Sainz reflects on Binotto’s arrival at Audi as he explains whether that will influence decision on his F1 future

Carlos Sainz has given his take on the arrival of former Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto at Audi, with the Spaniard explaining whether the news will have any influence on his decision over his future for 2025.

It was confirmed ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix that Binotto – who was previously Team Principal at the Scuderia between 2019 and 2022, having worked with the company since the mid-1990s – will join Audi as Chief Operating and Chief Technical Officer on August 1, marking part of a restructure that will see CEO Andreas Seidl and executive Oliver Hoffmann leave.

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With Audi being one of the teams mentioned as a possible destination for Sainz in 2025, the 29-year-old was asked on Thursday at Spa-Francorchamps whether the appointment of Binotto – someone he has worked with in the past – could complicate his decision over his future.

“I think, first of all, I'm not up to date with everything that is going on at every team,” Sainz answered. “But of course I think the arrival of Mattia to any team is positive, mainly because he has the experience of what it takes to build a team that is a top team nowadays, like it is at Ferrari.

“And he has that experience from Ferrari that he can bring into Audi. I'm sure it's a great asset for them, and that's why they hired him. And yeah, of course, I wish him all the best there.”

It is thought that an offer for Sainz has long been on the table from Audi. However, when pushed on whether Binotto’s arrival could open the squad up as an opportunity again, Sainz responded: “Not really. I think my future is still being discussed and obviously analysed very carefully, and there's changes to a lot of teams that I'm looking at for next year pretty much every week.

“So there's changes, evolution on the team market as much as there is on the driver market. I'm just going to keep giving myself time to take the decision, to analyse all these things that keep changing, without giving you too many clues here.”

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Sainz has been linked to a number of teams for next season, ranging from those currently near the front of the pack, to others – like Sauber – that are nearer the back of the midfield.

However, should it not be possible to link up with a leading squad, Sainz is ruling out the possibility of taking a year out to wait for a better drive.

“Absolutely no, sabbatical is not even in my head,” the three-time race winner said. “I'm happy in Formula 1, I love Formula 1 and I would rather go down to a midfield team and use my skill, in the peak of my career, to try and help a midfield team to find the right way, than taking a year off or being third driver for anyone.

“I’m competitive and I know I can still bring to a midfield team that side of me.”

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And while Sainz is still being viewed as the "cork in the bottle" of the driver market, the Spaniard is not being pushed into rushing his decision.

When asked if the news could come before or after the summer break – which will begin after the Belgian Grand Prix – Sainz commented: “I cannot honestly give you the answer, and I cannot answer that question. It's as simple as that. I don't know. I don't know if it's going to be before or after the summer break. I don't know.”

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