Sainz Reveals Dark Side Of F1 After Going Through Negotiations With Multiple Teams

Friday, 28 June 2024 at 12:00

Speaking ahead of the second race of the 2024 European triple-header in Austria, Carlos Sainz revealed what he has learned from his lengthy negotiations around the 2025 seat.

Coming into the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix- the 11th race of the season, Scuderia Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz was still without a seat for the following year.

The 29-year-old has been in negotiations with almost every single team for a very long time, and speaking to the media at Red Bull Ring, he revealed what he found out about the dark side of the sport of F1.

"The situation that I've been in this year has made me learn a lot about F1 in general."

"By talking to teams, it has shown me how tough the sport is, how little sometimes you have to believe what people say at the beginning of negotiations and conversations and mainly also to trust very little people in the paddock."

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The Spanish driver wouldn't go into detail specifically about which teams or individuals are not to be trusted, but he added:

"It's a very political sport, there are a lot of things like this involved. It's made me understand that, it's a very tough sport in that sense. I understand the better picture of F1 without going too much into detail."

When can we expect the contract announcement?

During the tenth round of the season in Barcelona, the 29-year-old seemed almost decided, and he suggested the decision might be made already before the race in Austria.

While we learned about two new contract signings before the Austrian Grand Prix, neither of them was related to Carlos Sainz (Pierre Gasly's extension with Alpine and Lance Stroll's extension with Aston Martin).

Moreover, the Ferrari driver now suggests he might have to wait with his final decision until after the last race of the triple-header at Silverstone.

"It's obviously not the right time. Probably a triple-header isn't the right time to go back home and take the decision with my team, put all the options in front of the table and think carefully about what's best for me for my future for my career."