Audi-owned Sauber is currently in a holding pattern as they wait for Carlos Sainz to decide his future in Formula 1 for the year 2025 and beyond.
Recent rumors indicate that the Spanish driver may have intentionally missed an Audi deadline, hoping instead for a more attractive seat at either Red Bull or Mercedes.
"Isn't he nervous that he doesn't have a seat yet?" pondered ex-Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos on Ziggo Sport. "I read that he thanked Audi but was hoping for something better. But when (Sergio) Perez is second in the championship, they're not sending him home, are they? That seems stressful to me. If he has a few bad weekends, these sorts of conversations (with teams) won't go quite as smoothly."
Despite his outlook, Doornbos doubts that Audi-Sauber will continue with Valtteri Bottas. "The man is looking for a new contract and he had a hopeless weekend (in Miami)," he remarked. "He was nowhere to be found, even behind Zhou Guanyu. It was really bad."
Regarding Sainz's potential with Mercedes, Toto Wolff is openly keeping his options open should Max Verstappen become available. However, Wolff clarified that he is not preparing 17-year-old Kimi Antonelli for an immediate debut, despite speculation following Antonelli's recent trial runs in a 2022 Mercedes at Imola.
"Why would you apply for a dispensation for a super license if you don't want to let him race?" questioned Dutch broadcaster Olav Mol. "Why let him do a qualifying and race simulation at Imola?" he added, hinting at hidden agendas. "When the team bosses start denying, you know it's true," Mol chuckled, amid rumours Antonelli will initially be placed at Mercedes-powered Williams.
Wolff maintains that Sainz remains a contender for the Mercedes seat in 2025. "There are always a lot of meetings going on in the paddock," he stated in Miami. "So far I can't say anything definite about our second driver for next season. But I want to be fair to these guys and not make it seem like we're playing chess with people, because we're not."
Meanwhile, Alessandro Alunni Bravi of Audi-owned Sauber emphasized their ongoing interest in Sainz. "Everybody knows that there is a top driver available on the market - it's Carlos Sainz," he said. "And I think that everybody would love to have him on board. He is one of the best drivers. But we also know that the driver market is not depending only on ourselves. I think there are several options for our team. Now that we have announced Nico (Hulkenberg), there is no rush to make this choice. We are speaking with him (Sainz) and other drivers. It is not just the decision of a single driver," Bravi concluded.
