David Croft backs Carlos Sainz as potential replacement for Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin

David Croft says Carlos Sainz might be an option for Aston Martin if Fernando Alonso calls it a day when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Alonso, who turns 45 in July, has already extended his career beyond what many expected. But with Aston Martin struggling and little sign of progress, even consistently beating Lance Stroll may not be enough to keep him motivated.

Meanwhile, Sainz finds himself in another challenging situation at Williams. While retirements in China helped him pick up two points, the FW48 isn’t competitive. His recent qualifying positions – 17th in China and 16th in Japan – highlight the car’s limitations.

Carlos Sainz may find Aston Martin appealing

After a promising fifth-place finish last season, Williams had high hopes for this year. But instead, they’ve slipped down the order, with the new regulations not working in their favour. With an exit clause in his contract, Sainz may soon be weighing up his options.

With Verstappen reportedly considering retirement from F1, Croft believes that Red Bull would be on Sainz’s radar as well. But Aston Martin may be a more realistic option at this stage of their respective projects.

Sainz has won four Grands Prix and would become an attractive target for Lawrence Stroll if Alonso leaves. But the 31-year-old will need convincing that Aston Martin is better positioned to climb than Williams.

“Red Bull, if Max goes, would be an attractive option for Carlos,” Croft said on Sky Sports’ F1 Show. “But there are other drivers who are out of contract at the end of the year that Red Bull might be courting as well.”

“There might be a spot at Aston Martin going. If Aston Martin and Honda can solve three-quarters of their issues this year and go into next year with a much more competitive package, that then becomes an attractive option for a driver.”

“But once again, there will be other drivers that might be in the frame for that. Aston will be talking to a lot of drivers for the future but Carlos could be a very good choice for that team if Fernando stops racing at the end of the year.”

Brundle voices concerns over Sainz’s next steps

Sky Sports’ Martin Brundle believes Carlos Sainz is facing a tough road ahead. The 31-year-old has already raced for five different teams, and it’s hard to see him getting another shot with McLaren or Ferrari.

“Where would Carlos go?” Brundle asked. “He’s been at McLaren, he’s been at Red Bull, he’s been at Ferrari and Williams. There’s no room at Mercedes.

“It’s difficult to know where he’d go to get something better without revisiting places that, for whatever reason, he wasn’t invited to stay at.”

Sainz spoke with Audi before joining Williams but they are unlikely to make a driver change in the near future. And even if they do, Audi have just two points themselves so far.

Sainz previously raced for Alpine under their Renault days and could get another chance there if Franco Colapinto doesn’t work out. Alpine have taken a step forward under the new rules and might present Sainz with another path back up the grid.