'I have no clue' - Carlos Sainz opens up about his future in F1, calls for speedy contract talks

As the Formula 1 caravan set to move to Shanghai after five years the driver’s market for the 2025 season is also becoming interesting. With Lewis Hamilton’s surprise move to Ferrari, Carlos Sainz has now become jobless. The 29-year-old driver has been phenomenal in the last few months but was replaced by Hamilton in his team.

Notably, Carlos Sainz is the only non-Red Bull driver who has won a race in the last 18 months. He won the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix and the Australian Grand Prix earlier this season. With these victories, Sainz is the highest-rated free driver for next season which makes him one of the most sought.

However, after finishing third in Japan Grand Prix this weekend Carlos Sainz revealed that he doesn’t have any good news. He said that he is talking to teams but has no clue where he will be next year.

After the race, he said, "I'm talking to a few because that's what my management team and myself should do when I don't have a job for next year yet. So, we're talking to pretty much all of them. It's just a matter of obviously going more into detail and seeing the more realistic options and what are the best options for me and for my future, which I don't have any news for you or nothing to say here.”

"The only thing I would say is that obviously it's time now to speed up a bit everything and hopefully we can get it sorted sooner rather than later."

What are the potential options for Carlos Sainz?

Notably, around 12 drivers from the ongoing season will be available in the market for the upcoming season. With Hamilton’s surprise move to Ferrari, Sainz had a chance to swap his place with him in Mercedes. However, with uncertainties over the contract renewal of Sergio Perez Red Bull will be another option for Sainz.

More interestingly, with Audi’s accusation of Sauber, one can expect an entirely new line-up for the team. Sainz would be the most sought driver if Audi decides to get over from Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu in Sauber. Aston Martin will be another option where Sainz will be replacing Fernando Alonso.