Number 4 With A Fade

SILVERSTONE, England -- Carlos Sainz said the self-imposed delay on committing to a contract for 2025 and beyond has become a distraction, but insisted it is not having a negative impact on his performances.

Sainz, who is set to be replaced at Ferrari by Lewis Hamilton in 2025, is still weighing up contract offers from Alpine, Williams and Audi, who are in the process of taking over the Sauber team.

The Hamilton news was confirmed at the end of January and several months of speculation about Sainz have followed without resolution.

The Spaniard, described last month by Kevin Magnussen as "the cork in the bottle" in terms of how he's holding up other driver market moves, has said he will give himself as much time as possible to make a decision.

When asked how much time the process was taking up away from the racetrack, Sainz said: "Honestly, quite a lot. I'm not going to lie.

"Monday to Thursdays 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 and thinking about your future and wondering what it will be. So not an ideal situation."

Before Ferrari, Sainz drove at Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri), Renault and McLaren, but often pointed out how he struggled in situations when he did not have a long-term contract, and has said contractual stability has always been key.

Sainz admitted he still thinks that is the case but pointed to his recent results as evidence that he is managing to keep his mind on the prize when he's at an F1 circuit.

"When I arrive on Thursday I feel like I'm able to perform as soon as I get into an engineering meeting. As soon as I put the helmet on I feel 100% in the car. I think the Austria weekend kind of proves that I'm still at a high level and performing at one of my best seasons in Formula One.

"But as I always said I'm not going to be a hypocrite. I believe there's always more performance in being in a stable contract situation than being where I am at now, so I'm never going to deny myself that what I've said always."

Sainz's three options are underwhelming for a driver who has won three races for Ferrari and established himself as one of the grid's best talents.

All three appear to be poor options in the short term, but might have big upsides down the line.

With the Ferrari driver seemingly resigned to some pain in the short term, he said fans should reserve judgement over whatever he finally decides to do until it has had time to play out on track.

"There's a bit of guessing, a bit of luck, a bit of trying to educate yourself on what is happening around in Formula One," he said. "What I've thought about is don't judge the move in the short term or in the next few races or in the next year.

"You always need to see and criticise or analyse a driver's move with perspective in time. Was this the right move for Carlos in five years time or not? That's why I think I'm going to take every time possible to make such an important decision because it involves the outcome of the next few years of my life so I think it is valid to give myself the time."