Carlos Sainz sabbatical? Option discussed as dropped Ferrari driver assesses next move

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari

Carlos Sainz could take a sabbatical for the F1 2025 season if none of his options after leaving Ferrari are deemed sufficient.

That is the view of F1 commentator Harry Benjamin, who fears the chance to lead Audi’s F1 2026 project may not appeal to the Spaniard.

Carlos Sainz to take F1 2025 sabbatical?

Despite learning in pre-season that his Ferrari contract will not be renewed, Sainz has enjoyed his best-ever start to a season in 2024, finishing on the podium at every race he has contested so far and collecting his third career victory at last month’s Australian Grand Prix.

With Fernando Alonso committing his future to Aston Martin on Thursday, Sainz has emerged as the most in-demand driver on the current grid.

Having been heavily linked with a move to Sauber ahead of Audi’s F1 2026 entry, multiple reports from Italy on Friday claimed Sainz is on the verge of agreeing a deal to join Mercedes in what would be a direct seat swap with Lewis Hamilton.

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Speaking before the rumours of a Mercedes switch emerged, Benjamin raised the possibility that Sainz could elect to sit out next season entirely in the hope of receiving more favourable opportunities for 2026.

He told the BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast: “It’s amazing what being sacked does for a driver, doesn’t it?

“Time and time again, we always see that whenever a driver gets dropped suddenly their performances on track improve and that pressure is almost lifted.

“If Sainz had raced in Saudi Arabia, there is a high likelihood that right now he’d probably be second in the Drivers’ Championship, or at the very least third as it stands now, he’s fourth, just a few points behind his team-mate [Charles] Leclerc having missed a grand prix.

“I don’t think he’s that high up the list of Mercedes, but I’m sure he’s on the list.

“And then there’s a lot of talk about Sauber, who will become Audi in 2026, and he’s got a strong link with Audi through his father who races for that brand.

“But will Audi be competitive quickly enough for Sainz to want to wait around to be that guy? Will he play number two at Red Bull? Are any of those options appealing to him?

“I know he wants to obviously stay on the grid – and I think there’s a high likelihood he will – but there could be an opportunity there might not be the right option for Sainz to stay on the grid.

“And then what happens? Does he find himself out of Formula 1 for a season?

“Sergio Perez was out of contract in 2020 in the Racing Point, won a race, his stock was at an all-time high – he didn’t have a contract for the next year.

“Red Bull obviously came in, swooped him up and he remained and you’ve got to go back maybe Damon Hill out of contract in his Championship-winning year.

“And Nigel Mansell won the World title, didn’t really like the offers that were on hand for the following year and ended up going to IndyCar in America for a couple of seasons before then coming back to Formula 1.

“I just wonder if maybe we could be in a situation where that may well happen to somebody like Carlos Sainz if he doesn’t feel that there’s anything on the grid that’s going to give him the opportunity to win races.

“I don’t see Sainz wanting to do what the likes of Valtteri Bottas has done, clinging on in Formula 1 but finishing down in 16th.

“I don’t see that for Sainz. I think he’d rather have a year out of Formula 1 and reassess his options rather than settle for a lower team if that ends up being the case.”

Benjamin’s fellow pundit Alice Powell argued that a sabbatical would be a risky move for Sainz given the amount of young talent – including Oliver Bearman, who raced for Ferrari in Sainz’s place in Jeddah, and Mercedes’ 17-year-old sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli – rising through the ranks.

She said: “The only issue you have with skipping is look who you’ve got coming up through the ranks: Antonelli, Bearman, Zane Maloney, Victor Martins, [Théo] Pourchaire, [Felipe] Drugovich.

“They’ll be at the door waiting for any opportunity of a drive, so I don’t see it being the right option.

“I don’t think he would want to miss a year out because they’d be like: ‘OK, we will probably take Ollie Bearman who’s already had a race, he’s done a good job, cheaper, has potentially got backing behind him as well – and he’s younger.

“That’s the risk you take by stepping a year out. And it’s not always a good thing, because look at [Daniel] Ricciardo – he’s having a bit of a struggle at the moment.”