F1 team boss has secretly changed his mind on 29-year-old’s future in the last six months

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Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur may have secretly changed his mind over the past few months on the future of Carlos Sainz.

Charles Leclerc’s future with Ferrari is secured for years to come, but his teammate has now entered the final year of his contract.

A report from Corriere dello Sport suggests that the 55-year-old may not be as keen as he once was about re-signing Carlos Sainz.

Ferrari will know how important the decision they make on their driver line-up in the next few months is.

With a big regulation change coming in 2026, they’ll want to set themselves up to challenge for championships once that season comes around.

Leclerc is incredibly highly-rated and it’s been suggested he may be even quicker than Max Verstappen.

He simply hasn’t had a car that can convert his unbelievable qualifying performances into race wins.

Carlos Sainz did win the Singapore Grand Prix last year and matched his teammate’s points tally in 2023.

But Vasseur may have changed his mind about keeping Sainz at Ferrari with other options on the table.

With so many drivers running down their contracts at slower teams right now, he’ll have no shortage of options.

That could spell bad news for Sainz, but it also means if Ferrari do let him go he’ll have plenty of opportunities to stay in Formula 1.

Vasseur may have changed his mind on Sainz at Ferrari

The report from Corriere dello Sport suggests that current negotiations are ‘top secret’ but Vasseur’s current ‘posture’ is very different from what he was telling the press last year.

Noises from Ferrari over the winter have suggested that Sainz will be staying with the team.

However, Vasseur denied that Leclerc was his number one driver, but announcing his contract without agreeing his teammate’s deal sends a message.

Alex Albon is on Ferrari’s radar with his Williams deal running down after a fantastic 2023.

They could also partner Leclerc with his close friend Pierre Gasly after a frustrating first year with Alpine.

Sainz and Sergio Perez currently have the most desirable seats on the grid that could become available in 2025.

They’ll both be under immense pressure to perform once the season begins.