Carlos Sainz’s secret weapon in the 2025 talks amid rumors of Audi, Mercedes

Of father of Carlos Sainz could be the Ferrari star’s secret weapon in negotiations for the 2025 seat amid rumors of switch to Audi or Mercedes. Despite being told in February that he would be dropped by Ferrari at the end of 2024 to make way for Lewis Hamilton, Sainz has had his best ever start to the season.

The Spaniard has finished on the podium in each of his three races so far in 2024 and took his third win at the Australian Grand Prix last month, making Sainz the only non-Red Bull driver to win the race since the start of last season.

Sainz has been linked with a move to Sauber ahead of Audi’s long-awaited F1 signing in 2026, but several articles in Italy last week claimed that Sainz is close to sealing a deal with Mercedes for next season in what would be a direct swap with Hamilton. to be

In the Motorsport column, Trevor Carlin – who launched Sainz in British Formula 3 and the Formula 3 Euro Series in 2012 – believes the 29-year-old driver can become world champion in the right car.

And he thinks Sainz’s current situation could allow him to ‘stop talking’ with his father, one of the most famous names in motorsport history who won two world rally titles in the early 1990s.

Carlin wrote: “Why do so many people seem to underestimate him? I don’t understand. When he joined Carlin as a Formula 3 driver in 2012, he was only seventeen years old and carried on his youthful shoulders the great weight of expectations that all drivers carry. Bull The fact that his father was and is a motorcycle legend – a two-time world champion – undoubtedly put extra pressure on him, especially in his native Spain, where sports fans can be as passionate as they are. Even worse, he had to deal with it despite not having the level of experience that previous Red Bull drivers could rely on, yet he showed incredible courage.”