Carlos Sainz at Audi “Bad for Formula 1”, Ex-Ferrari Boss Makes Surprising Admission on Spaniard’s Future

Carlos Sainz is in the form of his life right now. He has scored a podium for Ferrari in every race of the season, including a win, except Saudi Arabia, where he was ruled out due to appendicitis. And yet, he remains jobless for next season as the 7-time champion Lewis Hamilton is set to replace him in 2025. The Spanish driver has been linked with many teams since the start of the season, including Mercedes, Red Bull, and Kick Sauber. However, due to Sainz Srs’ connection with Audi from his rallying career, Sauber has looked like the most likely option for Carlos in 2025 as the team is preparing to become Audi’s works team in 2026.

According to ex-Ferrari boss, Peter Windsor, Carlos Sainz doesn’t look to be that attractive of a prospect for Red Bull since Sergio Perez is doing a great job alongside reigning world champion, Max Verstappen. He has finished in P2 behind Verstappen in all three races Red Bull has won and that’s exactly what they want from their second driver. So it won’t make sense for Red Bull to let Checo go.

On the other hand, Mercedes won’t be a good choice for the Smooth Operator, since the Brackley-based team is only looking for a very short-term replacement for Lewis Hamilton. They want to bring in their Italian prodigy, Kimi Antonelli possibly as soon as 2026, and George Russell is already a long-term driver for Mercedes. So Carlos would only be there for one year and then he’ll find himself in a similar situation at the end of 2025.

But Peter Windsor thinks that Carlos Sainz going to Sauber in what is, at best, a mid-field car would be a shame for Formula 1. With the Red Bull and Mercedes drive looking less likely for Sainz, Windsor said on the Cameron F1 podcast that it “doesn’t leave anything other than Audi for Carlos which is bad for Formula 1 because Carlos Sainz is doing a really good job and he’s got a great profile for Formula 1.“

“I think for fans out there he’s a great guy, he’s well mannered, he’s polite, he’s presentable, he’s cool, he looks like a racing driver, he’s everything you want him to be,” he added. “And it’ll be a shame to see him mid-fielding in a Sauber next year if that’s what they have to do and it’s something that’s not right about any of this.“

In fact, Peter Windsor resents the idea of Carlos going to Sauber so much that he even suggested Sainz take a year from Formula 1 in 2025.

Carlos Sainz should sit out 2025 to “rebuild,” says Peter Windsor

In a previous Live Chat on his YouTube channel, Windsor said that instead of going to a mid-field team like Sauber, Sainz should consider taking a sabbatical from the sport and work on refining his racing style. Despite delivering some of the best performances of his career so far, Windsor believes that Carlos can still work on certain areas and come back as an even stronger driver in 2026.

“If he [Carlos Sainz] does have to sort of write off 2025, in a way that would be a good year for him to sort of rebuild his style a little bit and just capitalize on everything he’s just done,” said Peter. “But then shorten his corners because he definitely has long corners, he uses more road over a race distance than Charles Leclerc.“

Even though Carlos Sainz has beaten Charles Leclerc in every single race, they have both competed in this season, Windsor is still of the opinion that the Monegasque is overall a better racer than the Spaniard.

Do you think Carlos Sainz will be better off sitting out in 2025 or should he go for the Sauber seat? Share your insights in the comments.

READ MORE: Audi, Aston Martin or Mercedes? What Team Should Carlos Sainz Move to after Lewis Hamilton’s Shock Ferrari Deal?