MPH: Why Sainz and Albon are big players in F1’s 2025 transfer market – Motor Sport

Sainz only has this season left on his Ferrari contract and is said to be pushing for more than the one-year extension (plus an option on its side) currently on offer. Why might Ferrari not offer Sainz more than a year extension? Maybe it just wants flexibility, doesn’t want to have both its seats filled through to the end of ’26 thereby closing off the chance to take Hamilton when his Merc contract expires a year earlier. Would Ferrari want Hamilton alongside Leclerc? Senior management certainly would. Would Hamilton want to go to Ferrari? Probably not if the next two Mercs are super-fast. But if they are not?

Where does that leave Sainz? The likelihood of him returning to Red Bull is probably slim, given that it’s now even more Verstappen-centric – understandably so – than when feathers were ruffled as Max and Carlos partnered up at Toro Rosso a few years ago.

Prior to the Norris announcement, it was easy to imagine Carlos making a return to McLaren if Lando had left for Red Bull. But now, if he doesn’t wish to take up Ferrari on its supposed one-year extension offer, his options are fairly narrow if Red Bull is definitely out of the question. There’s the rumoured Audi offer. That’s quite a long-term project, surely. Otherwise, could he be convinced that Williams is a team with a front-running future? Because Williams could be needing a star driver in ’25.

Albon is contracted there for another year but with an option after that which the team will for sure wish to take up. His stock is very high after two super-impressive seasons. But maybe Williams could be persuaded to release him in ’25 for the right price – if there was a suitable replacement available. Such as Sainz.