Former Ferrari sporting director Cesare Fiorio has warned Carlos Sainz that he risks cancelling the entire 2025 F1 season if he makes the decision to lead Audi’s F1 project.
Despite his Ferrari seat for Lewis Hamilton for 2025, Sainz’s reputation in F1 has arguably never been stronger after a string of excellent performances over the past 12 months.
The Spaniard is the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race since the start of the 2023 season and claimed his third career win at last weekend’s Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
Sainz is strongly linked to a switch to Sauber, which is expected to be renamed Audi in 2026 when the German manufacturer hits the grid, for next year, with seats also available from Red Bull, Mercedes and Aston Martin as is. .
Speaking to Italian publication FormulaPassion, Fiorio expressed regret that Sainz is leaving Ferrari at the end of the season, saying the team has taken some time to reflect on the qualities he brings to the team before leaving him for Hamilton.
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He said: “Sainz is once again the driving force that, so far, has carried Ferrari to victory over the last two years. I would have thought of it twice before parting ways with the tactic. “
“It’s not that Lewis Hamilton is a wonderful driver, on the contrary, he may bring a lot of wisdom to Ferrari, but Sainz is very strong.
A switch to Sauber for 2025 would see Sainz swap a winning car for one of the slowest on the grid, with the Swiss team being one of three, along with Williams and Alpine, yet to score a point this year.
Fiorio understands why Audi, whose access to F1 is overseen through Andreas Seidl, Sainz’s former boss at McLaren, would be willing to sign Sainz before his arrival in 2026.
However, he believes the team’s lack of competitiveness would see Sainz dash any hopes of a productive 2025.
He said: “I think Audi needs to have Carlos Sainz as the best driver, a kind of beacon to visualize the arrival of this great manufacturer to F1.
“The challenge is that 2025 would be a ‘wasted’ year.
Fiorio’s comments come after Sky F1 commentator Martin Brundle suggested Sainz avoid “staying afloat” by committing to Audi, insisting the Spaniard will have to aim to sign up for a more established team with quick hopes of victory.
He said: “He’s 29 years old, he can’t go through and sit still against a team that really says we’re going to go through, that we’re going to have to wait until 2027 before we’re in a position to go through properly. No, no, no, I do. ” I don’t think that’s his next step at all.
“He has to move to Mercedes or Aston or go back to Red Bull. “
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