Damon Hill would ‘definitely’ push Carlos Sainz to join one F1 team after Ferrari axe

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Damon Hill would ‘definitely’ push Carlos Sainz to join Red Bull in 2025 after Ferrari dropped the Spaniard to sign seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton for next year.

The Scuderia have left Sainz without a seat on the 2025 Formula 1 grid after electing against awarding him a new contract. Ferrari were in talks to extend the 29-year-old’s terms beyond 2024 after renewing Charles Leclerc’s terms. But they could not turn down signing Hamilton.

Sainz’s deal expires following the 2024 season but Ferrari learned that Hamilton could leave Mercedes in the winter, too. The 39-year-old had only signed a new contract in Brackley last August for 2024 and 2025. But his deal featured a release clause for after the 2024 season.

Ferrari left Carlos Sainz in the cold to sign Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes

Hamilton leaving Mercedes for Ferrari hands the Scuderia the most successful driver in F1’s history to join Leclerc. He and Michael Schumacher are the only seven-time champions. But the Stevenage-born star holds the F1 records for wins (103), poles (104) and podiums (197).

Sainz, on the other hand, has so far only won the 2022 British GP and Singapore GP in 2023. He has also taken five pole positions and stood on 18 podiums so far. But his Marina Bay win was the only Grand Prix victory for a non-Red Bull driver in 2023 over the 22 rounds, as well.

Damon Hill feels Carlos Sainz should try to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull

Still, Hamilton’s availability for 2025 was enough for Ferrari to axe Sainz, who could have an array of Formula 1 teams including Mercedes and Red Bull to select from. The Silver Arrows are searching for George Russell’s teammate and Sergio Perez is out of contract for Red Bull.

Journalist Rebecca Clancy has reported that Sainz is ‘gunning’ to take Mercedes’ seat which Hamilton is vacating. But 1996 F1 champion Hill believes Sainz should be focusing his efforts on ousting Perez at Red Bull. It would be a reunion with the Red Bull family for the Spaniard.

“I’m sort of looking at it this way,” Hill explained on Sky Sports F1 (28/2, 15:51). “I’m thinking if I was advising him, where would I try and put him? I would definitely be interested in Red Bull. I think that would be top of the list if he can get in there. So, [it is] a possibility.”

Sainz is a product of Red Bull’s driver academy programme and broke into F1 at their junior team, Toro Rosso. He also drove for the Faenza outfit – now called Visa Cash App RB – next to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. But Helmut Marko has said the atmosphere was ‘quite toxic’.

So, while Hill feels Sainz should focus his efforts on replacing Perez at Red Bull in 2025, the move to Milton Keynes may face greater hurdles. Reports by Sky Sports before Ferrari even signed Hamilton from Mercedes also suggested Audi was targeting Sainz for a Sauber drive.