Jacques Villeneuve thinks 29-year-old driver’s value has ‘gone down’ already this year

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Former Formula 1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve believes Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz’s value has fallen after being replaced by Lewis Hamilton for next season.

The 29-year-old Spaniard drove like a man with a point to prove in Bahrain, beating his teammate and both Mercedes cars to the final spot on the podium.

Speaking to GP Fans, Villeneuve admitted that Carlos Sainz’s career is now on the line but judging by Saturday’s performance, he’s unlikely to be short of offers for 2025.

Villeneuve thinks Sainz’s value has gone down over the winter

The biggest talking point off the track heading into the 2024 season was Lewis Hamilton’s dramatic move to Ferrari.

The seven-time world champion has given the world of F1 a full year to speculate and discuss his seismic transfer between two of the sport’s biggest manufacturers.

It has left us with two burning questions that might not be answered for some time.

Who is going to replace him at Mercedes and where does this leave Carlos Sainz?

There’s a chance that both of those questions end up with the same answer, with the 29-year-old reportedly ‘gunning’ for the seat at Mercedes.

He has ‘big admirers’ further down the grid though and his family connection with Audi may play a part too.

Unfortunately, Jacques Villeneuve believes that Sainz’s value may have already fallen and his chances of joining a strong team may be in doubt.

While it’s likely that no other team will move in the market but Mercedes have decided on their new driver, few teams will act on replacing their current line-up until they know where Sainz is heading.

Carlos Sainz a key cog in the 2024 F1 driver market

Speaking about the two-time race winner, Villeneuve said: “[Carlos] Sainz… What game will he play? His career is on the line right now.

“This [Hamilton signing] was announced before he had time to talk with other teams properly, so his value’s gone down.

“His potential for getting into a good team in a strong position is also in jeopardy now, so that will be crazy to see.”

While Villeneuve thinks Sainz’s value might have fallen over the winter, if he keeps outscoring teammate Charles Leclerc then that won’t last for long.

He doesn’t want to close any doors in his career and has even said he wouldn’t be against driving for Ferrari again one day.

It’s the right attitude to have when you know you’re entering the final year of your contract, but teams should be lining up to hire the 29-year-old for 2025 and beyond.