Carlos Sainz is entering the final year of his contract with Ferrari, and said he would like clarity on his future with the team before the start of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
Ferrari reportedly signed teammate Charles Leclerc to a five-year extension earlier this month. Sainz would also like an extension in place to remove any distractions heading into the season.
“My goal is to start 2024 knowing where I’m going to race in 2025,” Sainz said at a sponsor event in Madrid, per Motorsport.com. “I wouldn’t like to start the season without knowing my next destination.”
Sainz, 29, is coming off a season in which he finished seventh in the driver standings with 200 points, and said he would prefer to stay with Ferrari into the future. He added that he is “convinced” that will happen based on his discussions with incoming team boss Fred Vasseur, who recently said that he was comfortable with the contract situation of both drivers.
“My priority is to stay at Ferrari for many more years,” Sainz said. “I’m very happy, both parties are very happy and the objective is to continue, but we have to agree and we have these three months until the next race to reach that agreement.
“Obviously I want to renew and I’d like to renew for more than one year, not just two. You know my intentions and, honestly, I feel perfectly valued by Fred and by the whole Ferrari family in general, I feel loved.
“Therefore, I will renew if I feel that way and I feel that I am valued. That as a driver that is the main priority. I am convinced that if we both want to, we will reach an agreement on a duration that I am happy with.”
–Field Level Media