It was not even 24 hours after the Belgian Grand Prix had ended, when members of Components 1 groups had been getting ready to take just a few weeks off throughout August, that Carlos Sainz lastly introduced his subsequent transfer.
Sainz had been described because the cork within the bottle by Kevin Magnussen – on the report, and in generally extra colourful language by a number of different drivers off it – when it got here to the driving force market, with so many groups exhibiting curiosity and making provides to the Spaniard.
Realistically Sainz’s choices got here right down to a alternative between Williams, Alpine and Stake/Sauber/Audi, and whereas Sainz’s choice has introduced readability for the primary of that trio’s state of affairs, the opposite two nonetheless have vacancies that want filling.
Additional readability could also be imminent because the paddock reconvenes in Zandvoort this weekend, however there’s additionally an opportunity there’s going to be much less of a rush as neither workforce seems to have been capable of safe their first alternative.
If we begin with the extra aggressive of the 2 in the intervening time, Alpine would possibly lastly be about to advertise one in all its junior drivers right into a race seat – and truthful play to the workforce for placing itself in that place given its ongoing off-track instability and the place it began this season.
It’s all the time powerful to match drivers, however the success of Oscar Piastri after a yr within the reserve position at Enstone exhibits that Alpine can put together younger expertise even when it hasn’t all the time then dealt with their contracts successfully, and Jack Doohan has been following in his fellow Australian’s footsteps over the previous two years.
This yr is way extra just like Piastri’s ultimate yr with Alpine, as Doohan isn’t racing however solely targeted on the reserve and improvement position, and he has made a robust case for an opportunity in F1 with testing outings on high of a few of his earlier F2 performances.
However he’s not alone on that record, with Valtteri Bottas nonetheless available on the market and serving as an skilled choice ought to Alpine wish to head that approach. So is his present teammate Zhou Guanyu, a former Renault junior who by no means obtained a shot in a race seat with the workforce. The latter might carry backing in addition to some expertise now, however would even be a barely harsh name over Doohan.
Mick Schumacher has ties by means of Alpine’s hypercar program and also will be a consideration, and Kevin Magnussen can be a free agent if the workforce desires extra expertise and doesn’t get Bottas.
Bottas and Magnussen are each skilled choices. Andy Hone/Motorsport Photos
The longer term Audi challenge has been a little bit of a large number over the previous 18 months, and it has proven by means of the managerial modifications which have taken place lately, alongside the actual fact it couldn’t persuade Sainz to affix.
However the hirings of Mattia Binotto and Jonathan Wheatley are robust ones, and the entire drivers above will maintain some curiosity in being a part of the transition subsequent yr. Sebastian Vettel’s identify has additionally been linked with a return to F1 with Audi, though Helmut Marko clarified he was one in all a number of choices he talked about as enticing German drivers that might associate Nico Hulkenberg.
Such is the dearth of clear expectations over the place the workforce goes subsequent after lacking out on Sainz, nonetheless, that even the identify of Components 2 title contender Gabriel Bortoleto has cropped up in passing. The Brazilian impressed in his rookie yr, however is a part of the McLaren younger driver setup.
The shortage of agency curiosity from Mercedes in Sainz was considerably shocking to Williams workforce principal James Vowles, however it additionally served to considerably hold Toto Wolff’s workforce out of the limelight in terms of its driver state of affairs. In another yr, there could be incessant concentrate on the emptiness at Mercedes, with the workforce needing to exchange probably the most profitable driver in F1 historical past when Lewis Hamilton heads for Ferrari.
