Carlos Sainz addresses Audi rumours as Ferrari contract DILEMMA draws near

Carlos Sainz

Sainz addresses Audi rumours as Ferrari contract DILEMMA draws near

The Spaniard's future at the Scuderia is far from secure and he wants it sorted quickly

Joe Ellis

Monday 26 June 2023 18:57

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Carlos Sainz has addressed rumours linking him with a move to Audi when the German giants enter F1 in 2026.

The Spaniard, who claimed his first F1 win at the British Grand Prix in 2022, is under contract at Ferrari until 2024 which leaves one year between his current deal ending and Audi joining the grid.

Sainz's previous team principal at McLaren, Andreas Seidl, is already on board with the four rings to lead its ascent into F1 and rumours therefore grew about a reunion.

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But Sainz has come out to deny those rumours, stating that he only has eyes on an extension with Ferrari, although he is not closed off to a move elsewhere.

A crash in practice at the Canadian GP was one of Carlos Sainz's few errors in 2023

Sainz: Ferrari are my priority

“I'm not going to lie, I don’t like going into my last year of a contract without really knowing where I'm racing the next year,” Sainz told Motorsport.com.

“My priority, and my main goal, is to win one day with Ferrari. And I think I've made that clear, very, very often. And that's why I will give my priority to them this winter.

“If not, it will also be time to look elsewhere. But that's my priority and what I want to sort out in the winter.

“I honestly think there are weeks in F1 where there's nothing to talk about. I don't know if it's clickbait or maybe smaller journalists trying to bring a story to gain notoriety, and make their smaller page more successful because they can say: 'I was the first one to say Carlos was at Audi in 2026.'

“I honestly think it's something related to that, because I don't understand where the rumours come from. It doesn't mean I will go, or will not go, it's impossible to say.

"But I know by fact that right now, I'm not talking with anyone else that is not Ferrari.”