered attracting Sainz, but concluded that the Spaniard was simply not fast enough to warrant a contract at Mercedes. Rather, Toto Wolff and his people wanted to attract Max Verstappen. If that didn't work out (and it won't for '25), the team preferred Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the 17-year-old top talent. Someone who in time has the potential to become a champion, something Sainz does not have.
Red Bull was Sainz's last hope
Sainz's only hope of regaining a seat with a top team was still Red Bull. On the one hand as a possible replacement for Verstappen, or as a successor to Sergio Perez. There were talks between the two parties, but the Austrians decided not to budge after all. With Verstappen and Perez also onboard next season, this route has been definitively cut off for Sainz. So what now?
Sainz started the current season fine, winning in Melbourne, but is now the clear number two behind Charles Leclerc at Ferrari. On a good day, Sainz can compete with anyone, his problem is that he does not have good days all the time. On an average day, Sainz is also an average driver; not someone who can still make a difference based on his talent. That ultimately makes him uninteresting to Red Bull and Mercedes anyway.
Sainz will take a hefty step backwards
Sainz will have to come to terms with the fact that he will have to take a hefty step backwards in '25. Williams and especially Audi (now Stake F1/Sauber) are angling for his services, but those are two teams in the middle or, more often, the rear. Audi is known to want a definite answer from Sainz at short notice, and Williams, too, would prefer yesterday rather than today to fix the line-up for '25. So Sainz cannot and will not dawdle for too long, as he does not want to risk ending up empty-handed.
So a choice awaits him: does he opt for a factory team and a huge salary, or does he opt for a currently slightly better-performing team with limited resources? Whatever it turns out to be: Sainz faces a sportingly difficult 2025, for which he will need a totally different mindset. With over six months to go, the Spaniard has plenty of time to get used to that idea.
This article is written in collaboration with Sophia Crothall.