Sainz deserves a seat with a top team and Audi are not that (yet)

Carlos Sainz once again showed in Australia that he is fit for a top team. Audi is mostly mentioned as his next destination, but Sainz deserves a seat at a good race team and Sauber are not (yet) one.

Carlos Sainz said it well in the post-race press conference on Sunday. It has been a difficult start to the season for him. Even before the year started, he was told that his contract at Ferrari will not be renewed. Then he was the best Ferrari driver in Bahrain, only to have to undergo surgery because of appedicitis.

All the more handsome it was that Sainz managed to win the Australian Grand Prix two weeks after his surgery. The Spaniard outpaced Charles Leclerc, who did get a new contract at Ferrari, both in qualifying and during the race. Having provided the only Ferrari victory in 2023, Sainz again took the first win on behalf of the Italian team.

Sainz deserves better than Sauber

Sainz does not feel undervalued and Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc also stated that Sainz is really not undervalued within the F1 paddock. Still, it will sting for Sainz that he has lost his seat at Ferrari just as the team are on the rise, and that in addition there is no immediate availability of a better or equivalent seat for which he is the number one candidate.

Audi is the team Sainz has been linked to for over a year. Audi will make their entrance into F1 in 2026 when they take over running Sauber a 100 per cent. However, that team is far from being at a competitive level. The car belongs to the back of the grid and the pit stop team seem to have taken a long holiday last winter. Not exactly the place a driver in the prime of his life will want to go. Especially considering Sainz, at 29 (turns 30 in September), is no longer among the youngest drivers either.

Sainz deserves better. Yes, Audi as a brand might be a nice match for Sainz in the future. However, at the moment, that is not yet a race team where Sainz belongs. The Spaniard deserves a seat at one of the five teams at the top. Ferrari and McLaren drop out having already signed their duo of drivers, so three options remain for 2025.

Which top team would Sainz want?

Red Bull Racing would offer the fastest car for Sainz for 2025. It is a team Sainz knows well, but the big question is whether Sainz would want to step in alongside Max Verstappen. The two have a good relationship now, but it is no secret that things could clash quite a bit behind the scenes at Toro Rosso in 2015.

Mercedes also have another seat available for 2025 with the departure of Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen is mentioned there as a possible successor, but Sainz is also in the picture, according to Toto Wolff. Still, Aston Martin seems perhaps the most logical choice. An ever-improving racing team, it will become a factory team with Honda engines from 2026. Then only Fernando Alonso would have to leave.

Whichever of the three teams it will be: Sainz deserves a seat at a top team. Audi is not yet and will not be one of the top contenders in 2025 and probably neither in 2026. It would be a waste of Sainz's talents to take such a big step back, when there are also seats at top teams where he would fit in well. The only question is whether they will give him the chance.