Sainz Watch: I Hate This
The situation orbiting Carlos Sainz has reached the point of absurdity. Months have passed, Sainz has been linked to every team in Formula 1 once, twice, three times a turbo-laggy.
“I, for one, am sick of it,” he said, choosing to write an article about it.
But what will Williams Racing do in this driver market?
Alex Albon is locked in. Logan Sargeant looks to be headed back to the United States to race in “God’s Chosen Open Wheel Series.”
The two drivers most linked to Williams from 2025 are Carlos Sainz and Valtteri Bottas. We don’t even need the rumors around the contract Williams offered the Spaniard to map out who would be first choice.
That Bottas was ever considered the frontrunner for the Williams seat is more a testament to the fact that they probably never thought a deal with Sainz was doable more than Bottas being the guy they definitely want.
I don’t say it to slight Valtteri. He’d be a great, stable choice to partner Albon for the period James Vowles has stated he wants stability in the driver lineup. With a Mercedes engine that is the subject of some awed whispers coming in 2026, who knows the jolt it could have in the twilight of his Formula 1 career.
But if there’s The Guy™ and there is The Guy™ it’s Carlos Sainz.
How much is he worth to you?
The rumors are that it’s a 4-year deal. That is a BIG number but there’s also no logical reason to believe that Sainz is near a cliff. That takes you through the end of the 2028 season with three full years under the new regulations.
In an engine formula, Williams may be looking to repeat what happened at the beginning of the turbo hybrid era, where they secured podiums before tailing off. Think of it in two tracks:
Williams start fast with the new engine regulations thanks to the Mercedes power and then tail off in the following years.
Williams start 2026 where they are now and slowly build more performance throughout the duration of the new regulations.
I say Track 1 is more likely and locking in a quality Grand Prix driver for the first couple years of the new regulations takes on even greater significance as it represents your most likely window of high performance.
Take the pain in the later years of the regulations if Sainz moves or you have to move him for some reason that is awfully difficult to imagine from where we stand.