David Coulthard tells Carlos Sainz how he can win him F1 world championships with 2025 team choice

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Sooner or later, Carlos Sainz will have to decide which of his many options on the grid he’s going to take for next season.

When he discovered before the 2024 season had even started that he had been replaced by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, he would have fancied his chances of finding a seat at a team capable of securing victories next year.

He proved his race-winning credentials just three races into the campaign, taking full advantage of Max Verstappen’s early retirement in Melbourne to win the Australian Grand Prix.

However, contract extension after contract extension started to get announced, leaving the Spaniard in a predicament.

Carlos Sainz is now facing the reality that if he wants to drive in F1 next season, he’ll be joining one of the four teams at the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship.

While Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff hasn’t ruled out Sainz for 2025, his preferences remain either promoting Kimi Antonelli from Formula 2 or poaching Max Verstappen from Red Bull.

However, David Coulthard was speaking on the Formula For Success Podcast and has suggested an alternative that could see Sainz compete to win world championships faster than any of the contract offers he’s currently got on the table.

He believes that Sainz should consider approaching Ferrari about becoming their reserve driver for the next two years.

The three-time race winner would then be in a fantastic position to replace either Hamilton or Charles Leclerc in 2027 to launch a title challenge of his own.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz’s life outside F1 from full name, girlfriend and height

David Coulthard tells Carlos Sainz to consider becoming Ferrari’s reserve driver

Talking about the Spaniard’s future, Coulthard said: “Just suddenly a thought’s come into my head that I hadn’t considered at all when you mentioned Carlos Sainz and the talk about where he’s going.

“Alpine have apparently come into the running now that Flavio Briatore has joined as an executive advisor.

“Williams have gone all-in saying that they want him, Audi of course would like him instead of Nico Hulkenberg.

“But I’m actually thinking, would Carlos actually be better saying to Ferrari, ‘OK, I’ll be your reserve driver for the next two years’.

“He’s got to imagine that Lewis [Hamilton] won’t go for a third year. So, two years observing, getting fit, having a little mental break from Formula 1 and then at 32 he would be then, to come in with a car that’s been developed with Lewis and Charles [Leclerc] and pick it up then.

“That could give him world championships! Can he get a world championship at Alpine in the next three years? Can he at Williams, can he at Audi in the next three years?”

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Carlos Sainz would be gambling on Formula 1 future if he stayed at Ferrari

Considering how many teams have made it their priority to sign Sainz for 2025, it would be a surprise if he wasn’t on the grid next year.

Alpine have made an improved bid to sign him and while they’re not in a great position right now, there’s always the risk of being forgotten once you’re no longer racing each weekend.

All it would take is Hamilton and Leclerc to impress in 2026 and both be rewarded with contract extensions to scupper Coulthard’s proposed plan.

The other worry would be that youngster Oliver Bearman impresses similarly to Charles Leclerc at Sauber during his rookie season and Ferrari see no choice but to promote him at the first available opportunity.

While Coulthard’s idea isn’t necessarily a bad one, it would be incredibly risky and considering Ferrari have already decided that Sainz is expendable by letting him go at the end of this year, holding on for a potential seat in the future doesn’t seem advisable at this stage.