(Motorsport-Total.com) – For a long time, there were question marks over the future of Carlos Sainz. Because the hoped-for step forward at Williams did not materialize and instead they almost fell to the back of the field, the Spaniard was repeatedly rumored in recent weeks to possibly switch teams – including as a successor to Nico Hülkenberg at the Audi team.
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Because the Spaniard, who had been lured by team principal James Vowles with promises, seemed disappointed by the situation of the racing team and therefore wanted to leave again. Instead, however, Sainz extended his contract by several years this week and emphasized that he had never seriously considered other options.
“My top priority has always been Williams,” he makes clear. Because: “I don’t think it fits my character to leave the ship when the situation is at its worst.”
Sainz recalls that after his departure from Ferrari two years ago, he repeatedly emphasized how enthusiastic he was about the project at Williams. “Just because now there is a setback – a big setback, probably bigger than anyone could have imagined after the podiums last year – it simply does not correspond to my nature and character to look for the first opportunity to leave.”
“Deep down, I actually always wanted to extend,” he emphasizes, but at the same time admits that due to the situation at Williams he was “of course concerned” and was keen to “make sure that something like this doesn’t happen again.”
“Of course, I had to sit down with everyone and understand where we stand, where we want to go, and how that has affected our plans.”
What convinced Sainz to stay
His main focus: “For me, it was extremely important to understand the reasons for this difficult year and what we are doing to ensure it doesn’t happen again next year.”
And apparently Vowles was able to convince Sainz that Williams is still the right place for him. At least Sainz recognized some decisive changes that strengthened his belief in the team.
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The contract durations of current Formula 1 drivers
“I think many interesting people are coming, many exciting new additions. Behind the scenes, a lot has changed methodically, and many highly interesting projects are underway,” he says. “I can’t go into detail, but these are projects and things that will pay off in the medium term.”
“And of course, I see how the team is responding as best as possible to the disappointment of this year and putting a lot of work into the methodology – that is, the way we approach the car for next year. That’s exactly where we need to make progress and prove that we are serious about the next step,” says the Spaniard.
Albon also extends – as number 2?
The day before, Williams had already announced that Sainz’s teammate Alexander Albon will also stay with the team. However, it was only announced that the Thai driver signed for 2027: his future beyond that remains open.
“I think realistically my contract is just an extension,” says Albon. “We had a deal running for a while, and we just left it at that. But without going into too much detail: it felt like a good time to look together at where we stand in the future.”
| Grand Prix | Albon (Q) | Sainz (Q) | Albon (R) | Sainz (R) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 9 | 5 | 6 | |
| Australia | 15. | 21. (no time) | 12. | 15. (+1 lap) |
| China | 18. (+0.455) | 17. | Did not start | 9. |
| Japan | 17. (+0.161) | 15. | 20. (+2 laps) | 15. |
| Miami | 15. (+0.378) | 13. | 10. (+8.9) | 9. |
| Canada | 18. (+0.575) | 15. | Retirement | 9. |
| Monaco | 11. | 12. (+0.028) | 8. | 16. (+8 laps) |
| Barcelona | 18. (+0.543) | 16. | Retirement | 12. |
| Austria | 18. (+0.257) | 17. | 17. | Retirement |
| Great Britain | 16. (+0.120) | 15. | Retirement | 17. |
| Belgium | 17. (+0.040) | 15. | 15. | 16. (+1.2) |
| Hungary | 19. (+0.037) | 18. | 17. | 18. (+0.2) |
Nevertheless, it seems to be heading towards Sainz becoming the number 1 in the team. He received a multi-year extension and was also referred to as “leader” by James Vowles in the press release.
But Albon himself does not want to see himself as just number 2: “When you talk to the people in the team, we are perceived as equals – as two leaders,” he waves off.
Sportingly, however, Sainz currently has a clear lead: the Spaniard leads the internal team qualifying duels 9:2 against Albon and has also been ahead in all sprint qualifying sessions so far. In the overall standings, however, they are separated by just one point.
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