My best options are still open in driver market: Carlos Sainz weighs up his future beyond Ferrari next season

The Ferrari driver also admitted that it will require time to decide his future in Formula One.

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz provided hints about his chosen Formula One seat for 2025 and revealed his best options are still open in the driver market The Ferrari driver also admitted that it will require time to decide his future in Formula One.

Ferrari chose to let Sainz leave after signing Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes for the next season, but the Spaniard's blistering start to 2024 has made him the standout free agent in a competitive driver market. As per Sky Sports, Mercedes is looking for a replacement for Hamilton, while Red Bull has stated that they are talking to Sainz about racing alongside world champion Max Verstappen in 2025, with Sergio Perez's contract expiring at the end of the season. Fernando Alonso had also been connected with those seats, as well as retirement, but the two-time world champion recently signed a contract extension with Aston Martin, ruling out another possible alternative for Sainz.

"I think for sure all my best options are still open, which I think is a positive thing and something that obviously requires a bit of time, given the situation of the market," Sainz told Sky Sports. "I think it's going to take some time for everyone to make their own mind and their own decisions, but the good options are still open," he added.

Sainz has finished on the podium in all three races this season, and his triumph in Australia was particularly more spectacular given that it came just two weeks after he missed the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to an appendectomy. Sainz's triumph in Australia, combined with his win in Singapore last season, makes him the sole driver from another team to win a race since the beginning of 2023.

New regulations might entirely reset the pecking order in 2026, although Sainz's admission that a race-winning car in 2025 would be "very appealing" hints he may be waiting for Red Bull. "When I said we have been talking to every team, we have been talking to every team. That's what I meant with the good options in terms of a race-winning [team]. It all depends on the compromises or the offers and what everyone offers. There's very good options out there, which makes me still smile and be positive about my future," Sainz said.

"At the same time, I know some of those options don't fully depend on me. It may depend on some people taking decisions, which means I need to wait in a way and keep doing what I'm doing and things will hopefully be decided sooner rather than later. If it's later and it's still good, I will be happy to wait," said the Ferrari driver. "Regarding 2025, for sure, my opinion is, with the level I'm showing and I'm driving now, obviously being in a competitive car would be very appealing for me. But again, it doesn't depend on me and I need to keep waiting," he added. (ANI)

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