With Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari, Carlos Sainz has been left without a seat for the 2025 season at the moment. One of the teams he was aiming to join was Aston Martin who had both their drivers running out of a contract. However, one of them, Fernando Alonso has extended his stay with the team until the 2026 season at least. But what does this mean for Carlos Sainz?
There is no doubt that Carlos Sainz is the hottest driver on the market for the 2025 season. This year, he has shown everyone what he is capable of. Having taken part in 3 races so far, he has finished on the podium in each and every one of them. This includes his remarkable race win at Melbourne a few weeks back. He has also been consistently out-performing his teammate, Charles Leclerc who was chosen to stay in the team over Sainz.
How does Fernando Alonso’s new contract affect Carlos Sainz?
Given that Sainz is currently at the peak of his career, he will want to drive for one of the top teams in the sport. Based on the seats available, these teams are Aston Martin, Mercedes, and Red Bull. Since Aston Martin had made a lot of progress in the last couple of years, Sainz was targeting them for his future home. However, Alonso securing his seat in the team does not allow much room for Sainz.
Even if Sainz was to replace Lance Stroll, he would not be the priority for the team. Since Alonso has been performing exceptionally, they will prioritize him. Hence, Carlos will want to go somewhere where they can prioritize him and give him the tools necessary to win the Championship.
🚨BREAKING🚨
Fernando Alonso has extended his contract with Aston Martin!The deal is said to be for at least 2 years.#F1 #Formula1 pic.twitter.com/oOarXOEVcy
— Motorsport Hour (@MotorsportHour) April 11, 2024
Red Bull will provide a similar issue as Max Verstappen seems to be unbeatable at the moment. Challenging Max for the championship in the same car would prove to be almost impossible at the moment. Since the Dutch driver has been driving for the team since he was 18 years old, he will always have a better understanding of the cars built by Red Bull’s technical team.
Sainz’s best option will now lie with Mercedes. As it stands, George Russell is the only driver locked in for the 2025 season. Although he has delivered some promising results, he still has to learn to become more consistent. While George still learns in the sport, the team can look to Carlos Sainz for performance and consistency as they prepare for the Championship battle in 2026.
Can Mercedes help Carlos Sainz win a Championship?
In the past few years, Mercedes have not been able to develop a race-winning car. However, there is no doubt that the team has the resources and expertise to do so. Ever since the new regulations took effect in 2022, they have been struggling to match the pace of Red Bull, and even Ferrari.
As it stands, it looks unlikely that they will be able to fight for the Championship in 2025. But in 2026, the FIA will introduce the next set of regulation changes. Although there have been some hiccups with these regulation changes, the FIA will fix them and finalize it. This gives Mercedes the best opportunity to get back in the Championship fight.
The team has already started testing out their new power units for 2026. According to sources, Mercedes’ power units have shown the most promising results so far. But we are yet to see how the aero regulations will affect the performance of the car.
🚨 | Corriere says that Carlos Sainz has already signed with Mercedes. pic.twitter.com/JIxEq8TRUi
— mercedesamgf1motorsport (@MercedesF1Sport) April 12, 2024
If the team are able to get the development right for the 2026 season, they will be up there fighting for the Championship. And if Mercedes sign Sainz to be their driver from next year, there is no reason for them not to help the Spaniard fight for his title.
Do you think Carlos Sainz will drive for Mercedes next year? If so, will he be able to win a Championship with his new team? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.
Rohit Kumar 
Sara Chavan