Carlos Sainz is considering a future at Williams. It is not speculation, but a real negotiation that the Spaniard’s management is carrying out as an alternative to the Audi choice. At first glance, the Sainz-Williams pairing may seem surprising, but a deeper analysis reveals a different scenario.
The latest rumors have confirmed that for Sainz (net of twists and turns) the doors of Mercedes and Red Bull are closed, a situation that deprives Carlos of the opportunity to have a seat in a top team, at least in 2025.
The resulting scenario is very clear: Alpine, Haas, Williams and Sauber (read Audi) remain on the market. With a view to next season, tying up with Williams does not mean aiming for something less than what is potentially possible to achieve at the wheel of a Sauber. Indeed, if the current trend is followed (in 2025 there should be no new projects, but developments of the single-seaters on the track this season) the opposite will be more likely, i.e. greater competitiveness of the Williams package.
The choice must obviously also be read from a 2026 perspective, given that no team (and certainly not Sainz) are looking for annual contracts. In two years we will start again from a blank sheet of paper, obviously this will also be the case for Audi and Williams. In the case of the German team there will be the long-awaited debut of the first power unit designed and built independently, while Williams will be heavily dependent on the Mercedes project.
If they manage to do a job at Brixworth that lives up to Toto Wolff’s high expectations, Williams will also benefit, as already seen in 2014 when the English team finished the season in third place at the debut of the hybrid power units in the Constructors’ championship.
In 2026 there will then be a large driver market, given that many of the contracts signed during this season will expire, and Sainz (who will be 32 years old) will be able to reevaluate his future. This is, and will be, an important step for Carlos, who will not want to get caught off guard as happened this season. The choice of the next two years must be read as the best possible compromise to return to the place that counts when the doors of the top teams reopen.
Sainz won’t let much time pass to make his decision, be it Audi or Williams. The English team has obviously also evaluated alternative options, with Valtteri Bottas at the top of the ‘plan B’ list. “I will simply put all the options on the table and make the right decision – Sainz explained today in a media meeting – I can only tell you that as soon as all the aspects are clarified it will materialize very quickly. But at the moment I haven’t decided yet, and I can add that I don’t have any fixed deadlines to meet. What I am about to make is an important decision for my career, I will soon be 30, and I will give myself all the time I need to evaluate every detail of the choice I will make.”
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