Carlos Sainz appears to be running out of options, as the latest buzz suggests that Red Bull is finalizing a one-year contract for Sergio Perez for the upcoming season.
Speculation indicates that Sainz, soon to part ways with Ferrari, missed a crucial deadline set by the Audi-owned Sauber, holding out in hopes of securing a more favourable position in 2025 and beyond with either Red Bull or Mercedes.
Toto Wolff is reportedly prepared to offer the 29-year-old Sainz a one-year contract to join Mercedes next year, maintaining possibilities open for the team's young talent, Kimi Antonelli, in 2026.
"All the stories about Kimi do him no good," Wolff stated, "because he has to focus on Formula 1."
"He's doing a lot of tests for us to get up to speed, but a decision will only be made in a few weeks or even months."
Should Antonelli be accelerated into F1 with Williams, which is powered by Mercedes, he might need to hold off until after his 18th birthday at Monza to qualify for a super license.
Wolff is biding his time, curious to see if Max Verstappen might appear as a prospect for 2025.
"If I were Max, I wouldn't leave the (Red Bull) team, at least not in 2025," admitted Wolff, "but it's in his hands."
"He is the best driver now, and that is also why he is the one who has to make the choice."
Gunther Steiner, the former head of Haas, concurred: "Red Bull will still have a good car in 2025, with or without Adrian Newey."
Currently, Sainz's father, also a renowned rally driver named Carlos Sainz and acting as his advisor, conveyed to Auto Bild: "There is a lot of speculation at the moment, but there is nothing to report yet."
Meanwhile, Sergio Perez, aged 34, expressed his confidence about his future with Red Bull.
"I think until you have the paper fully signed, everything remains an option," he commented last weekend in Miami, "But I believe it's just a matter of time."
As Sainz finds his alternatives diminishing, Audi-Sauber has purportedly extended his decision-making timeline to the Monaco Grand Prix, proposing he join Nico Hulkenberg as a teammate starting in 2025.
Should he decline, Audi might consider the dissatisfied Alpine pair of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly.
"Carlos is having a great season and is rightly being courted by many teams," noted Hulkenberg, who has recently secured a long-term deal with Audi.
"He was already fast when we were together at Renault and has learned a lot since then," he added, "But ultimately it is not my decision who will be my teammate."
Alessandro Alunni Bravi, representing the Sauber-Audi team, remarked: "There is Carlos, there are our two drivers, and there are other drivers as well."
"And we have to understand it, because we are making a decision that will not only affect 2025 but also the future of the official Audi team."
