According to the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Spaniard already knows where he will race after leaving Ferrari.
Spanish driver Carlos Sainz will race for the Mercedes Formula 1 team for the next two seasons, according to the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Sainz, currently with Ferrari, will end his contract with the Scuderia at the end of this year to make way for Lewis Hamilton, who will thus conclude his successful stint with Mercedes and Toto Wolff.
The prestigious Italian newspaper cited well-informed sources confirming Sainz’s move to Mercedes, thereby eliminating the possibility of him racing for Audi, which will join Formula 1 as a full team in 2026 after purchasing Sauber.
“I feel angry about having to leave, but on the other hand, it opens doors and the possibility of going to another team where I hope to someday fight for the World Championship that I have been seeking at Ferrari for three or four years,” Sainz said after finishing third in Japan, according to Automundo.
Last week, the Spanish driver also mentioned that it was ‘time to accelerate and resolve my future as soon as possible’. Mercedes had been tempting Dutch world champion Max Verstappen, but internal issues at Red Bull do not seem sufficient for the Dutchman to risk leaving a winning team.
In a year where all contracts are ending, for now, the only three drivers with a confirmed future in Formula 1 are Verstappen himself, who has a deal with Red Bull valid until 2028 despite rumors of disassociation; Hamilton who is moving to Ferrari; and the Spanish driver Fernando Alonso, who will continue with Aston Martin.
