Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are going to be future teammates and have already decided how they will celebrate with their newest ventures LEC and Almave. Seems like this teammate bonding and dinners, which was believed to be a thing of the past, is getting into fashion again. And just days after Carlos Sainz had dinner with his probable teammate in Miami, Nico Hulkenberg has come out to break the silence on his former teammate’s Audi move.

In the movie Rush, Clay Regazzoni took Niki Lauda out for lunch with his friend group. Something like this is very unlikely to happen these days. In fact, Leclerc once complained that Sainz never invited him to his house for a meal. Regardless, ever since the new generation of F1 drivers have come into the sport, the bromance seems to be gaining traction again. All of them are partying together and having a good time leaving the racing matters of the track.

However, Carlos Sainz sneaked his career into an off-court meeting that he had with Nico Hulkenberg. The Spaniard was spotted at Miami’s Forte dei Marmi restaurant with Nico Hulkenberg after the race day at Miami GP. It could maybe be the possible future teammates talking about their plans, or Sainz wanting to get some intel before he confirms with Audi and puts the pen to paper. Not even a week has passed by since that meeting and Hulkenberg has come out to suggest that he wouldn’t have any problems with Sainz being his teammate. 

Nico Hulkenberg explained his relationship with Carlos Sainz from the Renault days when they were teammates and how they’ve grown up a lot since then. According to AMuS, Hulkenberg said, “I remember Carlos positively. He is a pleasant fellow and quick. He is a very hard worker. A lot has happened since 2018, I think he has also developed a lot, just like me. I would have no concerns or stomach aches at all [about having Sainz as teammate]. But that applies to everyone who would come.”

However, while Hulkenberg praised Sainz, he advised that it isn’t his decision to make the call, but it is the team’s. Regardless, according to the reports, Carlos Sainz has surpassed the deadline to accept the Audi offer. 

Carlos Sainz surpasses Audi’s deadline as Toto Wolff keeps an eye on the Spaniard

Audi is believed to have made Carlos Sainz an elephant-sized offer with multiple years on the contract. Yet, as per the reports, the Spaniard passed the deadline to sign with Audi and is reportedly waiting for Red Bull or Mercedes to make a move. Amid all this, Toto Wolff came out to praise Sainz’s performances and suggested that he’s keeping an eye on him. 

According to Sky Sports, Toto Wolff said, “There’s always plenty of meetings. I can’t really say about the second driver [at Mercedes].” He added, “We want to take our time, see where Max’s thinking goes, and at the same time, monitor the other drivers. Carlos [Sainz] was very strong in today [Miami] again and that’s why we are a little bit on observation mode at the moment”.

What do you think? Where will Carlos Sainz end up?