Carlos Sainz picked as the best option for the vacant midfield seat by former Red Bull driver 

Alpine F1 driver Pierre Gasly has claimed that Carlos Sainz was the best option to be his teammate for the 2025 season with the French team. The Ferrari driver has been the hottest target for quite a few teams in this year's silly season, which was triggered before the start of the 2024 campaign when he lost his seat to Lewis Hamilton for next year.

Ever since, Sainz has been the No.1 target in the market for several midfield teams after all the top teams shut their doors on him. Ahead of the Spanish GP, the 29-year-old was close to signing with Williams F1 but put the alleged move on hold after growing interest from Alpine.

Speaking with RacingNews365, Pierre Gasly, who recently extended his contract with Alpine, vouched for Carlos Sainz's experience and pedigree on the track and said:

"Carlos [Sainz] has the the added value of having a lot of experience and also experiencing strong teams - McLaren, and Ferrari lately. So obviously, he's got slightly more to bring and that'll obviously be [the] best option."

The former Red Bull driver also spoke about the current situation in the market and Carlos Sainz being the 'most valuable' asset this year, adding:

"I think it's quite clear at the minute, you got more drivers than you got seats available. So, some guys [are] gonna stay on the sideline and I don't think we'll see a lot of movement until Carlos [Sainz], who is the most valuable guy out there at the minute, takes a decision on where he goes." he added.

Carlos Sainz chimes in on the 'stress' about his future

Carlos Sainz stated that he had been stressed before heading to every race this year regarding the uncertainty about his future in the sport.

As per ESPN, the Ferrari driver said:

"Monday to Thursday before I get to the track there's a lot of phone calls, a lot of time spent on the phone, meetings with my management team but also the teams I'm talking to, trying to understand and trying to have a full picture of the situation.

"It's probably quite stressful and time-consuming instead of maybe being able to fully disconnect and recharge. Obviously, your mind is still somewhere else thinking about your future and wondering what it will be. So not an ideal situation."

Teams like Williams and Sauber/Audi have invested a lot of time in their attempts to sign the Spanish driver but were reportedly getting impatient in the last couple of weeks due to the delay in his decision.

Alpine have emerged as a favorite to sign Carlos Sainz for the 2025 season and beyond, given the recent trajectory of performances and results of the team in the past month.