The open doors of Carlos Sainz: between the dream of Red Bull, the certainty of Audi and the concept of Mercedes… – MOW

Rumors that Sainz will be very close to Mercedes continue to be heard as, between Red Bull and Audi, the Spaniard’s options continue to change. But what should Sanz choose for his future today? Would it make sense to bet on Mercedes? Let’s see together

CArlos Sainz is the current man of the driver market and the latest rumors predict him on the shortlist to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes next year, but will the Brackley team really be the right choice for the Spaniard? Also competing for “El Matador” is Sauber, which will be Audi from 2026, while communication with Red Bull seems to have cooled, which must control Verstappen and understand what to do with Perez at the end of the year. The logo in this sense is a phrase uttered by Helmut Marko who, acknowledging previous discussions with the Spaniard, however explained that at the moment Sainz has an “unparalleled offer from Audi to Red Bull”. Therefore, Sainz is between three cases: he was happy with the well-known Audi brand in the family, he was attracted by a winning team like Mercedes and he is doubtful about the possibility – difficult but very sweet – of moving to Red Bull.

A possible move for Audi would represent a real gamble as Hamilton did after leaving McLaren. A winning bet for the English driver who, against all odds, won and made motorsport history with the Brackley team. Of a completely different nature will be that of Sainz, who would undoubtedly find himself at the center of the team’s projects, but still in a team completely unrelated to the new systems of Formula 1 and competing with competitors who are more experts in the field. . In the case of passing with silver arrows, however, he would find himself in the position of relaunching a team that was orphaned by its champion, but is still respected and recognized within the Circus, which champions and top managers. are overvalued. It remains to be seen what kind of performance the single seater can provide in 2025, for now one can say not the best from recent results. However, Formula 1 in 2026 will be the protagonist of a major revolution that can change the cards on the table and given that Mercedes is an engine manufacturer, it will certainly have continued the work to be competitive immediately.

AWith this in mind, the issue of drivers for 2025 at Mercedes is certainly very important, but perhaps not fundamental in terms of performance on the track. For The year of the Anglo-German team has not started in the best way and Hamilton’s farewell does not seem to be a trigger. In the first four doctors held so far, Brackley’s team has experienced a series of resounding failures, alternating statements of cautious optimism and deep fear.

At last weekend’s Suzuka race, the seven-time Silver Arrows champion made his first appearance after free practice to claim the best start weekend of the season and found himself a long way from the podium. Even with Toto Wolff, with better qualifying, the team could aim for the podium. A true statement if we refer to the times of the two cars towards the end of the race, but which still leaves doubt as to the pace of the race. Also in Japan, the head of the Mercedes team had highlighted the data collected by his team: “With our sensors and pressure cells we measure the aerodynamic load. They tell us that compared to last year in a specific corner we have 70 points more aerodynamic load. of lap time though, we don’t go one kilometer per hour fast. What’s the obstacle?”. The numbers mentioned by Wolff should correspond to an increase in power of at least 20-25% compared to the previous car, which could translate into an advantage of sixteen per cycle. but the truth is that in Australia the best Mercedes on track was slower than the 2023 car.

I conflicting data from the W15, in conflict in the fast sections of Saudi Arabia and as Red Bull in the Suzuka curves, shows how much work still needs to be done in Brackley to understand this third generation of ground vehicles, strangely difficult objects. understand and handle for engineers, drivers and even for the team leader. The lack of positive results of the changes made to the single seats and the race being poorly managed from a strategic point of view do nothing but increase the gap in the constructors’ position with third place occupied by McLaren which is currently equivalent to thirty five points. Equally important is the transition of many engineers to competing teams: between Jerome d’Ambrosio and the recent Loic Serra.

The nature of the crisis at Mercedes had been evident for some time and the less than encouraging results have only made the situation clearer. A context reminiscent of the one achieved by Ferrari not long ago under the leadership of Binotto. Could the arrival of Sainz revive the silver arrows in the fight for first place?

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