Audi-owned Sauber is now openly describing the possibility of signing Carlos Sainz for 2025 and beyond as an "important objective".
Earlier, it was believed Audi had set a decision deadline for the Ferrari-departing Spaniard.
But now, given that Nico Hulkenberg has already signed on, team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi said at Imola that no deadline now exists - which would explain the sudden stand-still in the driver ’silly season’.
"No," Bravi told El Mundo Deportivo newspaper in Imola when asked if a new deadline exists. "I don’t think any of the other drivers have a time limit either.
"We are all talking, trying to understand. There are several possibilities for these top drivers, but it is a dialogue, not a confrontation between team and driver.
"We have secured Hulkenberg and now we are waiting and checking all possibilities with the necessary time for us and for the driver," he added.
Sainz, 29, is understandably waiting for Toto Wolff at Mercedes, who is also weighing up Kimi Antonelli, but also for Red Bull - with Sergio Perez not yet signed 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 be able to offer our drivers a competitive future. And it is clear that we don’t just have one name on the list, but it is also clear that Sainz is a top driver and an important objective, not only for us, but also for other teams.
"Let’s just say that we are talking and Carlos also has options of the highest level. But we have also spoken to everyone, starting with (Valtteri) Bottas and (Guanyu) Zhou and other drivers on the market who see the Audi project with great interest.
"We don’t want to be a second choice. We want to be ’the’ choice," Bravi insisted.