Carlos Sainz Sitting Out 2025 Season May Be Good for Spaniard, Ex-Ferrari Boss Claims

It’s a real shame to see that a driver, the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race since the start of the 2023 season, doesn’t have a race seat for 2025. When Ferrari gave a contract extension to Charles Leclerc beyond 2024, we all assumed that an extension for Carlos Sainz would follow soon enough. However, Ferrari dropped the bombshell on February 1st that they had signed Lewis Hamilton for 2025. And just like that, the Spaniard was left on the sidelines, now with the job at hand of finding a new race seat.

Initial rumors linked Carlos Sainz with Sauber, which is soon to become the Audi works team in 2026, because of Sainz Sr’s connection with the German manufacturer through his rallying career. As time passed, Sainz got linked to more and more teams like Mercedes, which would be a direct swap, and Aston Martin. However, the Spaniard made it clear that he was fully committed to making the most of his final run with Ferrari, and that he would analyze all his options thoroughly to find the best place for himself on the grid.

Article continues below this ad

However, in a recent Live Chat on his YouTube channel, former Ferrari boss, Peter Windsor suggested that 2025 might be a good year for Carlos Sainz to take a sabbatical. Speaking about Sainz’s options for the future, and if he has to settle for something less, Peter said, “If he [Carlos Sainz] does have to sort of write off 2025, in a way that would be a good year for him to sort of rebuild his style a little bit and just capitalize on everything he’s just done. But then shorten his corners because he definitely has long corners, he uses more road over a race distance than Charles Leclerc.”

“I hope he does [sit out in 2025]. I hope, you know, if he has a bad year in ’25 because there’s nowhere to go apart from a plug-in Mercedes drive or Sauber drive then that would be a good year for him to rebuild some of his repertoire actually. But I think mentally he’s also benefited a lot from his dad in these times in these last 18 months. I’m sure his dad has been a very calming influence,” he added.

However, Sainz might not have to sit out in 2025 as his recent performances in Bahrain and Australia have put him on the radar of Red Bull Racing.

Christian Horner says he can’t rule out the option of Carlos Sainz for 2025Starting from second on the grid, Carlos Sainz cruised to victory in the Australian Grand Prix after Max Verstappen had to retire due to a rear brake failure. Sergio Perez, who is fighting for his Red Bull seat for 2025 left Horner unimpressed with a fifth-place result. On the other hand, the Spaniard caught the attention of the British team boss with his performance.

Article continues below this ad

After the race, while speaking to the media, Horner hinted at the possibility of Sainz joining Red Bull. Speaking of the options available to him, Horner said, “Yuki’s a very quick driver, we know that. But we want to field the best pairing that we can at Red Bull Racing and sometimes you’ve got to look outside the pool as well. You’ve had a very fast unemployed driver win the race so the market is reasonably fluid with certain drivers.”

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest F1 stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

When asked if he would be willing to take Carlos Sainz back into the Red Bull family (Sainz used to drive for Red Bulls junior team Toro Rosso), Horner said, “Based on a performance like that, you couldn’t rule any possibility out.“

Article continues below this ad

“I Would Recommend Every Driver to Take It [Appendix] Out This Winter”: Carlos
Sainz Jokes About His New ‘Weight Reduction’ as He Wins a Race Right After
Surgery

Could we see Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen pair up once again, albeit this time in the senior Red Bull team? Or should Sainz sit out in 2025 as Windsor suggested? What are your thoughts on the matter?