‘It could be’ – Carlos Sainz teases imminent announcement over next big F1 move

Carlos Sainz admits Ferrari have been out-developed by their main F1 rivals

With his options for 2025 expanded to include Alpine, Carlos Sainz says his 2025 team “could be” revealed ahead of the next race in Austria.

Sainz has spent the last six months considering his Formula 1 future having been left out of Ferrari’s 2025 line-up in favour of Lewis Hamilton.

Carlos Sainz on F1 future announcement: It could be…

Additional reporting by Sam Cooper

But while initially much of the conversation was about who would Sainz want to join, of late it is deteriorated into who wants him and who has seats still open.

Despite winning this year’s Australian Grand Prix, Sainz is mainly debating between Williams and Sauber for his 2025 options. At least until Alpine entered the mix.

Announcing Esteban Ocon’s exit after a trying Sunday at the Monaco Grand Prix, although it must be said the team states it had nothing to do with that, Sainz’s options increased from two to three.

According to reports, the Spaniard is considering all three options in front of him – Williams, Audi, Alpine – and hopes to decide his future sooner rather than later.

“It could be [before Austria], not for sure but it could be,” he told the media, including PlanetF1.com, after the Spanish Grand Prix.

That comes on the back of his pre-Spanish GP comment that he was done with being in limbo and wanted a decision.

“I think it’s getting to a point where it’s taking space out of my head, for quite a few weeks and months now,” he said in the build-up to the Spanish race. “It’s time to make a decision and the decision will be taken soon.

“Hopefully, soon we will have things to talk about.”

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Soon, however, did not mean a pre-Austrian GP announcement at the time.

Sainz is now having to weigh up his options, and none of them – at least on paper – stand-out.

Sauber/Audi will be a works team in 2026 with the all-new engine regulations but will they get it right first time around with the PU?

Williams have a Mercedes engine for the new regulations, but can they nail the chassis?

And Alpine… will they even be a works team come 2026 or a Mercedes, as has been suggested, customer?

These are all questions Sainz needs, as much as possible, the answers to before signing on the dotted line.

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