Carlos Sainz camp spotted leaving motorhome of one F1 team at Belgian GP amid 2025 interest

Follow us on Google Discover

Carlos Sainz may hope to have announced his next F1 team by the time the drivers return from the summer break. He’ll be under increasing pressure from his suitors to make his decision.

Sainz said in the press conference ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix that his top priority remains finding a championship-worthy car. He may be walking away from one of those at Ferrari.

The Spaniard accepts that he’s unlikely to join a frontrunner at this point. But that’s not to say that there aren’t potential vacancies.

Sergio Perez could lose his Red Bull seat if he fails to deliver this weekend. Meanwhile, Mercedes still haven’t chosen their successor to Lewis Hamilton and look increasingly unlikely to land Max Verstappen.

However, Christian Horner doesn’t want to reunite Sainz and Verstappen after a tense spell as rookies at Toro Rosso. And Sainz hasn’t looked like the frontrunner for the Mercedes drive for a long time now.

Elsewhere, Aston Martin and Haas have completed their driver line-ups, and the doors to RB are closed because the 29-year-old isn’t part of the Red Bull stable. That leaves him possibly picking between the bottom three in the constructors’.

Carlos Sainz Sr spotted leaving Williams motorhome at Belgian Grand Prix

Significantly, Planet F1 journalist Thomas Maher spotted Carlos Sainz Sr and his manager Carlos Onoro exiting the Williams facility in the Belgian GP paddock. The purpose of their visit is unclear, of course, but they’ve been a leading suitor for Sainz.

Williams were actually about to announce Sainz at the Spanish GP, according to a report. But he prevented them from doing so at the last minute as he reassessed his options.

James Vowles has already tied Alex Albon down, but he’s shopping the market for Logan Sargeant replacements. Valtteri Bottas has also been strongly linked with Williams, the team who gave him his F1 debut in 2013.

The Grove outfit have scored just four points this year, leaving them ninth in the standings. But Vowles believes that the pain they’re taking as they overhaul their methods will be worth it in the long run.

Where Guenther Steiner thinks Carlos Sainz will go after speaking to Toto Wolff

Sauber/Audi have had an offer on the table from the outset. They view Sainz as a statement signing ahead of their 2026 arrival, with solid midfield performer Nico Hulkenberg already secured.

After taking over at Audi, former Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto could make a fresh push to sign Sainz, who has thus far shown little interest in joining the project. The recent exits of Andreas Seidl and Oliver Hoffman may point to a concerning instability behind the scenes.

Guenther Steiner reckons that Sainz will go to Alpine instead. He’s spoken to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, and got the impression that he plans to hire Kimi Antonelli.

However, Alpine announced on Friday that team principal Bruno Famin would be stepping down at the end of the season. They will soon announce their third boss in around a year, which paints a worrying picture.