Sainz pours cold water on Audi rumours: ‘I am living a dream at Ferrari’

Audi plan to enter F1 in 2026 following their full takeover of Alfa Romeo/Sauber.

The German manufacturer will build and design its own power unit when F1 embarks on its new engine rules in three years.

With Valtteri Bottas’ form stuttering, and Zhou Guanyu unlikely to be a long term option for a factory team like Audi, it’s likely they will be looking for options elsewhere.

According to BLICK, Sainz - who is out of contract at Ferrari at the end of 2024 - is a leading candidate.

Andreas Seidl - who worked with Sainz at McLaren - joined Sauber as their CEO at the start of the year which is another potential reason why Sainz to Audi makes sense.

Speaking to Spanish publication MARCA, Sainz denied the rumours with a scathing response.

“It surprises me a lot, hearing things about 2026 when I don’t even have a contract for 2025,” he said.

“It surprises me that people invent things so much. In some ways, it makes me laugh. In other ways, it annoys me that there are these uncorroborated rumours. 

“Nobody will ever go to that journalist and verify it.

“Because the aim is to stay at Ferrari for many years, I am very comfortable here, I’m living a dream, and this is my objective.”

Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc is also out of contract at the end of 2024.

Leclerc has been mooted as a potential replacement for Lewis Hamilton, should the seven-time world champion call time on his career in F1.

However, Leclerc has often expressed, like Sainz, that driving for Ferrari has been a “dream of his”.