Carlos Sainz completed a remarkable turnaround by winning the 2024 Australian Grand Prix. Just two weeks earlier, he had been forced to miss the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to having surgery to remove his appendix. But where will he end up next season?
It is fair to say that 2024 has been a rollercoaster year for Carlos Sainz. The year started with Ferrari announcing they would not extend his contract following the 2024 season. Seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton was signed as Sainz’s replacement, leaving the 29-year-old Sainz without a Formula One drive.
Sainz rebounded from the disappointment by finishing 3rd in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, outperforming his current teammate, Charles Leclerc. Then came appendix surgery, forcing him to miss the Saudi Arabian race weekend. Many people doubted Sainz would be fit enough to race in Australia, let alone be able to win the race, but he again beat Leclerc in both qualifying and the race.
As job auditions go, Sainz is making teams take notice of his ability. One of the most underrated drivers in Formula One, Sainz is the only driver other than Max Verstappen to win a Grand Prix in the last 21 races (the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix and now the 2024 Australian Grand Prix). Yet, he is still unsigned for 2025.
With Lewis Hamilton moving to Ferrari for the 2025 season, what about Mercedes? While Sainz’s name is not yet at the top of the list of contenders for this role, who is better than an in-form, experienced, race-winning driver like Sainz? What’s more, Red Bull is another team that could be looking for a new driver in 2025.
Sainz was previously a Red Bull junior driver and started his Formula One career in the second Red Bull team at Torro Rosso. Now Sergio Perez is under pressure to prove he is a capable partner alongside World Champion Max Verstappen, especially on weekends when Verstappen isn’t dominating the field, as happened in Melbourne.
When Verstappen retired due to a rear brake issue, Perez couldn’t pick up the pace and eventually finished 5th, well off the pace of both Ferrari’s and the two McLaren cars. If Red Bull decides to replace Perez in 2025, then Sainz would seem to be a significant upgrade.
Carlos Sainz should now be at the top of everyone’s list. Moreover, does Ferrari regret the decision to sideline him?
