F1 Rumour: Ferrari Sets Sights On Alex Albon For Carlos Sainz Seat
Speculation has been rife about the potential renewal of contracts for Ferrari's current leading men, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, which are set to end in 2024. And now, Williams driver Alex Albon has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Sainz in 2025.
The rumour mill churned out possibilities of Mercedes courting Leclerc and Audi showing interest in Sainz, though these were later dismissed by both drivers. With Ferrari's attention recently fixated on enhancing the performance of the SF-23, contract renewals haven't been top of the agenda.
Recently, Ferrari President John Elkann has said that addressing the SF-23's shortcomings has been Ferrari's key focus, so extending the drivers' contracts has taken a back seat.
Meanwhile, team principal Frederic Vasseur expressed his desire to continue with the Leclerc-Sainz combo, and gave assurance that discussions regarding contract renewals would take place during the F1 championship's summer break.
While there's little doubt regarding Leclerc's continued tenure with Ferrari, Carlos Sainz's future seems less clear. With his eyes potentially set on leading a team in 2025, the Spaniard might be looking elsewhere. The Corriere dello Sport today mentioned a potential successor for Sainz:
"However, the irreconcilability between Carlitos' sacrosanct ambition to become world champion and Ferrari's determined intention to become Leclerc-centric.
"And now uncontrolled rumours are filtering, according to which Vasseur hooked Alex Albon to have him in the red from 2025, to bring points and watch Charles's back.
"It is a plausible hypothesis considering the various circumstances, and that the contracts of Sainz with Maranello and of Albon with Williams expire at the end of 2024 ″.
Albon has also been mentioned as a possible replacement for Sergio Perez at Red Bull, although as Williams team principal James Vowles has recently explained they are looking to build the team around the British-Thai driver, it doesn't look like he is going to move anytime soon.