Carlos Sainz has held Audi talks and is 'a good fit' for new F1 team
A former Formula 1 racer believes Carlos Sainz has "what Audi will need" when the German carmaker officially joins the sport.
Sainz has been linked heavily with Audi in recent months. And understands there has been contact between the two parties over the Spaniard's future.
The 29-year-old's current contract with Ferrari expires at the end of the 2024. And he has already said that he will not begin to truly figure out where he will be driving from 2025 and beyond until at least the end of the current campaign.
But it seems Audi will be, at least, an option he will consider. The Sauber team currently racing under Alfa Romeo branding will officially become the car manufacturer's works team from 2026, when new engine rules come into force.
Former F1 racer and Sky Sports pundit Johnny Herbert thinks Sainz is exactly the profile of driver the team will be targeting for its 2026 race seats. "If you're trying to bring in your brand like Audi will be, your expectations have to be really high," he said.
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"You are trying to get the best and also the best of the future. Carlos has proved that he has got everything but he has got to be more consistent. Monza was a sign that if he gets it right he can do it and would be a good fit.
"Like his dad he has the right mentality. He is very strong in the head and has a very good understanding about cars and that is what Audi will need. But I also think he will want to stay at Ferrari."
Sauber's current drivers will remain in place for at least another season. Valtteri Bottas is the senior driver compared to Zhou Guanyu and has a contract until the end of 2025, and Herbert thinks the Finn has every chance of landing another extension and leading Audi's charge in its early years in F1.
The 59-year-old said: "Valtteri has spoken about wanting to be around in 2026. His whole mentality is to do that. We don't really see him feature at a race weekend but that is because of where the car is. I thought he was quite impressive against Lewis [Hamilton, at Mercedes]. When he was behind him it was only a couple of tenths of a second.
"He has got all the ingredients. He is in a team he feels happy with. It will be down to what the expectations of Audi are. Maybe in the early stages they'll think, 'Let's see where we are at'. But their expectations should be high from the outset because it is F1.
"The expectations at Audi will be high as I know, having driven for them at Le Mans. They will be massively driven to succeed. They need the right driver package in there and Valtteri, as one of the elder statesmen of F1, I can see him staying on."
Quotes from interview with Johnny Herbert courtesy of Grosvenor Casinos.
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