F1 | Sainz: “I haven’t signed, Audi and Williams remain in play”

Sergio Perez’s contract extension has definitively closed the doors of Red Bull, but the news did not come as a surprise to Carlos Sainz. “I’ve known this for a while, obviously, so it wasn’t an unexpected announcement.” Even at Mercedes (although there is still no official news) they seem to have other plans, leaving Sainz in the difficult position of having to choose between a long-term contact with Audi or focusing on Williams in the short term. Carlos, however, does not go too far, suggesting that he has not yet made any decisions.

“The only thing I can say is that I didn’t sign anything. I have seen articles in the media that claim the opposite, and I smile thinking that three months ago there were those who already saw me as Mercedes. Then the same happened with Red Bull, but those seats were simply not on the market. In some respects it is also funny, this week there are those who said that I signed with Williams, and I’m not talking about those who are on the racing fields in Formula 1, because those who are here know well when there is a signature or less, it is worrying that there are other people who write these things with impunity.”

Then Sainz went into the merits of his situation. “I am still firmly convinced that in Formula 1 a medium-long term project is necessary to be successful – he explained – I don’t think it’s possible to go to a team, win in the first year and then say goodbye to everyone, that’s not how it works. I believe it is necessary to evaluate what will happen in the next four years, from 2025 to 2028. There will be the big regulatory change in 2026, a real lottery that today prevents us from knowing who will be competitive. So, there are those who see my situation as very difficult when thinking about 2025 and 2026, but I believe that in ’25 the values ​​on the field will be more or less clear, while in ’26 there could be some surprises.”

Sainz confirms that he is not frustrated by the situation he finds himself in. “I can choose where I can go, there’s no real frustration. Obviously, my goal is always to win and be in the best position possible, but there are many aspects that determine the teams’ choices, and this makes the scenario much more complicated than what is perceived from the outside. If you have the opportunity to know the internal dynamics you understand how there are always reasons behind the choices we see. I’ve been in Formula 1 for a few years now, I know how it works.”

For Carlos, market events and sporting objectives are two very separate contexts. There are those who work for him with a future perspective, and his attention is more than ever on the present.
“I still have many races to do in Ferrari and I am focused on maximizing this opportunity. I know I can aim for the podium every weekend, that I can get to the track without having any reservations about the result of the weekend, and this is a good feeling.”

An optimism, that of Sainz, which goes well with his premises on the eve of the Montreal weekend, a track on which according to Carlos Ferrari should express itself well.
“I see this weekend as a good opportunity, I don’t expect the advantage we had in Monaco because we are on a circuit with more ordinary conditions, but at the same time I believe there will be a good balance between us, Red Bull and McLaren, so We await the first results with confidence, then we’ll see.”