(Motorsports news) By acquiring Nico Hulkenberg from Haas on a multi-year contract, Sauber was among the first teams in the 2025 driver market. The German will join the Audi factory squad in 2026.
Lewis Hamilton will be leaving Mercedes to take over as Ferrari’s driver next year, making Sainz the most sought-after asset that isn’t locked up for 2025. The 29-year-old’s father participated in the Dakar Rally and won the competition in 2024, so he has ties to the car company previously.
“All the teams have a short list!” said Alunni Bravi, the general director of the Sauber Group, in response to a question from Motorsport.com regarding his shortlist for the open seat in 2025.
“Everybody knows that there is a top driver that is available in the market, it’s Carlos Sainz,” he stated. “I believe that everyone would like to have Carlos join the team, you know.
“Among the best drivers is him. He demonstrates that he is incredibly mature, a skilled driver who can guide the team in developing the car, and he is also highly consistent and strong in both qualifying and the race. Additionally, I believe Ferrari to have one of the top driver tandems.
However, we are also aware that the drivers’ market depends on more than just us. It is dependent upon various things. Additionally, a lot of teams are talking with drivers. Additionally, I believe there are other choices for our team.
“And we will assess; however, there is no rush to make this decision, as we have since announced Nico. We are only getting started.”
Alunni Bravi stated that no decisions had been made when questioned about the status of the negotiations and whether his existing drivers, Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas, were still choices.
“We are speaking with [Sainz] and other drivers,” he stated. Additionally with our present drivers.
However, since we have now secured one of the two seats, this is the reason we are not in a rush. We can now take our time. Making the choice is not simple. Naturally, we have two excellent drivers who have been with us for three years and are doing a wonderful job.
We must acknowledge that Carlos and the other drivers are involved in this situation, as the choice we make now will affect not only 2025 but also the future of the Audi works team.
Therefore, I would suggest that the length of the contract, potential combinations, and the driver lineup are crucial. It involves more than simply one driver’s choice. And every choice is available, starting with the two drivers we now have and working toward [the one] that would work best for the project as a whole.”
Reentering the Red Bull team is another option still open to Sainz. He quit the team in 2016 after being passed over in favor of Max Verstappen.
However, Sainz “has a very lucrative offer from Audi that we can’t match or beat,” according to Red Bull’s Helmut Marko, who made this revelation last month.
Also read: “Unbelievable” Red Bull 2024 car changes surprises Honda
