The Formula 1 world is in Barcelona for this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, and there are various storylines price monitoring. One of the key themes is the battle shaping up in each the Constructors’ Championship in addition to the Drivers’ Championship, as McLaren and Ferrari — and their drivers — appear to be taking the combat to Red Bull and Max Verstappen, respectively.
However, the key storyline stays the 2025 driver grid.
During the FIA Press Conference on Thursday one of many drivers nonetheless awaiting phrase on his destiny, Haas driver Kevin Magnussen, recognized what the believes to be the key holdup in the case of setting the grid for 2025.
Carlos Sainz Jr.
Magnussen requested what is the maintain up on his future, gestures towards Sainz: “He is, Carlos is the cork within the bottle. A number of guys are ready for him to make a transfer. Eventually, all the opposite items of the puzzle will fall. Yeah, that’s the reality of that.” #F1 #SpanishGP
— Luke Smith (@LukeSmithF1) June 20, 2024
There is definitely some fact to this notion. As outlined by each Toto Wolff and James Vowles in latest weeks, Sainz is the highest free agent driver available on the market. And with Wolff indicating that Mercedes goes to go in a special course for subsequent season — in all chance younger phenom Andrea Kimi Antonelli — then Sainz might be his different choices.
And taking his time to make sure he makes the best resolution.
That means the opposite drivers are in a little bit of a holding sample. Let’s say, for instance, Sainz decides to signal with Williams for subsequent season, as has been the belief not too long ago. That means each Sauber and Haas are actually out of the operating for his companies, and so they can transfer down their record of potential drivers to their subsequent choices. For Magnussen particularly, that may imply he returns to Haas, maybe as a veteran to pair with one other younger driver, Oliver Bearman.
And to proceed with that instance, Sauber would then know these choices are off the desk, and so they can pivot to maybe Esteban Ocon or one in every of their two present drivers (Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu) to pair with Nico Hülkenberg subsequent season.
Once Sainz makes up his thoughts, the remainder of the dominoes will fall.
Or the cork will come out of the bottle, to make use of Magnussen’s description.
