Kevin Magnussen has expressed that Carlos Sainz holding up the Formula 1 driver market as he considers his options “makes sense” as he’s the “big name available”.
Sainz has been the centrepiece concerning matters not on the race track as several drivers on the grid await his choice to advance talks on their own 2025 prospects.
The Spaniard is weighing up concrete proposals from Alpine, Sauber/Audi and Williams, while Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has retracted his earlier dismissal.
However, Sainz’s protracted wait has caused some discontent among his peers as Sauber’s Guayuu Zhou stated earlier this month that the indecision was perplexing.
But while Magnussen has warned Sainz teams could get tired of waiting and move on, he reckons that the outgoing Ferrari driver has earned the right to take his time.
“He’s the big name available right now,” Magnussen said on Sainz. “All the teams that have available seats are trying to secure him.
“I think eventually some of the teams will become impatient. Or might come, I can’t say for sure. But he can’t keep holding it up.
“But I’m sure he won’t. He’s going to make the decision that is best for him. He’s rightly so, considering very carefully where he’s going.
“Not that I’ve talked to him about it, but I can imagine that he is. That’s the situation. When that lands, then all the rest will pretty quickly sort itself out.”
Magnussen acknowledged that Sainz’s status as a three-time F1 race winner makes him an attractive proposition which would be a big advantage to lower-end sides.
Asked whether it was a tough position to be in this term, Magnussen said: “In a way, yes, but it’s natural. You have a race-winning Ferrari driver suddenly available.
“And actually available only to the bottom teams. So they’re obviously seeing a big opportunity. That makes sense to me.”
Haas announced last week that Magnussen will depart once this season concludes, with Esteban Ocon set to partner Oliver Bearman in a revised 2025 driver line-up.
The Dane would not be drawn on whether he agreed with the American outfit’s decision, but he acknowledged that losing his place is part and parcel within the sport.
“Do I understand the decision? I don’t think you always… You don’t need to understand or agree,” he explained. “It’s Formula 1. Things happen, and you move on.
“You look at these drivers coming in, and you think, are they better than me or not? And it doesn’t really matter, because it’s a fact.
“They’re racing, and that’s the way it is. So it doesn’t really matter whether you understand or not.”
Magnussen has reiterated on several occasions that he wants to remain in the series and he revealed that he has been in talks with teams who have vacant seats.
“Yeah, I know what the situation is like in some of the interesting spots outside of Formula 1, in case I need to move on,” he concluded.
