F1 pundit opines Carlos Sainz's only realistic option for 2025 appears to be Audi

F1 pundit Peter Windsor explored where Carlos Sainz could move after his Ferrari stint and concluded that Audi would be the only realistic option for the Spaniard.

After Ferrari announced that Lewis Hamilton would be joining them in 2025, Sainz became a free agent and started searching for his new team even before the 2024 F1 season began. Several reports speculated that he could move to Mercedes as part of a driver swap between teams or even replace Sergio Perez in Red Bull if the Mexican underperforms.

Since the Sainz family is heavily linked with Audi, with his father racing in the German company's professional Rally team, Carlos was also linked with them.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Windsor talked about which team Carlos Sainz could join after Ferrari. He touched on Red Bull and Mercedes situations with their current and junior drivers, respectively. Eventually, he concluded that the only option left for the 29-year-old was Sauber and then Audi when the German giants join F1 in 2026.

"If you are Carlos's management, you say, 'Well, we'll put Red Bull to one side then because they may or may not offer him the drive depending on what they want to do with Perez', and then...Where do you go, you know, it's very frustrating," Windsor said.

"They could offer him one year at Mercedes before they [the team] sign the great Kimi [Antonelli] or they might even race the great Kimi next year if he's going to be in a Williams at Monza, as they say. So that doesn't leave anything other than Audi for Carlos," he added.

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Carlos Sainz has reportedly signed a deal with Mercedes for 2025

Since Carlos Sainz is one of the hottest properties in the current F1 transfer market, several rumors are frequently emerging about his move.

The Spaniard was the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race in the 2023 F1 season, which the Austrian team heavily dominated. He has already won a race in the 2024 F1 season as well. Hence, he has impressed many in the paddock.

As of now, he has been linked with Mercedes, Red Bull, and Sauber (Audi in 2026). According to recent reports, however, it looks like he has already decided which team he will join after 2024.

As reported by Corriere dello Sport, the Spaniard has already signed a contract with Mercedes while FUnoAnalisiTechnica claims that both Mercedes and Sainz are interested in coming to a mutual agreement.

As of now, there has been no official confirmation from Carlos Sainz or Mercedes regarding this.