Former F1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr identified a team that would be most suitable for Carlos Sainz after he depart Ferrari at the end of 2024.
As it stands, Carlos Sainz seems to be deciding between three teams: Mercedes, Red Bull, and Audi. While Audi is reportedly very interested in the Spaniard, Red Bull, and Mercedes are taking their time to make a decision.
Aston Martin used to be in the picture as well, but Fernando Alonso prolonged his contract with the team, and Lance Stroll is expected to also sign an extension.
In the meantime, Audi (now Sauber) has already signed Nico Hulkenberg, so there is only one seat left on their team. They are said to be putting pressure on Sainz to deliver a final decision by mid-May.
Assessing the 29-year-old's options on the Pelas Pistas podcast, former F1 driver and brother of Max Verstappen's girlfriend Kelly Piquet, Nelso Piquet Jr said:
"McLaren doesn't have an opening for Sainz so it's not an option, so Mercedes is a very big manufacturer. It has one of the biggest teams, it's probably the biggest structure and everything nowadays."
"It has Toto [Wolff] there who wants more than anything to win the championship again, so it's a team that we know that at some point or another it will come back on top."
Max Verstappen hasn't been beaten by his teammate ever since 2017, and Piquet doesn't believe Sainz would be able to change this statistic. Consequently, he would advise the Spaniard to go to Mercedes.
"So, if I'm at Ferrari, I can't go to Red Bull as I'll be behind Max. I'll go to Mercedes. I think that's really what makes more sense."
The problem for Sainz is that neither Red Bull nor Mercedes has him as their number one priority. Consequently, he might end up in Audi either way, but he has to make that decision as soon as possible, or he might lose out on the seat in the German team as well.
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