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Carlos Sainz has grabbed the attention of everyone in F1 with a stunning start to the season. It is a season where the Spaniard has picked up a podium in each race he's competed in.
Not only that, the Spaniard has been very consistent in keeping teammate Charles Leclerc behind him as well. Even after missing a race this season, Carlos Sainz is only four points behind his teammate in the points standings, and that should tell you how well he's performing.
At the same time, though, Carlos Sainz doesn't have a contract for the 2025 F1 season. The driver will be replaced by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari next season, and he has been trying to secure his future.
His performances have helped Carlos Sainz get linked with multiple teams on the grid. His name has been associated with Mercedes, and if rumors are to be believed, a contract has already been signed.
While the hype and intrigue around Carlos Sainz is justified, there is a case to be made that a few other F1 drivers performing brilliantly are getting overlooked as a result. Who are they? Let's take a look.
3 drivers overshadowed due to Carlos Sainz
#1 Esteban Ocon
A race winner in an Alpine and a driver who kept the mighty Fernando Alonso honest as a teammate, Esteban Ocon has been very impressive this season. The French driver has another well-established driver, Pierre Gasly, as his teammate, but the head-to-head performances this season are as one-sided as it could get between teammates.
It's a clean sweep in Ocon's favor in qualifying, and even in races, the French driver has finished ahead three out of four times. The fact that he's doing it in an extremely challenging Alpine is commendable as well, but since the car is a backmarker, more often than not, the driver's performance gets overshadowed.
Ocon is out of his contract at the end of the season, and just like Carlos Sainz, he will prove to be an attractive proposition for any team.
#2 Alex Albon
Alex Albon's name was something that was thrown around a lot at the start of the season as a possible replacement for Sergio Perez. James Vowles poured cold water on that prospect as he revealed that Albon was under contract with Williams for 2025.
Albon, however, had a somewhat cryptic reply to this in an interview on the Beyond the Grid podcast. The driver revealed that both he and the team have an 'understanding' when it comes to 2025, hinting that an exit clause could be in play. When it comes to on-track performance, Alex continues to be the benchmark at Williams but has struggled to hog the spotlight because of the car's inadequacy.
Just like Carlos Sainz, Albon will be an enticing prospect for any team involved.
#3 Nico Hulkenberg
A forever-overlooked talent in Nico Hulkenberg continues to face the same fate this season as well. The German has been linked with a seat at Sauber (soon to be Audi), but no other big team seems to be discussing his candidature. The driver has been brilliant since his comeback. In qualifying, he has been sensational, and in races, he has been getting the bulk of the points for his team.
Ironically, Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz used to be teammates at Renault in 2018, a year when the German got the better of the Spaniard. Is that an indication of how the two will fare if they're teamed up again? Probably not, but it does show the baseline level of performance that Hulkenberg has maintained throughout his career.
