The stunning news on Thursday that Lewis Hamilton would be leaving Mercedes following the 2024 season to join Ferrari sent shockwaves through the Formula 1 world.
It also meant that 2024 would be the final season for Carlos Sainz Jr. with the Scuderia.
Sainz, who joined the team for the 2021 season and was the only non-Red Bull driver to win a grand prix this season, is under contract with Ferrari through 2024. While he was seeking a contract extension with the team, Ferrari reached a long-term deal with Charles Leclerc last month, and has now signed Hamilton to a “multi-year deal” that will begin in 2025.
Which means that Sainz will be looking for a seat next season, along with 12 other drivers who are set to see their contracts expire at the end of 2024.
Sainz posted about the news on social media, pledging his “absolute best” for both the team, and its fans:
Sainz will certainly have options. A move to Mercedes could be one of those options, and he has been linked with the incoming Audi works team for a long time now. His father, Carlos Sainz Sr., just won the Dakar Rally driving for Team Audi, which could ease such a transition.
Regardless of where Sainz lands for 2025 one thing is clear:
This F1 silly season may be unlike any other.
