Anthony Davidson believes "Audi is the perfect destination for Carlos Sainz"

Lewis Hamilton will join Scuderia Ferrari starting with the 2025 Formula 1 championship and the British driver will replace Carlos Sainz, who will therefore leave the Maranello team after four years. Since February, it’s obviously the most talked about driver market operation in the world of Formula 1, along with two other questions that still circulate without answers: who will replace Lewis Hamilton in Mercedes? And where will Carlos Sainz go once his final season at Scuderia Ferrari is over?

In these cases too, there is no shortage of rumors about the names of the drivers who will replace Lewis Hamilton and the teams that will welcome the Spaniard in 2025. However, for #55, the team that has seemed closest to the three-time Grand Prix winner is Sauber, which in 2026 will begin a partnership with Audi. The German brand, which will make its debut in Formula 1 as a power unit manufacturer, is also coming off the success in the last Dakar Rally with Carlos Sainz, although in this case it refers to the father of the Ferrari driver.

An aspect that could facilitate the transition of the Iberian driver to the current Kick Sauber team for 2025, before the expected transformation into Audi. Regardless of the bond between the Sainz family and Audi, the team seems to be the perfect destination for former F1 driver Anthony Davidson, who explained his reasons during the last pre-season tests: “I presume it will happen,” the Englishman said. “I just think it’s a great place for an experienced and professional driver like him to help grow a new team. It’s still Sauber, of course, but there will be new people within the team who want to make their mark in Formula 1, and I think he’ll be a brilliant driver to help lead and measure aspirations – perhaps even a bit too optimistic – at times.” – pointed out the British former racing driver, who currently working as an analyst for the Sky Sports F1 television channel.

For the former Minardi, BAR, Honda, and Super Aguri driver, Carlos Sainz is therefore the perfect profile: “I think he’s an excellent driver,” he added. “We also see it at Ferrari, when sometimes the strategy falters a bit, he’s always there to put everything back in order and keep his feet on the ground. I see him as a reference figure, a driver who speaks with authority. I believe that if he were to show up at Audi, it wouldn’t surprise me at all.” According to Anthony Davidson, another factor that would further make Carlos Sainz’s move possible is the presence of Andreas Seidl as CEO, who was Team Principal of McLaren during the Spaniard’s time at Woking.

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari