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Sainz rules out Audi after Binotto signing

Sainz rules out Audi: 'Not really' a realistic option

25 July at 13:43
Last update 25 July at 15:18
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  • Matt Gretton
  • Editor-in-Chief

Carlos Sainz is still unsure about his future and which team he will move to for the 2025 Formula 1 season. Sainz and Audi have often been linked throughout the process, and on Tuesday, Audi confirmed that former Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto will be joining the team. Does this change anything from Sainz's perspective?

Mattia Binotto has been appointed Chief Operating and Chief Technical Officer. This means that Andreas Seidl and Oliver Hoffmann are leaving. In addition to his role as team principal at Ferrari, Binotto also has experience as an engineer in Ferrari's engine department and as Chief Technical Officer of the Scuderia.

Sainz rules out Audi

Sainz previously worked with Seidl at McLaren and Binotto at Ferrari. Sainz and Binotto got on well during their time together at the Italian team, and in the press conference, Sainz was asked if this opens up Audi as a realistic opportunity for him again. "Not really," Sainz said, seemingly ruling out the German team as a destination.

"My future is still being discussed and obviously analysed very carefully. There are changes, pretty much every week, to a lot of teams that I'm looking at for next year. There are changes and evolutions in the team market as much as there are in the driver market. I am just going to keep giving myself time to take the decision, to analyse all these things that keep changing without giving you too many clues," Sainz said but he did admit there are lots of positives for Audi in this latest move. 

"The arrival of Mattia to any team is positive, mainly because he has the experience of what it takes to build a team that is a top team nowadays, like it's Ferrari. And he has that experience from Ferrari that he can bring into Audi, and I'm sure it's a great asset for them, and that's why they hired him. And, yeah, of course, I wish him all the best there," Sainz continued.

Where would the Spaniard prefer to drive in 2025?  "My best option for next year would be a championship-winning car, which is what my number one priority has been since these talks about my future have happened. The likelihood of that, we all know, is small. But that's always been my target. And if not, if that doesn't happen, I'll choose what's best for my near future for sure." Who is going to win the championship next year? "I need to go and check and see what's out there," Sainz concluded.