One crazy F1 driver market swap could solve three teams' problems

Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz, generic, USGP , 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Features

One CRAZY F1 driver market swap could solve three teams' problems

The Mexican GP made clear a solution which might just be crazy enough to work

Daniel Austin

Tuesday 29 October 2024 12:57

Carlos Sainz drove an exceptionally impressive race to win for the fourth time in his Formula 1 career at the Mexican Grand Prix.

The Spaniard had sealed pole position with a stellar lap on Saturday in qualifying and was the class of the field again on Sunday, withstanding pressure from each of Max Verstappen Lando Norris, and Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc at different intervals to take the victory.

This was arguably the best weekend Sainz has ever produced in his 10 years in F1, combining composure and consistency with outright speed that rivals simply couldn’t match.

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As the 30-year-old stood atop the podium revelling in the champagne and celebrations, his mind must surely have momentarily drifted to the future. This, after all, is Sainz’s final season with Ferrari ahead of his replacement by Lewis Hamilton. Next year he will race for Williams, where he will be unlikely to challenge the top five in the near future, never mind podiums or race victories.

The logic of Ferrari’s decision is clear – Hamilton is the most successful driver in the history of the sport, and the pairing of the 39-year-old and Leclerc could be among the strongest F1 has ever known.

But the fact that Sainz is dropping far down the order when he possesses the ability to deliver wins as impressive as this is a real shame. Taking what could be his final victory for a long time clearly meant a lot to a driver who has been an unfortunate victim of circumstance.

What was Carlos Sainz’s reaction to winning in Mexico?

“Honestly, I really wanted this one,” a reflective Sainz said in front of the enormous Mexico City crowd afterwards. “I feel like I needed it for myself and wanted to get it done.

"I've been saying for a while I wanted one more win before leaving Ferrari and to do it here in front of this mega crowd is incredible. Now with four races left, I'm going to enjoy as much as possible, and if another [chance to win] comes I’m going for it.

"Since I arrived in Mexico I had a feeling that the win was possible. I knew my family was coming to see me this weekend, my mum was going to be present - I had never won a race with my mum [present] and my best friends are here and my dad, and I thought there might be something cooking this weekend and I need to make the most of it.

"I've been driving well all year, pushing flat out keeping my motivation high - even in difficult circumstances - and wanting to give everything for this team, and I feel like I drove some really good races.”

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Sainz finished ahead of Lando Norris in Mexico City

Sainz has not quite matched the top level produced by Leclerc in their four years as team-mates, but he has competed with him closely enough to make plain that he belongs at this level. His besting of Norris in their days as McLaren colleagues lends credence to the fact that Sainz has proven he can mix it with some of the most highly-rated younger drivers in the field.

That he was so readily ignored by both Mercedes and Red Bull earlier this year when both had openings in their garages was perhaps testament to the belief that while Sainz is clearly a very strong driver, he does not have what it takes to win a world championship.

But Red Bull in particular were not necessarily looking for a world champion. They were seeking out the best potential team-mate for Verstappen. He and Sainz are understood to have had a difficult relationship in their time with Toro Rosso, but given the fact that Red Bull’s decision to give a new contract to Sergio Perez looks more and more farcical by the week, perhaps they would have been wise to give more consideration to Sainz than they seemingly did.

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Could a driver transfer market twist solve problems for three teams?

Questions remain over who will partner Max Verstappen next season

A Sainz move to Red Bull would theoretically have solved three teams' issues in one fell swoop. For Red Bull themselves, it would give them a reliable second driver alongside Verstappen who would surely qualify far more closely to him and be much more useful strategically during races.

That, in turn, would allow them to drop the increasingly hapless Perez, whose self-described “terrible” season only worsened on home soil, and would mean that Liam Lawson would be allowed another season to develop at the junior RB team. The Kiwi has shown very impressive pace since returning to F1 in place of Daniel Ricciardo, but Horner and Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko blamed the 22-year-old for squabbling between him and Perez which left the latter with damage on Sunday.

Williams would then of course be left without Sainz for 2025, a big blow considering the significant coup team principal James Vowles secured by signing him. But since then the team has promoted Franco Colapinto to a race seat, not only have his performances and results been exceedingly impressive, his enormous popularity in Latin America has led to a slew of new sponsorship deals.

Franco Colapinto has attracted sponsorship opportunities to Williams

For a team in Williams’ position, the opportunity to develop alongside a patient young driver who brings great finance with him would perhaps represent a better long-term bet than a four-time race winner who will no doubt be aiming for a move to a better-placed squad if the opportunity arises.

The chances of all of these teams coming to such an orthodox agreement is extremely unlikely. But history shows that contracts in F1 are not watertight.

Williams previously relinquished one of their drivers from a contract when they allowed Valtteri Bottas to unexpectedly join Mercedes in 2017, while more recently. McLaren cut short Ricciardo’s deal to replace him with compatriot Oscar Piastri. And Perez himself was let go by Aston Martin so that they could sign Sebastian Vettel in his stead.

The possibility could be raised, then, but in truth Sainz is facing the prospect of following up his best ever performance with a slide down towards the midfield.

Nobody knows if this is the final time Sainz will stand on top of a Formula 1 podium. Whether he does so again or not, he has done more than enough in his time with Ferrari to demonstrate that his upcoming descent back down the grid is one of the harsher diktats the driver market has dished out in recent years.

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Lando Norris