F1 | Sainz attracted to Alpine, but still waiting for top team

Carlos Sainz has entered a sort of electoral silence. “I have decided not to talk about my future until I have decided,” he confirmed, “and at the right time you will be the first to know.” In reality, Sainz has broken the rules a few times, starting with a comment on the very flattering statements made about him by Flavio Briatore.
“I thank Flavio for the kind words – he confirmed – it’s nice especially because they come from a person who knows this sport. He’s been here for a while and I think he’s seen many pilots in his career”.

Alpine’s last-minute entry into the negotiations involving Sainz has changed the scenario, now the Enstone team is at the top of the list in the hands of Carlos’ management. But one question remains: why doesn’t Carlos sign? What is holding him back from making the final decision after months and months of evaluation?

Let’s put it this way: Sainz is not throwing tantrums. What is holding him up on a very uncomfortable thread is a glimmer of light coming from a top team. Whether it’s Red Bull, Mercedes or both, there is still something not completely defined that is holding Carlos back from signing one of the contracts (Williams or Alpine) that he has had on the table for some time.

In the meantime, Sainz’s season continues not without some drawbacks, given that just a year ago at Silverstone Carlos underlined how important it is for him to know his future. After twelve months, the scenario he hoped to avoid has taken shape.
“It’s quite a distraction to have to dedicate yourself to something else,” he explained. “I can give you a few more details. From Monday to Thursday before arriving on the track I spend a lot of time on the phone, meetings with my management and the teams I speak to. All to try to get the full picture of the situation. It’s quite stressful, and it’s exactly the time I would normally dedicate to unplugging and recharging. But it’s impossible to do that, your mind is thinking about the future and that’s certainly not ideal during the season.”

“Then on Thursday I get to the track and I immerse myself completely in the race weekend, whether it’s a meeting with the engineers or getting in the car, everything envelops me 100%. I think the weekend in Austria shows that I’m still at a very high level and that I feel like I’m having one of my best seasons in Formula 1. But I don’t want to be a hypocrite: I believe that there is always more performance when you are in a given season situation rather than the one I am in now, I’ve always said that”.

To encourage Carlos, some pointed out that twelve years ago Lewis Hamilton was in a similar situation before signing for Mercedes. The similarity is the timing of the big change on the motorsport front that will come into force in 2026.
“There is also a component of luck,” Sainz admitted. “Obviously you try to find out what is happening in each team and I have forced myself not to judge in the short term. To make a decision that will lead to the results I can aspire to in the coming years, I will not worry about time, I will take all that is necessary.”