"I’ve decided not to talk about my future": Carlos Sainz mentions he has not taken any decision regarding his F1 future ahead of the British F1 GP

Carlos Sainz was reluctant to discuss his future until a concrete decision was made during a media interaction ahead of the British GP weekend. Speaking to media including Sportskeeda, the Spanish driver felt that the decision was dependent on several factors and needed a long-term deal.

With a lot of speculation linking Sainz to Mercedes and Alpine, many others have been reportedly waiting on his decision. Williams was speculated to announce him around the Spanish GP but the arrival of Flavio Briatore allegedly interrupted the decision. It is now speculated that Alpine could switch to Mercedes engines, making them an attractive employer for 2026 and beyond when the manufacturer would matter.

Answering Sportskeda’s question, Sainz was reluctant to reveal any details about the discussions. The Ferrari driver is reportedly being considered at Mercedes but might not get a multi-year deal, with Kimi Antonelli sitting in the wings. Alpine could offer a multi-year contract but the future of the team remains a question mark with several shake-ups within the structure in the last few months.

Asked by Sportskeeda on whether he has inched closer to deciding his future, Carlos Sainz said:

“Yeah, I've decided not to talk anymore about my future until I take the decision. That you guys will be the first ones to know.”

Asked what the factors involved in making a decision were, Sainz said:

“Yeah, there's a bit of guessing, a bit of luck, a bit of obviously, try to educate yourself on what's happening around in Formula One. What I think about is, again, don't judge the move in a short term or in the next few races or in the next year. Now, I think you always need to see and criticize or analyze a driver's move with perspective in time. Was this the right move for Carlos in five years time or not?”

“Yeah, that's why I think I'm going to take every time possible that I can to take such an important decision because it involves the outcome of the next few years of my life. Yeah, that's why I think I'm going to take every time possible that I can to take such an important decision because it involves the outcome of the next few years of my life. So I think it's valid for me to give myself the time,” he added.

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Carlos Sainz claims contract talks for 2025 and beyond have been time-consuming

Carlos Sainz claimed that the contract talks have been time-consuming on days dedicated to downtime in a hectic race calendar. He claimed Monday to Thursday is about negotiating and spending time in meetings with his management.

Asked if the contract negotiations have been time-consuming, Sainz replied:

“Yeah, honestly quite a lot. I'm not gonna lie Mondays to Thursdays before I arrive to the track. There's a lot of phone calls, a lot of time spent on the phone, meetings with my management team, but also with the teams that I'm talking to trying to understand and trying to have a full picture of the situation. And yeah, it's probably quite stressful and time consuming. Yeah, instead of maybe being able to fully disconnect and recharge, obviously your mind is still somewhere else and thinking about your future and wondering what will it be? So not an ideal situation.”

“At the same time, when I arrive on Thursday, I feel like I'm able to perform as soon as I get into an engineering meeting, as soon as I put the helmet on. I feel 100 % in the car and yeah, I think the Austria weekend kind of proves that I'm still at a very high level and performing at one of my best seasons in F1. But as I've always said, I'm not going to be a hypocrite. I believe there's always more performance in being in a stable contract situation and being where I'm at now. So I'm never going to deny myself from that, that I've said always,” he added.

Carlos Sainz is currently fourth in the championship with 135 points while his teammate Charles Leclerc is third with 150 points. The gap between the Ferrari duo is marginal both in points and performance on the track.

However, his win in Australia might be key in negotiating his future with potential employers. The former Toro Rosso driver was reportedly looking at going back to Red Bull Racing but a long-term deal might not be an option there, with multiple options available to them.