Carlos Sainz had ‘little bit of contact’ with rival F1 team boss before committing to Williams

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After months of waiting, Carlos Sainz finally decided that Williams was the best option available to him to continue his Formula 1 journey.

Carlos Sainz was the driver forced to make way at Ferrari before the campaign had even started when Lewis Hamilton unexpectedly made himself available in 2025.

Charles Leclerc’s association with Ferrari for the majority of his racing career meant it was always going to be Sainz who was forced to enter one of the most turbulent F1 driver markets in recent memory.

As no drivers made way at the end of the 2023 campaign, all of a sudden more than half the grid were entering the final year of their contracts.

It meant that on paper Sainz had plenty of options to choose from but those began to dwindle faster than he would have liked.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz’s life outside F1 from full name, girlfriend and height

Aston Martin confirmed Fernando Alonso, McLaren already had their drivers tied down to long-term deals and Red Bull have contemplated replacing Sergio Perez for some time without pulling the trigger.

Mercedes appeared to be an option at one point with team principal Toto Wolff suggesting Sainz was a candidate for their open seat, although all signs point towards Kimi Antonelli filling that role next year.

Journalist Edd Straw was speaking on The Race Podcast about one team principal who did reach out to Sainz before he committed to Williams.

As it became clear that Sainz would have to lower his expectations, suddenly those manufacturers in the midfield sensed an opportunity to bring in a very talented race-winning driver.

James Vowles won the race to sign Sainz, but new Audi boss Mattia Binotto also held conversations with the Spaniard as soon as he started the job.

He recognised the importance of finding a strong teammate for Nico Hulkenberg before the German manufacturer’s introduction to F1 but ultimately missed out on his top target.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Sauber and Audi F1 chief Mattia Binotto

New Audi boss Mattia Binotto had conversation with Carlos Sainz before Williams move

Straw: “I don’t know how you view it, but I think Binotto going to Audi could have changed Sainz’s mind, but not on this timeline.

“Had he gone in a lot earlier, Sainz is close with Binotto. There has been a little bit of contact since this appointment was made.

“Had he been able to see really what the plan is and see the wheels turning? Maybe that could have convinced him.

“But I don’t think if you’re Carlos Sainz, no matter how much faith you’ve got in Mattia Binotto, you throw your lot in with him purely on trust.

“It was a big money, very long-term deal [Seidl offered Sainz]. If he wanted a five-year deal for some huge sum of money, he could have got it.”

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Williams Racing from team principal to Mercedes relationship

Audi running out of options for 2024 driver line-up alongside Nico Hulkenberg

Given that Sauber are bottom of the Constructors’ Championship this season, it’s not a surprise that they’ve struggled to attract the calibre of driver they would like for next season.

Zhou Guanyu has been well off the pace this year and it would take an extraordinary set of circumstances for him to be offered the chance to spend a fourth year on the grid with the team.

His teammate Valtteri Bottas is much more likely to be retained by Audi and alongside Nico Hulkenberg create a talented partnership.

Binotto was understood to be keen on signing Sainz as soon as he took the job given they had previously worked together at Ferrari.

Even though Audi will be a works team in 2026, it’s hard to see them making the necessary progression over the next 18 months to be strong challengers as soon as they arrive on the grid.

Not only that, but Williams will have Mercedes power units for the next set of F1 regulations, while there are concerns in the paddock about Audi’s engines already.