This decision was not made hastily. Invited by Audi, Williams, and Alpine, with an eye on a cockpit at Red Bull or Mercedes, he repeatedly stated that there was nothing new to report. Carlos Sainz clearly enjoyed the attention he garnered in Formula 1 recently.
The Spaniard, who will have to make way for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari next year, wanted to make “the best decision” for his career. That takes time. He didn’t want to be rushed. This went on for months and became increasingly tiring.
“Intense Months”
On Monday afternoon, the 29-year-old finally announced via social media that he would be racing for Williams in the years 2025, 2026 “and beyond.” “It has been intense months in which I had to connect my racing career with a decision about my future,” Sainz said in a 52-second video clip.
He believes in the progress that Williams has recently made. “I am convinced that this team has all the prerequisites to write history again,” he further stated according to a statement from Williams, the racing team that won the Constructors’ Championship nine times but has not regularly competed for victories for the last twenty years.
Devastating External Perception
The move to Williams is primarily a rejection of Audi. In Neuburg an der Donau, they wanted Sainz as their second driver alongside Nico Hülkenberg, reportedly trying to lure him with a substantial financial offer, as Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko revealed in April to the Austrian “Kleine Zeitung”: “We are talking to him,” Marko said at that time, “but he has a very lucrative offer from Audi that we cannot match or exceed.”
Though Sainz, a three-time Grand Prix winner, may not be considered a future champion, he was the best choice among the pilots available on short notice. Now Audi is left with steering crews that have not been able to recommend themselves for continued employment next year, including Logan Sargeant (Williams), Daniel Ricciardo (Racing Bulls), or Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou from the currently pointless Audi partner Sauber.
Even more devastating for Audi is the external perception: Sainz prefers a private team like Williams, which currently occupies the penultimate position in the championship, over a factory project. The fact that Sainz now declares that Williams has “all the prerequisites” to be successful in Formula 1 implies that, in his eyes, Audi does not meet these conditions.
The industry whispers that the engine from Neuburg for the 2026 entry is indeed competitive. Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur recently stated that being a factory team in the first year of new engine regulations is an invaluable advantage, rather than being a customer like Williams of Mercedes.
“It was Right to Wait So Long”
Anyone who listened to Sainz in Spa-Francorchamps last weekend quickly realized why he chose against Audi. He said he had waited so long to sign “to see how the future evolves for the individual teams. Every week that goes by,” he said, confirms him. “Every week something happens at one of the teams. It was absolutely right to wait so long.” Sainz likely had Audi primarily in mind.
Last week, the project leaders Andreas Seidl and Oliver Hoffmann were dismissed. After Audi CEO Markus Duesmann had already left some time ago and the project stalled due to unapproved funds, Sainz was likely finally deterred by the recent reshuffle.
Mick Schumacher could now benefit from this. The Mercedes test driver is urgently seeking a full-time cockpit for the next year and may now have an additional option with Audi.
Another personnel decision was made public shortly after Formula 1 went on summer break: the industry leader Red Bull will not prematurely dismiss the struggling Mexican Sergio Pérez. As reported on Tuesday by the Dutch newspaper “De Telegraaf,” team principal Christian Horner informed the team’s staff that Pérez would continue racing for Red Bull “despite the recent speculations.” A team spokesperson confirmed the report.