Audi-owned Sauber has openly identified signing Carlos Sainz for 2025 and beyond as an "important objective."

Previously, it was believed that Audi had set a deadline for the Ferrari driver's decision.

However, with Nico Hulkenberg already signed, team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi stated at Imola that there is now no deadline, which explains the current pause in the driver market.

"No," Bravi responded to El Mundo Deportivo in Imola when asked about a new deadline. "I don't believe any other drivers have a time limit either.

"We are all in discussions, trying to understand the situation. There are many options for these top drivers, but it's more of a conversation than a confrontation between the team and the driver.

"We have secured Hulkenberg, and now we are waiting and considering all possibilities with the necessary time for both us and the driver," he added.

Sainz, 29, is also waiting for Toto Wolff's decision at Mercedes, who is considering Kimi Antonelli, and for Red Bull, as Sergio Perez is not yet confirmed for 2025.

"It is normal for a driver of his (Sainz's) calibre to want to carefully evaluate all the possibilities," said Bravi. "So we have interesting weeks ahead.

"We are working hard to grow this team and provide our drivers with a competitive future. It is evident that we do not have just one name on our list, but it is also clear that Sainz is a top driver and an important objective, not only for us but for other teams as well.

"Let's just say that we are in discussions and Carlos also has high-level options. However, we have spoken to everyone, starting with (Valtteri) Bottas and (Guanyu) Zhou, and other drivers on the market who view the Audi project with great interest.

"We don't want to be a second choice. We want to be 'the' choice," Bravi emphasized. body check tags ::