Carlos Sainz is planning to take his time in deciding his next move for his F1 future amid his impending departure from Ferrari at the end of 2024, with the Spaniard keen to select the option that will provide him with the best chance of becoming a world champion.

It was confirmed in early February that Lewis Hamilton will join the Scuderia in 2025, with the seven-time world champion set to partner Charles Leclerc. This leaves Sainz without a seat beyond the current campaign, which will mark his fourth and final year with the Italian outfit.

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With Sainz getting behind the wheel of Ferrari’s new challenger, the SF-24, during pre-season testing in Bahrain, the 29-year-old was quizzed on how it felt to enter into the year with an uncertain future.

“If there’s one thing that I’ve had over the last few years it’s stability,” Sainz responded. “It will be my fourth year in this team and I feel prepared and ready to take my fourth year as a good challenge here in Ferrari.

“Obviously next year the team will be different and I will be moving somewhere else, but I still have no idea where. I’m going to take my time to take the decision, the right decision for me, for my career, for the next three, four years that I might be in the next place that I go to.

“In order for that, I need time to see the whole situation, talk to all the teams and see who’s offering the best chance for me to be world champion in the future.”

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In terms of the on-track action, Sainz topped the timesheets during the second day of testing at the Bahrain International Circuit, having previously ended the opening day of running in third place.

The Spanish driver was left with a good first impression of the car, having concluded following his initial running: “I feel like [on the first day] we had an optimal day out on track. We ran a completely new car that seemed to be in a good window straight out of the box.

“We scanned the whole set-up, the whole up and down with the car, and it seemed to respond and react well. With the performance, I obviously have no idea, I just can tell that the Red Bull looks very quick, but apart from that, nothing else.”