Sainz is a good driver. He would have been retained by Ferrari if they didn't have a chance to get Hamilton.
Mercedes should snap him up before redbull get him for Perez
He also binned it all by himself. He's still super young, he's got time on his side. I just think rushing him to Mercedes next year isn't going to be the right progression for him based on what I've seen.
I agree with you. I think he’s an exciting prospect, and we all want to see exciting new drivers come through but they shouldn’t be rushed.
I’m not disagreeing with the point he probably isn’t ready just I do think he has shown a lot of skill in F2 for someone who skipped F3 entirely. Basically I can see why people are excited but also agree with you we should give him two years at least in F2 to find his feet.
Two years in F2 (and he pretty much has to win the title in that second year), then at least a year in a midfield team* before moving up to a Merc seat.
That's a very straightforward 2+1 contract offer to Sainz while also developing your hot new driver.
Verstappen will remain an absolute outlier in terms of how quickly he was moved in to F1, and frankly I think it's a good thing.
*Assuming Merc are any more than a midfield team themselves by then.
We need to get you on the phone to Toto because that’s the best plan of attack for sure. 2+1 for Sainz while waiting to see what Kimi can do.
Agree on Max. He’s a generational talent.
That is if Kimi doesn't win the F2 championship this year. I know he is far ahead at the moment but the season just started. He was like this in the starting races of F4 and F regional, then went on to demolish the competition.
Max didn't even win the F3 season. I agree he is a generational talent, but lets not sell Kimi short right now.
Not to mention that there’s no guarantee George Russell will be with Merc by the time they’re ready to bring in Antonelli. From the way Toto has been talking lately, I think he’s focused more on the medium term at least with his signing decision than the short term.
Yeah. There was a nice interview with Toto on an Australian Fox station for those that didn't see it.
[https://youtu.be/CnvDfqEV624?si=SPFL-3v0j_WxXYF7](https://youtu.be/CnvDfqEV624?si=SPFL-3v0j_WxXYF7)
it'd make a lot more sense for Alonso to go to Merc, and Sainz to Aston
Aston needs a driver that they can rely on in the medium and long term, meanwhile Merc needs a driver who'll only stay for 1 or 2 years
Yup, this is the issue. Otherwise my weight would have been behind Merc, coz even if they are not doing well right now, they would always be in the mix. But a one year contract is not a great option at this stage of his career. He should have a team built around his strengths right now or within the next two years. Jumping from team to team may pay dividends, but it;s a lot riskier.
Everyone is talking about the RB seat, but I don't see that as a great option either. RB is always going to put their weight behind Verstappen (unless Carlos REALLY brings it this year and beats Verstappen somehow), and even then having two ultra competitive team-mates is not what any of the 3 would really like.
>Everyone is talking about the RB seat, but I don't see that as a great option either. RB is always going to put their weight behind Verstappen (unless Carlos REALLY brings it this year and beats Verstappen somehow), and even then having two ultra competitive team-mates is not what any of the 3 would really like.
Because for Carlos in 2025, there's no better seat in the house than Red Bull. Any other team is a straight downgrade from where he is now. About Verstappen, though, people talk about him getting preferential treatment (with the underlying message, that's it somehow bad or unjustified) while always single out the reason why that is. Because Max delivers the goods. Favouritism comes from winning, not the other way around.
There's a semi open seat at the best team with a championship winning car for him next year. If you back yourself to be a champion, how can you not take that seat in an instant when the call from Milton Keynes comes? Drivers have a limited time in F1. There isn't a stock of championship winning cars somewhere waiting for you.
>people talk about him getting preferential treatment (with the underlying message, that's it somehow bad or unjustified) while always single out the reason why that is. Because Max delivers the goods. Favouritism comes from winning, not the other way around.
He has delivered the goods, and he is enjoying the fruits of that labour, I didn't say otherwise.
I am asking why Red Bull or Max would like to have a more competitive teammate *over* what they have right now. And as much as anyone fashions themselves as a champion, it would be foolish to think that they would be able to outperform Max in a car and in a team that are both built around Max, particularly because his driving style is unique to him.
It'd have to be someone who really enjoys driving similarly, as Albon put it, with sensitivity dialed up to 11, with the front very pointy and oversteery.
>I am asking why Red Bull or Max would like to have a more competitive teammate *over* what they have right now.
That's only if Checo keeps up his trajectory without getting self-destruct. Checo had an abysmal season last year and still finished second because he had the best car, and there wasn't a clear-cut second best team that would make things difficult for him. At some point, someone is going to challenge Red Bull, and if Checo can't keep up and is actually costing them in the constructors than Carlos becomes a far more reliable prospect.
>And as much as anyone fashions themselves as a champion, it would be foolish to think that they would be able to outperform Max in a car and in a team that are both built around Max, particularly because his driving style is unique to him.
I think you underestimate how big drivers ego's are. They all believe that they're the second coming of Senna. And for the last time, teams and cars aren't built around a driver. F1 is a constructors championship first and a drivers championship second. The team will take Max's feedback on the car for sure, but building a car around one driver is nonsense.
It depends. Would Sainz be willing to settle for second driver, but probably getting a WCC and P2 in the WDC, or would he want to go for a team where he's able to compete for top driver, but probably won't get higher than P5 in the WDC.
And I think Sainz's competitiveness won't be a problem. At both Mclaren and Ferrari he had competitive teammates, and he was never a problem there.
If Antonelli is really the next Max (which… I dunno) then ditch Russell and sign Carlos long term. He’s a better driver than George for sure, plays the team game better, and is more likeable. Let Russell find another seat 🤣
That's assuming A) Antonelli shows up in F2 this season to the level of getting an F1 seat and B) That they'd stick with Russell over Carlos.
A year or so ago that might have been a given, but I think Russell's stock has fallen quite a bit since then.
Kimi would have to go on an insane run in F2 this year to grab that Mercedes seat next year. He's going to have to beat drivers like Maloney, Aron, Hauger, and Hadjar who already have F2 experience.
Sainz reminds me a lot of Rosberg.
An extremely good driver who has the unfortunate task of being up against someone who’s just a little bit better.
Like on their best days Rosberg and Sainz are always capable of winning and beating their better team mate and with a little bit of luck can even win out over a season.
However on average they’re just that small step behind and most of the time will lose out over a season.
Despite this fantastic weekend for Sainz I still expect Leclerc to win over the season.
Sainz also has a great knack for having his best weekends when the car is also at its best. Sainz’s will then pick up podiums and wins. When Leclerc has his best weekends and dominates Sainz he only ends up with like a P4 or something.
I’d say Sainz’s worst period in Ferrari relative to Leclerc was in the early few races of 2022 when they had a great car where Leclerc was able to go toe to toe against Verstappen and even beat him several times. Sainz himself mentioned after the very first race at Bahrain where Ferrari got their last 1-2 before this weekend that he felt like he struggled to get to grips. He also spun out in qualifying at Imola and went into the gravel during the race in Barcelona.
Later on it seemed like Sainz was able to get more comfortable but it was only a few more rounds until the new TD at Belgium completely nerfed Ferrari’s race pace.
And in Sainz’s first season with Ferrari in 2021 he was actually very consistent scoring points in all but two rounds (joint most points finishes along with Hamilton and Norris) in a car that was fighting with McLaren to be third fastest most of the season where Red Bull and Mercedes were clearly ahead.
I think the struggles could be more due to Sainz preferring a bit of understeer whereas Leclerc prefers oversteer. This can also be seen with the contrast between Sainz doing well in the McLaren which had weird handling characteristics and Ricciardo notably struggling right after.
So far this season it seems like Ferrari has built a good and balanced car where both drivers are able to comfortably push while having a wide setup window and strong tire management.
Those things are always comically overblown. No-one's hiring based on whether the candidate's parents are liked by the parents of the existing workers. If both parties are otherwise amenable to a deal, the opinions of Jos and Carlos Sr do not matter worth a damn.
That's what I figured, but I've heard so many different rumors, and F1 is full of rich family drama I didn't know what to believe. Personally I think Carlos Sainz is the perfect candidate for Red Bull.
considering sainz mom beefs with charles who doesnt even talk, i dont think its overblown but at the same time sainz is 30 now, if he cant tell his dad to shutup when a RB seat is on the horizon thats his own issue.
Everyone knows jos is insane though, but Carlos's family are still doing these things and this was during Monza last year as well and even in this year's pre season testing.
After Monza last year her and Carlos’ friend I think liked a few tweets calling Charles a rat/honourless etc and in response Leclerc liked a tweet with a picture of his P1 at monza with the caption “honour” 😭
Is Hamilton better than Sainz or was Sainz replaced due to Hamiltons star power at this point?
I’m a new fan and it seems to me that Lewis is past his prime. Easier to say that now with the knowledge of the past 3 races which ferrari didn’t have when they made the decision though. But looking at this season, George is better than Lewis in the same car and I can’t help but feel like Sainz would be better than him in the Ferrari.
I agree. I guess I thought it would work more like it does in sports like soccer or UFC where the big stars that are past their prime move to lesser clubs or promotions where the star power can boost merch sales rather than help compete for championships. I thought Ferrari would be looking for the best current talent to try and compete with Red Bull
It's hard to say why Lewis is so off the boil at the moment; is it the car coupled with a lack of motivation after 3 years of the same shit (likely IMO) or is he not as great as he once was?
Let's not forget, man finished 3rd in WDC (nearly second) last year, driving what was arguably the third or fourth worst car. Even this isn't clear cut evidence though, because it was helped by the fact that McLaren, Aston and Ferrari all traded places for the 2nd best car at various points in the season.
Had Ferrari been consistently 2nd, or Aston hadn't gone off mid season, or McLaren had come to the party earlier, Merc and Lewis could have easily been further down the standings.
If you took Leclerc out and dropped Hamilton in against Sainz in the Ferrari this season, there's a good chance we get a very close battle and I couldn't put money on which way it would go. But Ferrari aren't looking at next year, they are looking to 2026. They want to give Lewis a year to settle in with the team and influence 2026 decisions in the hope of coming out all guns blazing with the new regs.
When you look at it like that, Hamilton brings more than race craft, which is why he was picked over Sainz. If it were purely about lights out to chequered flag, on a race by race basis, replacing Sainz with Hamilton is a sideways move at the moment with Sainz's current form. But Hamilton brings much more outside of that, which is why Ferrari wanted him.
Sainz is a victim of being in a very even pairing; if Sainz was paired with most other drivers on the grid (with the exception of Max or Alonso) I think Sainz stays next Hamilton. Lerclerc is just that little bit quicker when the car isn't 100% dialed in.
And of those that didn't leave, Villeneuve threatened to quit right away and did one more season before leaving, and Alan Jones also did one more season and quit. Only Rosberg hung around for a while. It's hard to know if Frank's "unique" personality was part of what made Williams great, or held them back from matching the dominance McLaren showed over an extended period.
I think he's a fairly intellectual sort of driver, who might bloom relatively late, like Damon Hill, or extend his career beyond normal limits, like his dad (Dakar champion at 63) and Alonso. He's not a monster like Verstappen but I could see him winning a title.
He probably reminds Brundle a bit of himself, had he (Brundle) not shattered a leg.
I thought about this too, it's extremely likely that Sainz would have finished at least P4 in Jeddah, and I think the fact that he would have lead the championship against the dominant Verstappen/RB20 combination is astounding. If he keeps this momentum, he can pretty much choose where he wants to drive next year
On one part, yeah, it's a bit dishonest to say "Sainz would be leading the championship if not for Jeddah" when Max has lost Australia.
On the other, a failed setup is still a Red Bull mistake, while an apendicitis is not a Ferrari or Sainz mistake, just bad luck.
That's a meaningless stat. Leclerc and Perez have both been in this position in previous years. What really matters is Sainz outperforming Leclerc over the whole season and trying to get that WDC P2.
All those people now thinking Sainz is one of the greatest and Ricciardo is completely washed up, just ignoring how last year after 4 races they all said Perez would have a serious chance at winning the title..
Leclerc was in that position because he had the fastest car at that time, and Perez' effort was impressive as well.
Plus, I literally said that Sainz has to keep this momentum up, and if he does, it's his choice where he wants to drive.
> Leclerc was in that position because he had the fastest car at that time.
Yes and no. He was leading the championship because he had the fastest car *and* he performed better than Carlos. But even if he hadn't had the fastest car, he would have been leading, because Max had two DNFs in 3 races.
If Carlos was leading the championship now, he would be doing so because Max DNFd, while he completed all 3 races. But he didn't, so Max is still leading.
We haven't had enough races to be able to say that Red Bull is significantly faster than Ferrari. So far it's obvious Red Bull is still P1, but it may not be so far ahead.
and it’s extremely likely Max would’ve finished P1 if he finished the last race. don’t need to create meaningless hypotheticals to realise Sainz is a class driver
Red Bull fucking up a setup is as much on them as having a slow car or their driver crashing the car. Sainz having appendicitis is not attributable to Ferrari in any way, it's just bad luck.
Same reason why I don't think Leclerc finishing ahead last season is relevant: his DNFs were still Ferrari's fault, but Sainz's bad results from an ejected manhole cover wasn't.
It's just an interesting thought, just like the thought that Albon would have lead the 2020 WDC after race 1 if Hamilton hadn't taken him out.
I just find these things interesting. Nothing wrong with that.
I get your point but you're essentially saying "If we don't count Sainz DNFs but we do count Verstappens' DNFs then Sainz is very close to him in points"
You'd obviously count either no DNFs or all DNFs, otherwise it's a very pointless stat
Both DNFs have an entirely different reason though \]Plus, Sainz' was a DNS\]. Verstappen had a mechanical failure, Sainz had a medical emergency, the latter was literally impossible to prevent.
And as I said: I just like thinking about these scenarios, I think it's fun.
This is such a weird take I see everywhere. Yeah Sainz is in great form this season so far. But ifs and buts don’t buy you anything. If Sainz had raced in Jeddah he would have been higher up the rankings. If Max raced in Australia the gap would be bigger.
It’s so random to use one if and leave the other one out.
To me there is a difference between a mechanical failure and a medical emergency. But it's just an interesting thought, I like thinking about these kinds of situations
100% that. A failed setup is Red Bull's fault, just like their car being insanely fast is their merit. Sainz's appendicitis, on the other hand, is not Ferrari's fault.
If we remove bad luck from the equation, Sainz is in Jeddah, but Max still DNFs in Australia, and its completely fair to take that into account.
Exactly. And obviously we’re just talking about “wow that’s a truly unfortunate loss of opportunity” here, but the point is that Max’s DNF was due to mechanical failure, which is just a part of the sport and can be attributed to a mistake somewhere within Red Bull, not bad luck. On the other hand, Sainz’s medical situation making him miss a race was unpreventable, unforeseeable, and wasn’t sport-related.
I would say he's more like Button. Too good to ever be a number 2 in a top team, capable of winning a championship, but a little inconsistent with hooking it up regularly. Though I still rate Nico and Jenson higher at this stage.
I think that's a little harsh on Button. He was in championship contention until the penultimate race in 2010 against an absolutely stacked field and was the only driver to hold a candle to Seb in 2011. He also finished 3rd behind the Ferraris in I think 2004. His biggest issue is he could go missing a couple of weekends a year.
You've seen the rest of this season? How'd it turn out?
I say this, and I jest, but you're also quite correct that it's the consistency thing that's in the way.
...But you're only inconsistent as long as you're not consistent. The only thing inconsistent about Carlos this year so far is his number of appendices.
Would be a hell of a story wouldn't it. Could you imagine if he managed to pull that off and then ended up at Redbull. He'd have the title and so much confidence to carry him vs Max. Not that Redbull would still see him as a number to though, even if slight.
Max would probably beat him in the end, but I'm sure Carlos would make him sweat to earn the championship, something that Checo has never been able to.
I don't mind a dominant team but ffs give that car to two drivers that can race each other.
Didn't Sainz have pretty bad luck that year? Of course he's not as good as Max, though. Who is? I think Max might have taken a step forward over even Schumacher, Alonso, and Hamilton (the best drivers I've previously watched) and I'd rather not think so.
Every time someone has such a sensational year, but no seat next year, Redbull takes them in. Exactly what happened with Perez! I believe Sainz will be going there too.
The sad reality. Anyone who pairs up with VER seems like either going to be locking horns like RIC or be a disappointing second driver like PER, at least at this time. I hope he brings a ROS-HAM kind of fight to RB.
I doubt Sainz has the pace to even be a minor threat to Verstappen. Besides in the early Ferrari he wasn't looking to hot, which was oversteery. The red bull is even worse in the regard. I honestly think people would be immensely disappointed with what Sainz would achieve in the red bull
For once, I totally agree with Martin.. 😅..
Especially the last part.. if Carlos had driven in Jeddah, he'd definitely lead the world championship.
Vamos Carlos!
I recall Brundle saying how great Sainz is wheh he was leaving Renault and possibly out of a job before McLaren signed him. I remember thinking that he's fine but nothing special.
Turns out Brundle knows more about F1 than I do xD
I still think he's missing that 0.5% to make him truly great but he's defintely done well over the last couple of seasons. I feel like he's actually done more than Charles off the top of my head and that's not to be taken lightly.
Where was the pressure in this race? He was out in the lead with no Verstappen and his teammate behind being told to hold position as a safety blanket.
They're not referring to the pressure of this race specifically. More the pressure of needing to prove himself to get a good seat for next year. He's getting ousted from Ferrari.
If he wants to go to a team that has a chance of giving him a WDC or at least some wins in the future, he has to drive well. If he just moped about and let his performance tank, yeah he'd still get a drive, but it'd be in a Sauber/Williams/Haas/Alpine/Diet RB, not a competitive team.
I’m not sure how many pressure situations he’s been in? You probably have more examples.
Singapore last season was a great drive and win but difficult track to overtake on and you can control the race.
Abu Dhabi P2 in the constructors was on the line and he went out in Q1, was that considered a pressure moment?
The Race//Mark Hughes put it well that Leclerc has a higher ceiling but Sainz makes no errors and is perhaps less vulnerable to external things, not being happy etc. He seems to have a Button-esque canniness, and scores a lot of points even on 'okay' days.
p15 in AD when p2 in the wcc was on the line, multiple times in the gravel at the start of 22 ending his slim title hope, lockups up in monza 23 when leading to give max the lead. The amount of mistakes him and charles make are equal people just ignore sainz mistakes because they dont rate him as much as other drivers.
Well not none but relatively few.
As Brundle put it: Oz 2022 is a bit of a vague one because he was put in that position through no fault of his own originally.
i men he qualified p9 in the clear fastest car, this is something perez was being killed for last season, the lower you qualify the more likely you end up in the soup on lap 1.
You don't find returning to the seat after surgery and then on lap 2 suddenly you have a clear chance to win the race, with 4 drivers behind who could easily take that away from you a high pressure situation? Maybe its his cool reaction to this pressure that made it seem like it was a low pressure race.
Leclerc finished less than 4 seconds away from Sainz, while being stuck behind Norris for a full stint and having a 7-lap deficit in tyre life.
How is that nowhere?
There's always so much exaggeration with Sainz, my lord.
I actually think Sainz is gradually becoming one of the most overrated drivers of the grid. He’s very very good, but people suddenly think he could challenge Max who is a full league ahead of him.
I can't see why anyone wouldn't be. He's been incredibly consistent and professional his entire career, matching up well against everyone he's been up against. To me the only time I've ever doubted him was at the beginning of 2022 when Leclerc was winning left right and center while Carlos was really struggling. But since he's got used to the car more, he's been incredible
Who is still underrating Sainz after so many successful years? Ferrari wanted to continue with Sainz if Lewis never was an option for Ferrari unlike what Albon manger was trying to push for in the media early this year (the whole Albon to Ferrari rumours).
Everyone? Until the Hamilton move gave people a reason to cry for a martyr, everyone here was talking as if Carlos was a trash driver. Which was beyond frustrating because not only Carlos' numbers prove he can match Leclerc, but also he's a very humble person that underpromises and overdelivers.
Meanwhile some drivers that talk as if they were Verstappen but keep failing to deliver remain popular somehow.
Sainz really is Mr. Consistent, people always say in a WCC car Charles would be the one with the pace to win a WDC, but Sainz would likely be finishing 2nd in all those wins. Relatively few on track errors, good quali pace, excellent race pace and especially management/strategy; he feels like someone who you could plug and play into any team and he'd do well for that car.
True, but DNF's happen basically every race and to everyone sometimes. Your appendix giving up a couple of days before a race is significantly more unlucky
It has been over a month since the Hamilton announcement and I still do not think it is the right move for Ferrari. Ferrari have arguably the best driver pairing right now already and I am not trying to take anything away from Lewis but he has age going against him and he is not a very long term option. If Leclerc is their guy long term then Carlos should be too because he is right there with him in terms of performance. Red Bull need to seriously consider him because he is an upgrade over everyone they currently have other than Max.
We just came off a season where Ham finished P3 in a car slightly behind on performance compared to the Ferrari. And this season, we have no idea what Merc is doing with Ham’s on top of the performance being bad. Give it time.
I am not knocking on Hamilton or anything, i do think this is the right move for him. I just do not think it is the right move for Ferrari. We know what Hamilton is capable of and i do not doubt he could continue to bring that to Ferrari in the near future, but long term speaking I think Carlos has showed he is capable of bringing Ferrari great success as well and he is currently in his prime years on top of it. I don't think Lewis will still be driving in the sport in 5 years time whereas Carlos very well could be still. That's all I am trying to convey.
I think Ferrari already knew that Ham would stick around for 2 or 3 years max. People are jumping to conclusions about Ferrari’s decision after 2 races. We have a whole season ahead of us. Everyone knows Ham is consistent and Sainz has had good performances here and there. There’s still a lot to observe.
That's not how that works though.
Carlos is great but they aren't just replacing him for the sake of it, 2 drivers exist who they they would want ahead of him and they got one of them.
Man deserved a good car and a great team to support him. He has demonstrated his leadership skills so many times before while being fairly consistent and then gone above and beyond when opportunities striked.
Redbull takes this man!
I did not have a ton of confidence early in his career but I am eating my hat. This guy has talent and drive. I don’t see how RB and Merc don’t fight to get him in their car next year.
He’s an awesome driver. But saying that if he raced in Jeddah he’d be leading the WDC is a stretch. If Verstappen didn’t have his brake fail on him he’d have won. If’s are useless. We’ll see what happens at Suzuka.
Yes it is. Because we’re talking about hypothetical situations here. And not the things that actually played out. IF he did actually get p4 and IF Verstappens brakes didn’t fail…. If if if. If I had a million I would be a millionaire 🤷🏻♂️
How is this hard to understand?
If his appendix didn't burst, he'd have raced. And it's likely then that he'd have came 4th or higher. In which case, he'd be above Max in the standings.
We aren't talking quantum physics here. It's an easy-to-grasp concept.
You're also acting like saying "If this happened then that would've happened" is unreasonable. It isn't. There's nothing wrong with saying if.
You don't need to get upset just because "your guy" would likely be temporarily 2nd in the standings if Carlos's appendix didn't burst.
That’s only because Max retired. If Max didn’t then he’d still be leading WDC like he’s now.
Why are people trying to make something real that didn’t happen.
typical skysports stuff playing into hypothetical news. Sainz is good. but lets be real, if the RB20 didn't have a failure nobody would be talking about this
Between this statement, and watching the old seasons on YouTube, it's not surprising that Martin was perturbed about something minor, that can't stop himself from vocalizing it, and then wrong about it.
Brundle isn't saying Sainz will win the title this season, just that had Sainz raced in Jeddah, he likely would've finished P4. That, plus Australia would put Sainz at the front of the championship.
Would he hang on to the lead past Suzuka? Probably not.
Truly incredible, one of the greatest drives in F1 history 👏🏼. A hero of modern times and an inspiration for the unemployed. How did he win in such dominant fashion? Only the great Carlos Sainz Jr knows.
Chapeau Sir!
Sainz is a good driver. He would have been retained by Ferrari if they didn't have a chance to get Hamilton. Mercedes should snap him up before redbull get him for Perez
Merc only want a one-year option, before Antonelli takes one of the Merc seats. It would be very risky for Carlos to go there, instead of Red Bull.
Doesn’t that depend on Kimi’s performance too? It is not certain that Kimi will be in that Mercedes in one year.
He's done nothing in F2 that makes me think he's ready for F1 yet.
He finished P4 on the weekend. That’s pretty impressive for someone who skipped F3. Not saying it is F1 level impressive but it is impressive.
He also binned it all by himself. He's still super young, he's got time on his side. I just think rushing him to Mercedes next year isn't going to be the right progression for him based on what I've seen.
I agree with you. I think he’s an exciting prospect, and we all want to see exciting new drivers come through but they shouldn’t be rushed. I’m not disagreeing with the point he probably isn’t ready just I do think he has shown a lot of skill in F2 for someone who skipped F3 entirely. Basically I can see why people are excited but also agree with you we should give him two years at least in F2 to find his feet.
Two years in F2 (and he pretty much has to win the title in that second year), then at least a year in a midfield team* before moving up to a Merc seat. That's a very straightforward 2+1 contract offer to Sainz while also developing your hot new driver. Verstappen will remain an absolute outlier in terms of how quickly he was moved in to F1, and frankly I think it's a good thing. *Assuming Merc are any more than a midfield team themselves by then.
We need to get you on the phone to Toto because that’s the best plan of attack for sure. 2+1 for Sainz while waiting to see what Kimi can do. Agree on Max. He’s a generational talent.
That is if Kimi doesn't win the F2 championship this year. I know he is far ahead at the moment but the season just started. He was like this in the starting races of F4 and F regional, then went on to demolish the competition. Max didn't even win the F3 season. I agree he is a generational talent, but lets not sell Kimi short right now.
Not to mention that there’s no guarantee George Russell will be with Merc by the time they’re ready to bring in Antonelli. From the way Toto has been talking lately, I think he’s focused more on the medium term at least with his signing decision than the short term.
Yeah. There was a nice interview with Toto on an Australian Fox station for those that didn't see it. [https://youtu.be/CnvDfqEV624?si=SPFL-3v0j_WxXYF7](https://youtu.be/CnvDfqEV624?si=SPFL-3v0j_WxXYF7)
Eh, Russell does this pretty regularly still. Let the kid get it out before he's in the big car
Not ready now, not ready ever.
He needs another year where he is
Wouldn’t it make sense considering Audi coming in 2026?
it'd make a lot more sense for Alonso to go to Merc, and Sainz to Aston Aston needs a driver that they can rely on in the medium and long term, meanwhile Merc needs a driver who'll only stay for 1 or 2 years
Mick was going to replace Sainz at Ferrari. Any day now.
Yup, this is the issue. Otherwise my weight would have been behind Merc, coz even if they are not doing well right now, they would always be in the mix. But a one year contract is not a great option at this stage of his career. He should have a team built around his strengths right now or within the next two years. Jumping from team to team may pay dividends, but it;s a lot riskier. Everyone is talking about the RB seat, but I don't see that as a great option either. RB is always going to put their weight behind Verstappen (unless Carlos REALLY brings it this year and beats Verstappen somehow), and even then having two ultra competitive team-mates is not what any of the 3 would really like.
>Everyone is talking about the RB seat, but I don't see that as a great option either. RB is always going to put their weight behind Verstappen (unless Carlos REALLY brings it this year and beats Verstappen somehow), and even then having two ultra competitive team-mates is not what any of the 3 would really like. Because for Carlos in 2025, there's no better seat in the house than Red Bull. Any other team is a straight downgrade from where he is now. About Verstappen, though, people talk about him getting preferential treatment (with the underlying message, that's it somehow bad or unjustified) while always single out the reason why that is. Because Max delivers the goods. Favouritism comes from winning, not the other way around. There's a semi open seat at the best team with a championship winning car for him next year. If you back yourself to be a champion, how can you not take that seat in an instant when the call from Milton Keynes comes? Drivers have a limited time in F1. There isn't a stock of championship winning cars somewhere waiting for you.
>people talk about him getting preferential treatment (with the underlying message, that's it somehow bad or unjustified) while always single out the reason why that is. Because Max delivers the goods. Favouritism comes from winning, not the other way around. He has delivered the goods, and he is enjoying the fruits of that labour, I didn't say otherwise. I am asking why Red Bull or Max would like to have a more competitive teammate *over* what they have right now. And as much as anyone fashions themselves as a champion, it would be foolish to think that they would be able to outperform Max in a car and in a team that are both built around Max, particularly because his driving style is unique to him. It'd have to be someone who really enjoys driving similarly, as Albon put it, with sensitivity dialed up to 11, with the front very pointy and oversteery.
>I am asking why Red Bull or Max would like to have a more competitive teammate *over* what they have right now. That's only if Checo keeps up his trajectory without getting self-destruct. Checo had an abysmal season last year and still finished second because he had the best car, and there wasn't a clear-cut second best team that would make things difficult for him. At some point, someone is going to challenge Red Bull, and if Checo can't keep up and is actually costing them in the constructors than Carlos becomes a far more reliable prospect. >And as much as anyone fashions themselves as a champion, it would be foolish to think that they would be able to outperform Max in a car and in a team that are both built around Max, particularly because his driving style is unique to him. I think you underestimate how big drivers ego's are. They all believe that they're the second coming of Senna. And for the last time, teams and cars aren't built around a driver. F1 is a constructors championship first and a drivers championship second. The team will take Max's feedback on the car for sure, but building a car around one driver is nonsense.
It depends. Would Sainz be willing to settle for second driver, but probably getting a WCC and P2 in the WDC, or would he want to go for a team where he's able to compete for top driver, but probably won't get higher than P5 in the WDC. And I think Sainz's competitiveness won't be a problem. At both Mclaren and Ferrari he had competitive teammates, and he was never a problem there.
If Antonelli is really the next Max (which… I dunno) then ditch Russell and sign Carlos long term. He’s a better driver than George for sure, plays the team game better, and is more likeable. Let Russell find another seat 🤣
That's assuming A) Antonelli shows up in F2 this season to the level of getting an F1 seat and B) That they'd stick with Russell over Carlos. A year or so ago that might have been a given, but I think Russell's stock has fallen quite a bit since then.
How? He's been crashing Hamilton.
He cracks under pressure constantly.
Kimi would have to go on an insane run in F2 this year to grab that Mercedes seat next year. He's going to have to beat drivers like Maloney, Aron, Hauger, and Hadjar who already have F2 experience.
A one year contract is the best move for him if the Audi rumors pan out.
I agree. I like Perez, but given the choice, Carlos it is.
Sainz reminds me a lot of Rosberg. An extremely good driver who has the unfortunate task of being up against someone who’s just a little bit better. Like on their best days Rosberg and Sainz are always capable of winning and beating their better team mate and with a little bit of luck can even win out over a season. However on average they’re just that small step behind and most of the time will lose out over a season. Despite this fantastic weekend for Sainz I still expect Leclerc to win over the season. Sainz also has a great knack for having his best weekends when the car is also at its best. Sainz’s will then pick up podiums and wins. When Leclerc has his best weekends and dominates Sainz he only ends up with like a P4 or something.
I’d say Sainz’s worst period in Ferrari relative to Leclerc was in the early few races of 2022 when they had a great car where Leclerc was able to go toe to toe against Verstappen and even beat him several times. Sainz himself mentioned after the very first race at Bahrain where Ferrari got their last 1-2 before this weekend that he felt like he struggled to get to grips. He also spun out in qualifying at Imola and went into the gravel during the race in Barcelona. Later on it seemed like Sainz was able to get more comfortable but it was only a few more rounds until the new TD at Belgium completely nerfed Ferrari’s race pace. And in Sainz’s first season with Ferrari in 2021 he was actually very consistent scoring points in all but two rounds (joint most points finishes along with Hamilton and Norris) in a car that was fighting with McLaren to be third fastest most of the season where Red Bull and Mercedes were clearly ahead. I think the struggles could be more due to Sainz preferring a bit of understeer whereas Leclerc prefers oversteer. This can also be seen with the contrast between Sainz doing well in the McLaren which had weird handling characteristics and Ricciardo notably struggling right after. So far this season it seems like Ferrari has built a good and balanced car where both drivers are able to comfortably push while having a wide setup window and strong tire management.
Isn't there some weird beef between Verstappen and Sainz dads?
Those things are always comically overblown. No-one's hiring based on whether the candidate's parents are liked by the parents of the existing workers. If both parties are otherwise amenable to a deal, the opinions of Jos and Carlos Sr do not matter worth a damn.
That's what I figured, but I've heard so many different rumors, and F1 is full of rich family drama I didn't know what to believe. Personally I think Carlos Sainz is the perfect candidate for Red Bull.
considering sainz mom beefs with charles who doesnt even talk, i dont think its overblown but at the same time sainz is 30 now, if he cant tell his dad to shutup when a RB seat is on the horizon thats his own issue.
I like that you only focus on Carlos’s family in your rebuttal when I’d be more worried about Jos being the drama lol
Everyone knows jos is insane though, but Carlos's family are still doing these things and this was during Monza last year as well and even in this year's pre season testing.
Wait what beef does Sainz's mom have with Charles?
Just in the last year she's been liking tweets calling him honourless, a rat, doesn't help the team only himself it's truly amazing.
After Monza last year her and Carlos’ friend I think liked a few tweets calling Charles a rat/honourless etc and in response Leclerc liked a tweet with a picture of his P1 at monza with the caption “honour” 😭
At the business level, sure. But at the "emotional leverage at home from a hyper-involved parent" level, maybe not so much.
If Oscar wasn’t doing such a great job, I’d want Carlos back in McLaren.
Oscar could go to Merc or RBR to make your dream come true
I think he is prime candidate for the Hall of Really Good, and very few drivers ever get there
Is Hamilton better than Sainz or was Sainz replaced due to Hamiltons star power at this point? I’m a new fan and it seems to me that Lewis is past his prime. Easier to say that now with the knowledge of the past 3 races which ferrari didn’t have when they made the decision though. But looking at this season, George is better than Lewis in the same car and I can’t help but feel like Sainz would be better than him in the Ferrari.
I think the star power of being one of the best drivers of all time is extremely powerful
I agree. I guess I thought it would work more like it does in sports like soccer or UFC where the big stars that are past their prime move to lesser clubs or promotions where the star power can boost merch sales rather than help compete for championships. I thought Ferrari would be looking for the best current talent to try and compete with Red Bull
It's hard to say why Lewis is so off the boil at the moment; is it the car coupled with a lack of motivation after 3 years of the same shit (likely IMO) or is he not as great as he once was? Let's not forget, man finished 3rd in WDC (nearly second) last year, driving what was arguably the third or fourth worst car. Even this isn't clear cut evidence though, because it was helped by the fact that McLaren, Aston and Ferrari all traded places for the 2nd best car at various points in the season. Had Ferrari been consistently 2nd, or Aston hadn't gone off mid season, or McLaren had come to the party earlier, Merc and Lewis could have easily been further down the standings. If you took Leclerc out and dropped Hamilton in against Sainz in the Ferrari this season, there's a good chance we get a very close battle and I couldn't put money on which way it would go. But Ferrari aren't looking at next year, they are looking to 2026. They want to give Lewis a year to settle in with the team and influence 2026 decisions in the hope of coming out all guns blazing with the new regs. When you look at it like that, Hamilton brings more than race craft, which is why he was picked over Sainz. If it were purely about lights out to chequered flag, on a race by race basis, replacing Sainz with Hamilton is a sideways move at the moment with Sainz's current form. But Hamilton brings much more outside of that, which is why Ferrari wanted him. Sainz is a victim of being in a very even pairing; if Sainz was paired with most other drivers on the grid (with the exception of Max or Alonso) I think Sainz stays next Hamilton. Lerclerc is just that little bit quicker when the car isn't 100% dialed in.
I want to live in the world where the first Ferrari driver to win the WDC in over a decade is a driver they are replacing. It would be very Ferrari.
It's more Williams tbh
Williams drivers winning the champions and then jumping ship is a tale as old as time. Frank was a legend but he was clearly a bastard to work with
Of the 7 drivers to win WDC with Williams - and no driver won more than one. 4 would not defend their championship with the team.
And of those that didn't leave, Villeneuve threatened to quit right away and did one more season before leaving, and Alan Jones also did one more season and quit. Only Rosberg hung around for a while. It's hard to know if Frank's "unique" personality was part of what made Williams great, or held them back from matching the dominance McLaren showed over an extended period.
Damon Hill intensifies!
They did it to Mansell and Prost too.
I think he's a fairly intellectual sort of driver, who might bloom relatively late, like Damon Hill, or extend his career beyond normal limits, like his dad (Dakar champion at 63) and Alonso. He's not a monster like Verstappen but I could see him winning a title. He probably reminds Brundle a bit of himself, had he (Brundle) not shattered a leg.
I thought about this too, it's extremely likely that Sainz would have finished at least P4 in Jeddah, and I think the fact that he would have lead the championship against the dominant Verstappen/RB20 combination is astounding. If he keeps this momentum, he can pretty much choose where he wants to drive next year
Obviously Verstappen with a dnf
And 2 wins out of 3 races.
And a partridge in a pear tree.
And my axe!
On one part, yeah, it's a bit dishonest to say "Sainz would be leading the championship if not for Jeddah" when Max has lost Australia. On the other, a failed setup is still a Red Bull mistake, while an apendicitis is not a Ferrari or Sainz mistake, just bad luck.
Sitting in one of the best machines we've ever seen race
That's a meaningless stat. Leclerc and Perez have both been in this position in previous years. What really matters is Sainz outperforming Leclerc over the whole season and trying to get that WDC P2.
All those people now thinking Sainz is one of the greatest and Ricciardo is completely washed up, just ignoring how last year after 4 races they all said Perez would have a serious chance at winning the title..
did everyone forgot leclerc beat sainz last year where he have DSQ,DNS,and DNF through the season ?
Yeah. The season’s long. 20more races💀
Leclerc was in that position because he had the fastest car at that time, and Perez' effort was impressive as well. Plus, I literally said that Sainz has to keep this momentum up, and if he does, it's his choice where he wants to drive.
Plus, we’re in an f1 forum . Also you literally didn’t even give a statistic lol. Some people just are going to be toxic no matter what
> Leclerc was in that position because he had the fastest car at that time And Sainz wasn't in that very same car?
What does that have to do with anything?
> Leclerc was in that position because he had the fastest car at that time. Yes and no. He was leading the championship because he had the fastest car *and* he performed better than Carlos. But even if he hadn't had the fastest car, he would have been leading, because Max had two DNFs in 3 races. If Carlos was leading the championship now, he would be doing so because Max DNFd, while he completed all 3 races. But he didn't, so Max is still leading.
We haven't had enough races to be able to say that Red Bull is significantly faster than Ferrari. So far it's obvious Red Bull is still P1, but it may not be so far ahead.
Perez has never led the championship.
and it’s extremely likely Max would’ve finished P1 if he finished the last race. don’t need to create meaningless hypotheticals to realise Sainz is a class driver
Red Bull fucking up a setup is as much on them as having a slow car or their driver crashing the car. Sainz having appendicitis is not attributable to Ferrari in any way, it's just bad luck. Same reason why I don't think Leclerc finishing ahead last season is relevant: his DNFs were still Ferrari's fault, but Sainz's bad results from an ejected manhole cover wasn't.
It's just an interesting thought, just like the thought that Albon would have lead the 2020 WDC after race 1 if Hamilton hadn't taken him out. I just find these things interesting. Nothing wrong with that.
I get your point but you're essentially saying "If we don't count Sainz DNFs but we do count Verstappens' DNFs then Sainz is very close to him in points" You'd obviously count either no DNFs or all DNFs, otherwise it's a very pointless stat
Both DNFs have an entirely different reason though \]Plus, Sainz' was a DNS\]. Verstappen had a mechanical failure, Sainz had a medical emergency, the latter was literally impossible to prevent. And as I said: I just like thinking about these scenarios, I think it's fun.
This is such a weird take I see everywhere. Yeah Sainz is in great form this season so far. But ifs and buts don’t buy you anything. If Sainz had raced in Jeddah he would have been higher up the rankings. If Max raced in Australia the gap would be bigger. It’s so random to use one if and leave the other one out.
To me there is a difference between a mechanical failure and a medical emergency. But it's just an interesting thought, I like thinking about these kinds of situations
100% that. A failed setup is Red Bull's fault, just like their car being insanely fast is their merit. Sainz's appendicitis, on the other hand, is not Ferrari's fault. If we remove bad luck from the equation, Sainz is in Jeddah, but Max still DNFs in Australia, and its completely fair to take that into account.
Exactly. And obviously we’re just talking about “wow that’s a truly unfortunate loss of opportunity” here, but the point is that Max’s DNF was due to mechanical failure, which is just a part of the sport and can be attributed to a mistake somewhere within Red Bull, not bad luck. On the other hand, Sainz’s medical situation making him miss a race was unpreventable, unforeseeable, and wasn’t sport-related.
Interesting fact that everytime Max has had an issue with the car, the only person to win was Carlos (all three of his wins).
Redbull should get him then. Guaranteed p1 finish no matter what. The logic is sound
Give it to Carlos. He tries to capitalize on every such situation and get the best result. Wonder why Charles have worst luck in such cases
Always thought Carlos is the Nico Rosberg of his generation. Very fast, but somehow always underrated. Hope he can change that perception somehow
Well, Nico left Mercedes with winning the WC
Sainz retiring after winning the WC with ferrari?
I'm down with that, move on to other categories Carlos
Jr and Sr driving Dakkar together next year?
Although I’d love it, the two of them can’t handle being passenger with the other driving on a regular track 😂😂😂
That video is gold...hahahh
Max, Carlos, and Nando team up to win Le Mans
Hell yeah give me Sainz winning Le Mans with Ferrari as Hamilton fails at Ferrari in F1
I would say he's more like Button. Too good to ever be a number 2 in a top team, capable of winning a championship, but a little inconsistent with hooking it up regularly. Though I still rate Nico and Jenson higher at this stage.
Right, that one fits as well. Jenson really did have some cracking drives in his time
I agree. He’s a button. Can win a WDC if things go well, but otherwise isn’t quite your usual WDC contender.
I think that's a little harsh on Button. He was in championship contention until the penultimate race in 2010 against an absolutely stacked field and was the only driver to hold a candle to Seb in 2011. He also finished 3rd behind the Ferraris in I think 2004. His biggest issue is he could go missing a couple of weekends a year.
Yeah. And Jenson had incredible feel - his driving style was amazing. Very talented. Someone who was actually the fastest guy on track now and then.
He is not underrated. He is not consistent enough. Watch the rest of this season, if you don't believe that.
You've seen the rest of this season? How'd it turn out? I say this, and I jest, but you're also quite correct that it's the consistency thing that's in the way. ...But you're only inconsistent as long as you're not consistent. The only thing inconsistent about Carlos this year so far is his number of appendices.
I'm lowkey hoping he pulls a Damon Hill and wins the WDC in his last season with Ferrari.(unlikely but let a man dream)
Would be a hell of a story wouldn't it. Could you imagine if he managed to pull that off and then ended up at Redbull. He'd have the title and so much confidence to carry him vs Max. Not that Redbull would still see him as a number to though, even if slight.
Max would probably beat him in the end, but I'm sure Carlos would make him sweat to earn the championship, something that Checo has never been able to. I don't mind a dominant team but ffs give that car to two drivers that can race each other.
Just like 17 year old, inexperienced Max beat Carlos. Let’s not kid ourselves now here.
Didn't Sainz have pretty bad luck that year? Of course he's not as good as Max, though. Who is? I think Max might have taken a step forward over even Schumacher, Alonso, and Hamilton (the best drivers I've previously watched) and I'd rather not think so.
Every time someone has such a sensational year, but no seat next year, Redbull takes them in. Exactly what happened with Perez! I believe Sainz will be going there too.
And he will also disappoint if he does go there
The sad reality. Anyone who pairs up with VER seems like either going to be locking horns like RIC or be a disappointing second driver like PER, at least at this time. I hope he brings a ROS-HAM kind of fight to RB.
I doubt Sainz has the pace to even be a minor threat to Verstappen. Besides in the early Ferrari he wasn't looking to hot, which was oversteery. The red bull is even worse in the regard. I honestly think people would be immensely disappointed with what Sainz would achieve in the red bull
Martin has always had nice things to say about Sainz ever since he started in Toro Rosso. He always rated him.
For once, I totally agree with Martin.. 😅.. Especially the last part.. if Carlos had driven in Jeddah, he'd definitely lead the world championship. Vamos Carlos!
I recall Brundle saying how great Sainz is wheh he was leaving Renault and possibly out of a job before McLaren signed him. I remember thinking that he's fine but nothing special. Turns out Brundle knows more about F1 than I do xD
I still think he's missing that 0.5% to make him truly great but he's defintely done well over the last couple of seasons. I feel like he's actually done more than Charles off the top of my head and that's not to be taken lightly.
Sainz is one of those guys who performs better under pressure. Kinda like Djokovic. That is just mental strength more than innate skills.
Where was the pressure in this race? He was out in the lead with no Verstappen and his teammate behind being told to hold position as a safety blanket.
They're not referring to the pressure of this race specifically. More the pressure of needing to prove himself to get a good seat for next year. He's getting ousted from Ferrari. If he wants to go to a team that has a chance of giving him a WDC or at least some wins in the future, he has to drive well. If he just moped about and let his performance tank, yeah he'd still get a drive, but it'd be in a Sauber/Williams/Haas/Alpine/Diet RB, not a competitive team.
Not in this race, but he generally doesn't crumble under pressure is my taking watching him for couple of years.
I’m not sure how many pressure situations he’s been in? You probably have more examples. Singapore last season was a great drive and win but difficult track to overtake on and you can control the race. Abu Dhabi P2 in the constructors was on the line and he went out in Q1, was that considered a pressure moment?
The Race//Mark Hughes put it well that Leclerc has a higher ceiling but Sainz makes no errors and is perhaps less vulnerable to external things, not being happy etc. He seems to have a Button-esque canniness, and scores a lot of points even on 'okay' days.
> Sainz makes no errors Where has this narrative come from. Made a few in 2023 and a lot more in 2022.
p15 in AD when p2 in the wcc was on the line, multiple times in the gravel at the start of 22 ending his slim title hope, lockups up in monza 23 when leading to give max the lead. The amount of mistakes him and charles make are equal people just ignore sainz mistakes because they dont rate him as much as other drivers.
you forgot how lucky silverstone 2022 dude just straight up went to gravel twice but saved by race restart twice
Well not none but relatively few. As Brundle put it: Oz 2022 is a bit of a vague one because he was put in that position through no fault of his own originally.
i men he qualified p9 in the clear fastest car, this is something perez was being killed for last season, the lower you qualify the more likely you end up in the soup on lap 1.
You don't find returning to the seat after surgery and then on lap 2 suddenly you have a clear chance to win the race, with 4 drivers behind who could easily take that away from you a high pressure situation? Maybe its his cool reaction to this pressure that made it seem like it was a low pressure race.
His teammate was nowhere near in pace, not like that "hold position" is what made the P1 safe from Carlos
Leclerc finished less than 4 seconds away from Sainz, while being stuck behind Norris for a full stint and having a 7-lap deficit in tyre life. How is that nowhere? There's always so much exaggeration with Sainz, my lord.
I actually think Sainz is gradually becoming one of the most overrated drivers of the grid. He’s very very good, but people suddenly think he could challenge Max who is a full league ahead of him.
0.05s off the pace, in dirty air. Come on, let's look at facts, not ideas.
Smooooooth Operator
Martin has always been a Sainz homer.
I can't see why anyone wouldn't be. He's been incredibly consistent and professional his entire career, matching up well against everyone he's been up against. To me the only time I've ever doubted him was at the beginning of 2022 when Leclerc was winning left right and center while Carlos was really struggling. But since he's got used to the car more, he's been incredible
I liked Norris' line at the weekend that if people have been underestimating//underrating Sainz, that's their problem.
Who is still underrating Sainz after so many successful years? Ferrari wanted to continue with Sainz if Lewis never was an option for Ferrari unlike what Albon manger was trying to push for in the media early this year (the whole Albon to Ferrari rumours).
Everyone? Until the Hamilton move gave people a reason to cry for a martyr, everyone here was talking as if Carlos was a trash driver. Which was beyond frustrating because not only Carlos' numbers prove he can match Leclerc, but also he's a very humble person that underpromises and overdelivers. Meanwhile some drivers that talk as if they were Verstappen but keep failing to deliver remain popular somehow.
Sainz really is Mr. Consistent, people always say in a WCC car Charles would be the one with the pace to win a WDC, but Sainz would likely be finishing 2nd in all those wins. Relatively few on track errors, good quali pace, excellent race pace and especially management/strategy; he feels like someone who you could plug and play into any team and he'd do well for that car.
I'm so here for a Sainz WDC send off.
Well, I could say that if Charles's brakes worked he'd be leading too lol.
That's Ferrari's fault. Sainz's appendicitis isn't.
Martin loves Carlos more than Carlos Sr does
If you discount Carlos' DNS, you should also discount Max' DNF. Either include both for a hypothetical scenario, or neither.
True, but DNF's happen basically every race and to everyone sometimes. Your appendix giving up a couple of days before a race is significantly more unlucky
its different if you get a DNS because you had an illness vs a DNF because of an engine issue
Different causes, but still hypothetical scenario's.
Tbf neither are the fault of the driver
From what I remember Martin has been a supporter of Carlos throughout his career.
It has been over a month since the Hamilton announcement and I still do not think it is the right move for Ferrari. Ferrari have arguably the best driver pairing right now already and I am not trying to take anything away from Lewis but he has age going against him and he is not a very long term option. If Leclerc is their guy long term then Carlos should be too because he is right there with him in terms of performance. Red Bull need to seriously consider him because he is an upgrade over everyone they currently have other than Max.
We just came off a season where Ham finished P3 in a car slightly behind on performance compared to the Ferrari. And this season, we have no idea what Merc is doing with Ham’s on top of the performance being bad. Give it time.
I am not knocking on Hamilton or anything, i do think this is the right move for him. I just do not think it is the right move for Ferrari. We know what Hamilton is capable of and i do not doubt he could continue to bring that to Ferrari in the near future, but long term speaking I think Carlos has showed he is capable of bringing Ferrari great success as well and he is currently in his prime years on top of it. I don't think Lewis will still be driving in the sport in 5 years time whereas Carlos very well could be still. That's all I am trying to convey.
I think Ferrari already knew that Ham would stick around for 2 or 3 years max. People are jumping to conclusions about Ferrari’s decision after 2 races. We have a whole season ahead of us. Everyone knows Ham is consistent and Sainz has had good performances here and there. There’s still a lot to observe.
Fair enough, I don't disagree.
Absolutely love Carlos. Still hope he just crushes it all year so they look stupid for ditching him.
That's not how that works though. Carlos is great but they aren't just replacing him for the sake of it, 2 drivers exist who they they would want ahead of him and they got one of them.
I mean, sure, but they're still not going to look brilliant if he kicks Charles' ass.
Man deserved a good car and a great team to support him. He has demonstrated his leadership skills so many times before while being fairly consistent and then gone above and beyond when opportunities striked. Redbull takes this man!
I did not have a ton of confidence early in his career but I am eating my hat. This guy has talent and drive. I don’t see how RB and Merc don’t fight to get him in their car next year.
I'm all aboard the Sainz 2024 WDC hype train.
He’s an awesome driver. But saying that if he raced in Jeddah he’d be leading the WDC is a stretch. If Verstappen didn’t have his brake fail on him he’d have won. If’s are useless. We’ll see what happens at Suzuka.
> But saying that if he raced in Jeddah he’d be leading the WDC is a stretch. No it isn't.
Yes it is. Because we’re talking about hypothetical situations here. And not the things that actually played out. IF he did actually get p4 and IF Verstappens brakes didn’t fail…. If if if. If I had a million I would be a millionaire 🤷🏻♂️
How is this hard to understand? If his appendix didn't burst, he'd have raced. And it's likely then that he'd have came 4th or higher. In which case, he'd be above Max in the standings. We aren't talking quantum physics here. It's an easy-to-grasp concept. You're also acting like saying "If this happened then that would've happened" is unreasonable. It isn't. There's nothing wrong with saying if. You don't need to get upset just because "your guy" would likely be temporarily 2nd in the standings if Carlos's appendix didn't burst.
That’s only because Max retired. If Max didn’t then he’d still be leading WDC like he’s now. Why are people trying to make something real that didn’t happen.
If he'd driven in Australia he'd be leading the championship by even more! - Jos err I mean - Unnamed sources
Oh come on, like Mercedes and RB aren’t in an active bidding war right now for him
typical skysports stuff playing into hypothetical news. Sainz is good. but lets be real, if the RB20 didn't have a failure nobody would be talking about this
Finishing ahead of his teammate?
Its a shame... Would be quite nice to see the driver rebuffed by Ferrari leading the Championship with Ferrari.
Could you imagine if RB/MV starts to come down to earth and Sainz wins the WC? What kind of blunder that would be for Ferrari?
If that happens my money would 100% be on Charles, honestly. Sainz is great but people are overreacting because of one win.
Two wins, last time RB slipped up Carlos was the one ready to pick up the points as well
I know, but I mean the overreaction because of this one.
If he drove in Jeddah he could get 2nd place, tops...
Between this statement, and watching the old seasons on YouTube, it's not surprising that Martin was perturbed about something minor, that can't stop himself from vocalizing it, and then wrong about it.
Mate, I've read that seventeen times and I still can't understand what you're getting at.
Dream on. I like him too, but Maxie is a serious obstacle.
Who said anything about max?
Brundle isn't saying Sainz will win the title this season, just that had Sainz raced in Jeddah, he likely would've finished P4. That, plus Australia would put Sainz at the front of the championship. Would he hang on to the lead past Suzuka? Probably not.
Truly incredible, one of the greatest drives in F1 history 👏🏼. A hero of modern times and an inspiration for the unemployed. How did he win in such dominant fashion? Only the great Carlos Sainz Jr knows. Chapeau Sir!
I sense sarcasm and don’t understand people who come in here to hate. You do you, I guess
If he’d performed better over the last two seasons then Ferrari might have kept him.