First hints of possible Carlos Sainz Jr. move to Audi as father talks up the German brand: "I know very well how seriously they take every project"

In what seems to be another hint at what the future could hold for Carlos Sainz Jr, his father has talked up the Audi F1 project. The Spaniard appears caught in a no man's land during winter break. His contract ends in 2024, and negotiations have been going on in the background.

Until now, it appears there is an impasse on the Spaniard's contract. While Carlos Sainz is looking to secure a long-term contract, according to various reports from the Italian media, Ferrari is not interested in giving anything more than a single-year extension with an option for another year. Contrary to Sainz's situation, his teammate Charles Leclerc is expected to get a mega contract.

Leclerc is expected to be re-signed on a multi-year contract with a significant bump in his pay. There have been rumors of Audi being interested in Carlos Sainz Jr., especially since Andreas Seidl has had a relationship with the Spaniard since his McLaren days. At the same time, Sainz Sr. himself won the Dakar rally this year with the German brand.

In the aftermath of his winning, the question popped up about a future in which both the father and the son could be associated with Audi. Carlos Sainz Sr. talked up the German brand and shared that there had been a conversation at home about how the F1 project could turn out. As quoted by Motor.es, he said,

“I know very well how seriously they take every project. I know what that German mentality means in motorsport. You have to respect them. We all know F1 is a slightly different world, but I have a lot of respect for Audi.

I think it’s only a matter of time [until they succeed in Formula 1]. Logically, at home with Carlos, being in the Audi family, it is logical we talk and exchange opinions about what the team Audi could become in the future.”

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Carlos Sainz Jr. has had an impressive run at Ferrari

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Carlos has had an impressive run at Ferrari. The Spaniard joined the team in 2021 after his stint with McLaren, where he had Lando Norris as his teammate. In his very first season, Sainz ended up outscoring teammate Charles Leclerc. In 2022 and 2023, however, he's been marginally slower overall than his teammate.

Sainz has achieved two F1 victories in the past two years. He claimed his maiden win in Silverstone in 2022, ending a long wait for his first podium. He followed it up with another win in Singapore in 2023.

The Spaniard has had a decent run at the Italian team, and it will be very interesting to see what the future holds for him.