Carlos Sainz Doesn’t Have the “Nerve” to Replace Fernando Alonso, Claims Ex-F1 Champion

Has Fernando Alonso stripped Carlos Sainz of a possible race seat for 2025? With Lewis Hamilton set to replace the Spanish driver at Ferrari next season, Carlos Sainz, a multiple-race winner, is now on the lookout for a new drive. And he would have been hoping to land one of the top teams. However, after Alonso signed a multi-year extension with Aston Martin, another team is now off the limits for Sainz because we know that Lance Stroll is not leaving that second seat. But according to the 1996 world champion, Damon Hill, even the idea of being a replacement for Fernando Alonso is something that Carlos Sainz wouldn’t dare to think about.

In a recent episode of the ‘F1: Beyond The Grid’ podcast, host Tom Clarkson and guests Damon Hill and Aston Martin Ambassador, Pedro de la Rosa were talking about the impact of Alonso’s new deal on the driver market. And Carlos Sainz was one of the top contenders for the Silverstone-based team when Alonso finally called it quits. But with both seats now locked in for Aston Martin, Sainz has to look elsewhere to find a relatively competitive team.

“Let’s discuss the ramifications of Alonso staying at Aston Martin on the rest of the driver market,” said Clarkson. “I mean, it’s great for Aston Martin that Alonso is staying, but that surely means one potential door for Carlos Sainz has closed.” To this, Damon Hill candidly responded, “The idea that Carlos would displace Fernando. I am not sure if he’s got the nerve to do that.“

With Ferrari, McLaren, and Aston Martin off limits for the Spanish driver, the only 2 top teams left for Sainz to explore are Mercedes and Red Bull. But as things now stand, are those two teams even a good option for Sainz? Are they even interested in Sainz? These are some of the questions Sainz will need to answer in the months to come if he wants to keep his dream of becoming a world champion alive.

Carlos Sainz might not be an attractive option for either Mercedes or Red Bull

Like Sainz, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is also paying close attention to the movement in the driver market. He needs to fill the big shoes of Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton. But he might not be looking for a long-term driver option to begin with. Wolff has made it clear that, after missing the chance to sign Max Verstappen when he arrived in Formula 1, he doesn’t want to repeat that mistake with the highly-rated Mercedes junior driver, Kimi Antonelli.

Wolff even said that he might consider putting Antonelli alongside George Russell if he saw that the young Italian was up for the challenge. And even if he doesn’t, Wolff will more than likely bring him to Mercedes in 2026. So would Carlos want to go to a team that would get rid of him after only one season? Probably not. So what about Red Bull, then?

Since the end of the 2023 season, Christian Horner has maintained his stance that the second Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen is Sergio Perez’s to lose. And with the way Checo is performing, consistently grabbing second-place finishes behind his teammate, Red Bull might not want to let him go. Because honestly, will Red Bull even want a super competitive driver alongside Verstappen? Not likely either. Perez is doing a good enough job for them to bag both championships. So why fix it if it ain’t broken?

So where does Carlos Sainz go then? Is Sauber (soon to become Audi’s works team) the only realistic option left for him? What are your thoughts on the matter?