SUMMARY
- Aston Martin faces internal debate over Carlos Sainz amid Fernando Alonso's prominent role in the team.
- Report suggests Aston Martin faction advocating for Sainz's inclusion, potentially challenging Alonso's position.
Aston Martin finds itself amid a brewing storm within the Formula 1 driver market involving Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz. While their official stance adamantly emphasizes the irreplaceable value of veteran driver Alonso, whispers from within the team hint at a potential power struggle. According to a recent report, a faction within Aston Martin seems to be advocating for Sainz on the team.
The 29-year-old driver had a fantastic start to the season, with a streak of podium finishes, which has pushed him to be a highly sought-after driver. Top teams like Mercedes and Red Bull are actively exploring options to fill their vacant seats, and Aston Martin appears eager to join the league. Sainz himself has been casting a wide net, even holding discussions with Audi’s upcoming F1 project.
Aston Martin eyes Carlos Sainz for upcoming F1 season
Despite his age, Alonso continues to defy expectations with his consistently high performance. He remains a cornerstone of the success of the Silverstone-based team, as evidenced by their recent car upgrades specifically aimed at keeping the 2x world champion happy. However, the given report caught the grid off guard, considering the fact that Alonso’s contract is expiring soon.
Driver Market: “Factions within Aston Martin” want Carlos Sainz to replace Fernando Alonso.
Red Bull will not rush next year’s lineup and isn’t bothered by the pressure Audi is putting on the driver market at the moment.#F1 pic.twitter.com/ugWk1TEGsH
— 🏎 Formula 1 Daily (@Formula1_Daily) April 8, 2024
The report by Motorsport.com claims, “Sources have revealed that factions within Aston Martin want him to join the Silverstone outfit for 2025 alongside Lance Stroll and lead it into the new F1 rules era from 2026, rather than continue with Fernando Alonso.” This unexpected development adds a layer of intrigue to the already complex driver market situation.
While Alonso offers stability, he may limit their immediate championship aspirations. Sainz, on the other hand, could lead to a performance boost but might require internal adjustments and a learning curve for Stroll. Nonetheless, the two teams are actively pursuing the championship title where Prancing Horse is undoubtedly leading, with 120 points. Aston Martin, on the other hand, is far behind with 33 points.
Sainz urges acceleration in 2025 F1 contract talks
F1 is in the midst of a major disruption, with Carlos Sainz emerging as a prominent player. Ferrari’s decision to replace him with Lewis Hamilton in the following year has pushed him to the top of the free agent list, attracting intense interest from several top teams. The 29-year-old has been the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race in the 2023 season, as well as this year.
🇯🇵|🎙️ Carlos about if his future depends on him or other people:
“I think it also depends in other people, in other teams what they choose to go for, they know I’m available so lets see what happens”. #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/LIaSk63qIY
— Carlos Sainz News (@CSainzNews_) April 7, 2024
Additionally, he has consistently outperformed his teammate Charles Leclerc at Ferrari this season. While talking about his future in F1 from the 2025 season onwards, Sainz stated, “I’m talking to a few [teams] because that’s what my management team and myself should do when I don’t have a job for next year yet. So, we’re talking to pretty much all of them.”
He further added, “The only thing I would say is that obviously it’s time now to speed up a bit everything and hopefully we can get it sorted sooner rather than later.” Sainz’s statement aligns with what Leclerc revealed recently regarding the former. However, the Formula 1 community is desperately waiting for an official statement from the teams or the drivers.