Hill advises Sainz: 'That's the best option for him in 2025''

With the big teams almost sorted already, the focus shifts to the smaller teams. Pedro de la Rosa expects there to be few major shifts in terms of drivers next winter anyway. "I think personally that things won't change much in 2025," the former F1 driver stated in the podcast F1 Nation. "Apart from the fact that Lewis will go to Ferrari, as we all know. I think for 2026, things can change. Especially because there's a big regulation change on the car and on the engine side. So we will see."

Audi try to entice Sainz

One of the few top drivers still without a contract for 2025 is Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard saw the door shut at Aston Martin after Alonso's contract extension. Mercedes could be a possibility for the current Ferrari driver, but if Max Verstappen cannot be roped in, Andrea Kimi Antonelli seems to be the main candidate there. However, Audi - which is currently Sauber - are very keen to keep Sainz. A great option for the Spaniard, according to Damon Hill.

"A company like Audi are not going to come into F1 half-baked so they could be offering Carlos a huge amount to go to what is Sauber at the moment but will be Audi eventually," Hill argued. De La Rosa added: "There's so many question marks about what will happen with Mercedes, with Red Bull so I think that it is just up to Carlos to decide if he wants to join either Audi or wait and see if there's anything opening up. We are in the silly season in April basically. It's happening four months too early," laughed the Spaniard.