04/04/2024
NEWS STORY
Carlos Sainz admits that he is keen to secure a berth for next season sooner rather than later.
Out of a job following Lewis Hamilton's shock split with Mercedes, the Spaniard, who has been linked with Audi in 2026, has yet to secure a seat for next season.
Speaking in Suzuka, having won in Melbourne, he admitted that he is keen to finalise his plans as soon as possible.
Admitting that he is talking to a number of teams, "because that's what my management team and myself should do when I don't have a job for next year yet", he added that "it's just a matter of going more into detail and seeing the more realistic options, and what are the best options for me and for my future.
"The only thing I would say is that obviously it's time now to speed up a bit everything and hopefully we can get it sorted sooner rather than later."
Asked if he was now fully recovered from his recent appendectomy - as though the Melbourne win wasn't proof enough - he replied: "I've been riding my bike this week, stayed in Australia for a week and started going back to the gym.
"I'm still obviously not lifting heavy numbers like I used to do in the past," he added, "but at least I can get my training done and feeling back to 100%."
Ferrari's last visit to Suzuka was a disappointment, with Max Verstappen and the McLaren pair heading them home. Asked if he felt more confident this time around, he replied: "It's time to see, if we can be at least closer and enjoy a bit more this amazing track than what we enjoyed last year, because for me it's one of my favourite ones, if not my favourite."
Check out our Thursday gallery from Suzuka here.