Cockpit decisions

Formula 1: Waiting for Sainz, two drivers threatened with retirement

Nachrichten
28.06.2024 05:49

The dominoes are slowly beginning to fall in Formula 1. While some are waiting for Carlos Sainz's decision, Daniel Ricciardo and Kevin Magnussen are threatened with retirement.

Before the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg, further cockpit decisions were announced in the Formula 1 transfer carousel, with Pierre Gasly remaining with Alpine and Lance Stroll with Aston Martin. It is becoming increasingly clear who will be in which car in 2025 and which seats are still vacant. For many, however, things are not moving fast enough. One big question that is blocking other solutions remains: Where will Carlos Sainz sign?

Waiting for Sainz
The Spaniard, who will leave his seat at Ferrari to seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton at the end of the year, will probably be the trigger for a chain reaction as soon as he decides on his new employer. Currently, seven of the 20 seats are still open on paper. According to media reports, Sainz has more or less finalized offers from Alpine, Sauber/Audi, Williams and Haas on the table and can take his pick. He intends to announce his decision after next weekend's race in Silverstone.

Carlos Sainz (Bild: GEPA)
Carlos Sainz

"We are all waiting to see what Carlos decides at the end of the day. But hopefully he can make his decision earlier," said Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu bluntly on Thursday in Spielberg. "I think that will really shake up the driver market. But before that, I don't think the people who haven't signed yet can really give a clear answer or direction as to where they want to go."

What will Bottas do?
Not only the fate of the Chinese driver, but also that of his team-mate Valtteri Bottas and that of Esteban Ocon are directly or indirectly dependent on the Sainz decision. Bottas could end up at Alpine or Williams if Sainz turns them both down - or stay with Sauber, which will become the Audi works team in 2026. Ocon is also valued by those responsible at Sauber and Williams, but is the favorite for one of the two Haas cockpits, according to media reports. Ferrari protégé Oliver Bearman is said to have very good cards for the other. Zhou is also said to be under discussion.

Zhou Guanyu (left) and Valtteri Bottas (Bild: Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Zhou Guanyu (left) and Valtteri Bottas

At Alpine, the other cockpit is free after Gasly signed. The most promising candidate after Sainz is Australian Jack Doohan, the 21-year-old son of former motorcycle world champion Mick Doohan. Another contender is another son of a motorsport legend: Mick Schumacher, the offspring of record Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher, is currently contesting the World Endurance Championship (WEC) for Alpine.

Lawson instead of Ricciardo?
Daniel Ricciardo is about to retire from Racing Bulls, and his logical replacement would be Red Bull junior Liam Lawson. As things stand, this means that Zhou, Ricciardo, Kevin Magnussen and Logan Sargeant are the most likely to be without a permanent Formula 1 seat next season. "I'm currently looking at all options inside and outside Formula 1," revealed US American Logan Sargeant, who still drives for Williams.

Daniel Ricciardo (Bild: Getty Images/Rudy Carezzevoli)
Daniel Ricciardo

"There is a career outsideFormula 1"
 The same applies to Magnussen, who will probably have to leave Haas at the end of the season. "I'm 31 years old and I'm starting to think that it would feel empty if I were to end my motorsport career after only racing in the midfield of Formula 1," said the Dane. "When I look at Le Mans or the Indy 500 and see some of the winners, they look pretty damn happy and I think there is a career outside of Formula 1."

Overview of the Formula 1 teams and contracted drivers for 2025:
RED BULL RACING: Max Verstappen (NED)/Sergio Perez (MEX)
FERRARI: Charles Leclerc (MON)/Lewis Hamilton (GBR)
MCLAREN: Lando Norris (GBR)/Oscar Piastri (AUS)
MERCEDES: George Russell (GBR)/?
ASTON MARTIN: Fernando Alonso (ESP)/Lance Stroll (CAN)
RACING BULLS: Yuki Tsunoda (JPN)/?
ALPINE: Pierre Gasly (FRA)/? 
HAAS: ?/?
WILLIAMS: Alexander Albon (THA)/?
SAUBER: Nico Hülkenberg (GER)/?

This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.

Loading...
00:00 / 00:00
Abspielen
Schließen
Aufklappen
Loading...
Vorige 10 Sekunden
Zum Vorigen Wechseln
Abspielen
Zum Nächsten Wechseln
Nächste 10 Sekunden
00:00
00:00
1.0x Geschwindigkeit
Loading
Kommentare
Eingeloggt als 
Nicht der richtige User? Logout

Willkommen in unserer Community! Eingehende Beiträge werden geprüft und anschließend veröffentlicht. Bitte achten Sie auf Einhaltung unserer Netiquette und AGB. Für ausführliche Diskussionen steht Ihnen ebenso das krone.at-Forum zur Verfügung. Hier können Sie das Community-Team via unserer Melde- und Abhilfestelle kontaktieren.

User-Beiträge geben nicht notwendigerweise die Meinung des Betreibers/der Redaktion bzw. von Krone Multimedia (KMM) wieder. In diesem Sinne distanziert sich die Redaktion/der Betreiber von den Inhalten in diesem Diskussionsforum. KMM behält sich insbesondere vor, gegen geltendes Recht verstoßende, den guten Sitten oder der Netiquette widersprechende bzw. dem Ansehen von KMM zuwiderlaufende Beiträge zu löschen, diesbezüglichen Schadenersatz gegenüber dem betreffenden User geltend zu machen, die Nutzer-Daten zu Zwecken der Rechtsverfolgung zu verwenden und strafrechtlich relevante Beiträge zur Anzeige zu bringen (siehe auch AGB). Hier können Sie das Community-Team via unserer Melde- und Abhilfestelle kontaktieren.

Kostenlose Spiele
Vorteilswelt