The suspense continues for several active Formula 1 drivers as they await Carlos Sainz's delayed decision concerning his future.
Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou from Sauber find themselves out of the loop for a spot next to Nico Hulkenberg in the team's future lineup, now under Audi's ownership.
But this scenario isn't unique to just one team.
Williams, Alpine, and even Mercedes are still in talks with the former Ferrari driver Sainz.
"Maybe I'll wait for Carlos, maybe I won't," Bottas expressed in Hungary.
"If I'm honest, I was hoping things would be resolved before this weekend - but it didn't happen.
"The situation can become really nerve-wracking if things drag on until the August break or even later," he continued.
Kevin Magnussen, who will no longer be with Haas next year, remains hopeful that Sainz's eventual decision might leave a spot open for him elsewhere.
Magnussen's current team boss, Ayao Komatsu, has proposed that Magnussen remain with the team in a non-racing capacity from 2025 onwards. "An advisory role or something like that," Magnussen acknowledged.
"It depends on whether I'm racing here (in F1) or not, of course," he clarified. "There's only a couple of very experienced drivers left on the market so I think it's still all very open. I'm just going to focus on the season and have a little bit of patience because Carlos needs to make his mind up. Who knows," Magnussen added, "maybe some other teams will get impatient and make a move anyway."
Two weeks prior at Silverstone, Sauber's Zhou voiced his frustration and annoyance, accusing Sainz of unnecessarily delaying his decision for 2025 and beyond.
Sainz shared with Spanish reporters at the Hungaroring, "I'm not changing anyone's end result. I'm just changing the timing."
"Probably all the teams have their priorities and their decisions depend on each scenario. At the same time, this sport and this world have taught me to be a little bit more on the selfish side - to take care of myself first and make the decision I need to make when I need to make it."
"I'm not going to rule something out if I don't need to," he added. "The teams have been very patient and I thank them for that. But I've had to be patient too," said Sainz. "It's not like I'm the only one who decides."
Magnussen, still hoping for a spot somewhere, mentioned Sainz has "good reason" to be cautious, especially since even Mercedes is keeping a seat open for now. Additionally, the unlikely possibility that Red Bull might part ways with Max Verstappen is still on the table.
"He is the big name available right now," stated Magnussen, 31. "All the teams with available seats are trying to get him. I think eventually some of them will get impatient. But once the decision is made, the rest of the market will land pretty quickly, I would think," he concluded.
