Ferrari have reached a potential stumbling block in talks about a new and improved contract for Carlos Sainz, according to reports. The 27-year-old only joined Ferrari at the start of last year but is already involved in negotiations over the possibility of extending his current deal, which is set to expire at the end of the season.
Sainz finished above Charles Leclerc in last year’s Drivers’ Championship standings and will be looking to bring the fight to his team-mate once again over the coming months in order to compete for this season’s individual honours. However, it seems as though his long-term future at Ferrari is far from certain after reaching his first hurdle in talks with the Italian outfit about a new deal.
The Spaniard has asked for a two-year contract but Ferrari are not prepared to meet his demands at this stage, according to F1 Insider. The report claims that Sainz has instead been offered a one-year deal with the unilateral option for his team to extend by a further year until the end of 2024.
It remains to be seen whether Ferrari will be able to strike an agreement with Sainz over the coming weeks as they look to tie down their current driver pairing for the foreseeable future. Other reports have claimed that a deal is close to being rubber-stamped, with AS having suggested that Ferrari could make an official announcement at this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
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It seems likely that Sainz will eventually put pen to paper to extend his stay at Ferrari, who look set to compete with Red Bull and Mercedes for this year’s Constructors’ Championship honors over the course of this season. Sainz revealed last month that he was expecting to wrap up negotiations fairly quickly in order to prolong his spell with the Maranello-based outfit for at least another year.
“We’re getting there,” Sainz told reporters when quizzed on whether he was making progress in talks with Ferrari. “Obviously, it’s an important contract in my career.
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“I really wanted to make sure that everything was done and [that] both Ferrari and I were happy with what we are signing. We’re very close to finalizing it, it still needs the last details but yeah, it looks good for the future.”
Sainz currently sits third in the Drivers’ Championship standings after registering two podium finishes from the opening three rounds of the new F1 season. He managed to complete a Ferrari one-two behind race winner Leclerc at the Bahrain Grand Prix and came home in third in Saudi Arabia before he was forced into an unfortunate early retirement when he beached his car in the gravel in Australia.
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