David Croft talks up Carlos Sainz as potential Fernando Alonso successor at Aston Martin

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David Croft could see Aston Martin turning to Carlos Sainz if Fernando Alonso decides to retire at the end of the season. Alonso’s contract is up in December.

Due to turn 45 in July, Alonso has already been racing in F1 much longer than expected. Aston Martin’s current struggles may diminish his appetite to continue, even if he continues to outperform teammate Lance Stroll.

Fellow Spaniard Sainz is also in a frustrating situation at Williams. A spate of retirements at the Chinese GP allowed him to score two points, but the FW48 is a lower midfield car on a full grid, as evidenced by Sainz’s recent qualifying results (17th in China, 16th in Japan).

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Aston Martin could become an ‘attractive option’ for Carlos Sainz

Williams were hopeful of challenging the top teams under the new regulations, but they have instead dropped down the pecking order after an encouraging fifth-place finish last year. Sainz has an exit clause in his contract and may be inclined to consider his future.

As Max Verstappen considers retiring from F1, Croft suspects that Sainz may be eyeing a return to the Red Bull family. But Aston Martin may be a more realistic option, provided they make sufficient progress this year.

Sainz, a four-time Grand Prix winner, would appeal to Lawrence Stroll if he lost Alonso. He would have to convince the 31-year-old that Aston Martin have a higher ceiling than Williams.

• READ MORE: Fernando Alonso makes decision on his F1 future beyond 2026 after Aston Martin’s dire start

“Red Bull, if Max goes, would be an attractive option for Carlos, but there are other drivers who are out of contract at the end of the year that Red Bull might be courting as well,” said Croft on the F1 Show.

“There might be a spot at Aston Martin going. If Aston Martin and Honda can solve three-quarters of their issues this year, and go into next year with a much more competitive package, that then becomes an attractive option for a driver.

“But once again, there will be other drivers that might be in the frame for that. Aston will be talking to a lot of drivers for the future, but Carlos could be a very, very good choice for that team if Fernando stops racing at the end of the year.”

‘I feel for him’ – Martin Brundle on Carlos Sainz’s F1 future

Croft’s colleague Martin Brundle says Sainz is in a difficult position. He has already raced for five different teams and Brundle can’t see him returning to McLaren or Ferrari at the front of the grid.

“Where would Carlos go?” Brundle asked. He’s been at McLaren, he’s been at Red Bull, he’s been at Ferrari and Williams. There’s no room at Mercedes.

“It’s difficult to know where he’d go to get something better without revisiting places that, for whatever reason, he wasn’t invited to stay at.

“It’s really hard for him. I feel for him, because while I don’t think he’s got the absolute talent of a Verstappen and co., he is a fighter, he’s relentless. Some of the races he’s won have been absolutely outstanding.

“He’s up against it there. He’s driven for nearly half of the teams on the grid already in his career. Unless a gap opens up expectedly, unless Red Bull suddenly need somebody because Max has decided to go GT racing, then I don’t know what else he would do.”

Sainz held negotiations with Audi before signing for Williams, but they are unlikely to consider a driver change for 2027. Even then, the German manufacturer have only managed two points themselves.

Sainz raced for Alpine under their former guise of Renault, and the ongoing uncertainty around Franco Colapinto’s future could perhaps present an opportunity. The Enstone outfit are one of the teams who have made a leap forward under the new rules.