AUDI F1 CHIEF FINALLY NAMES TOP DRIVER TARGET FOR SEAT NEXT TO NICO HULKENBERG

Sauber have confirmed Carlos Sainz is the top driver target for Audi ahead of their Formula 1 entry.

The existing Sauber outfit will become the Audi works team when the German carmaker formally enters F1 for the first time in 2026. But they are already pressing ahead with their driver plans and look to get their line-up fixed in place sooner rather than later.

Sauber currently field a pairing of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu. But at least one of them will make way next season after it was confirmed that Nico Hulkenberg will be joining the team from Haas.

Sainz has been heavily linked with the Audi project for many months now and it is understood that negotiations have been taking place for some time. The team's chase of the Spaniard has been an open secret in the paddock, but had not been confirmed by any senior team figures.

But team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi changed that in Miami as he confirmed Sainz as Audi's top target. "Everybody knows that there is a top driver that is available in the market - it's Carlos Sainz," he said.

"I think that everybody, you know, would like to have Carlos on board. He is one of the best drivers. He shows [himself] to be extremely mature, a good driver to develop the car, to drive the team for the development, but at the same time very consistent, very strong both in qualifying and race.

"And I think that Ferrari has one of the best pairs of drivers. But we know also that the drivers market is not depending just by ourselves. It is depending on different factors. And there are many teams that are discussing with drivers. And I think that there are several options for our team.

"And we will evaluate, but now that we announced Nico there is no rush to make this choice. We are still at the very beginning." Alunni Bravi went on to confirm, though, that no final decision has been taken and that both Bottas and Zhou still have the chance to fight for their seats.

He added: ""We are speaking with [Sainz] and other drivers, also with our current drivers. But this is why we have no rush, because now we secured one of the two seats. Now we can have more time. The decision is not an easy one. Because, of course, we have two good drivers that have been with us for three years, that are performing well.

"There is Carlos, there are other drivers... we are taking a decision that is not just impacting 2025 but also the future of the Audi works team. So, I would say the duration of the contract, what could be the combination... the driver line-up is important. It is not just the decision of a single driver. And all the options are on the table, starting from our current two drivers and find [the one] that could fit into the overall project."

2024-05-07T12:20:05Z dg43tfdfdgfd