(Motorsport-Total.com) – Will Carlos Sainz also drive for Williams in the 2027 Formula 1 season? According to Ralf Schumacher, the Spaniard would be taking a big risk. “If he stays at Williams, then I believe that will be his last contract in Formula 1,” warns the expert in the podcast Backstage Boxengasse from Sky.
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“I know it myself from my time with Toyota,” reveals Schumacher and explains: “If you are out of the top positions for such a long time, then too many new [drivers] come along, and eventually you get forgotten. And that will happen to Carlos Sainz as well.”
Schumacher switched from Williams to Toyota for the 2005 season and drove there for three seasons, but then, at the age of 32, he did not receive a new contract. Since Sainz will also turn 32 in September, according to Schumacher, the same fate could await him.
“From my point of view, the question for Carlos Sainz now is: What does he want? Does he want to continue having success? Does he want to stay in Formula 1?”, says the six-time Grand Prix winner. If that is his plan, “then he urgently needs to leave Williams,” warns Schumacher.
“If he has an alternative, then he must take it,” emphasizes the 51-year-old and explains that, for example, it would be “a no-brainer” to accept an offer from Aston Martin. “Of course, I would leave Williams immediately and go to Adrian Newey and Aston Martin. No question about it,” says Schumacher.
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“I think he did not expect that, but […] Williams did not understand the new concept at all,” he says and explains that it will now take “ages” for the traditional team to get back to the front. Sainz knows that too.
Why a Sainz move would be bad for Williams
While he therefore strongly advises the Spaniard to make a move, a Sainz departure would, conversely, not reflect well on Williams. “Williams would then slide a bit more back into insignificance,” says Schumacher.
Because while the signing of Sainz, who previously drove for McLaren and Ferrari among others, was a small statement for the 2025 season, Williams is currently “not a team where someone of Carlos Sainz’s caliber wants to go”.
Williams confirmed this week that Alexander Albon will also race for the Grove team in 2027. How things will continue with his teammate is still open at the moment.
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