Replacement mooted if “agreement can’t be done” between Carlos Sainz and Ferrari

Replacement mooted if “agreement can’t be done” between Carlos Sainz and Ferrari

 

 

 

Alex Albon could emerge as a target for the iconic Italian team if they fail with their priority of tying their existing drivers down to extended stays.Charles Leclerc and Sainz’s contracts are both set to expire at the end of 2024 but they are in talks to sign new deals.The team’s No 1 priority is to keep Leclerc long-term, with his talks “taking precedence” above Sainz’s, according to F1.com.“Once that is done and dusted, Ferrari are likely to move quickly to lock Sainz down,” the report states.Sainz wants a two-year deal which would take him through 2026, the first year of the new F1 regulations.He was the only driver, apart from Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, to win an F1 grand prix last year so his stock is high.But Plan B would be to look at Williams driver Albon who is described as “possibly one of the most highly-rated that is available”.Related Albon ‘keen to free himself from Williams deal’ after failed bids from two teams ‘Far too much of a yes man’ – Where Albon got it wrong at Red BullESPN report that Albon is “keen to get himself free of his current Williams deal”. He was approached by two unnamed teams last year, it is reported.Albon dragged Williams to P7 in the constructors’ championship last season to further his own reputation as a growing talent.Albon is “open” to being Williams’ “focal point of the rebuild” and would sign a new contract to stay beyond 2024, when his current terms expire.But he also “knows that he has several admirers elsewhere in the paddock”.Should an opportunity to join Ferrari open, it would represent a major move.But if Ferrari get what they want (which is to lock down Leclerc and Sainz), then all hope is not lost for Albon.Williams’ stopped their car development early last season to focus on 2024 under new team boss James Vowles, and are expected to be a more competitive force this year. 

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