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Carlos Sainz could be a big player in the F1 driver market this year as his contract with Williams is set to expire, but Audi might foil his bid to work with Mattia Binotto again.
Sainz only joined Williams in 2025 after losing his seat at Ferrari to Lewis Hamilton. He even rejected interest from Audi and Alpine to sign for Williams, who secured the Spaniard on an initial two-year contract that carries options to potentially keep him in Grove through 2028.
But the vision that Williams team principal James Vowles sold Sainz has yet to materialise at the start of the 2026 F1 regulations era that the squad bet so heavily on from an early stage. After the first seven rounds, Sainz is just 14th in the drivers’ standings with six points scored.
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Williams are prepared to move heaven and earth to keep Sainz in 2027, like they did to sign the Madrid native when Ferrari did not extend his contract. But Sainz admits he is “working out” if Williams’ targets align with his and how long he is now “willing to wait” to win again.
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Sainz’s comments will have no doubt caught the ears of teams up and down the F1 paddock, as Autosport Web suggests that Alpine, Audi and Red Bull may become options. Sainz is also ‘interested’ in working with Audi F1 project lead Binotto again, following their time at Ferrari.
Binotto was the man who signed Sainz for Ferrari ahead of the 2021 season when the pride of Italy moved to replace Sebastian Vettel. It was also under Binotto in 2022 that Sainz won his first Grand Prix at Silverstone, before Fred Vasseur took charge at the end of that season.
Audi brought Binotto back to the F1 paddock to oversee their debut in the 2026 season. But a reunion between Sainz and Binotto will likely have to wait until at least 2028, as Audi are not expected to replace either Nico Hulkenberg or Gabriel Bortoleto at the end of this year.
Hulkenberg and Bortoleto continuing at Audi in 2027 could instead see Sainz join Alpine, as it is thought that the Enstone natives might agree to offer him a one-year contract. But it is not impossible that Red Bull would make a swoop for Sainz if Max Verstappen opts to leave.
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Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies still has a ‘good relationship’ with Sainz from their time at Ferrari. Ralf Schumacher is certain that Sainz “wants to leave Williams”, too, having seen how much they have struggled in 2026 while Alpine head the midfield pack with 57 points so far.
Schumacher even claims Carlos Sainz Sr is “asking around” the paddock about any potential openings for his son for 2027. And his suggestion follows claims that Sainz is under pressure from his dad to join Audi, the brand Sainz Sr has close ties to owing to his rally racing career.
Sainz ignored his dad’s advice to join Audi following his release by Ferrari in 2024 in favour of signing with Williams. Earlier this year, Binotto claimed Sainz “made his own choice, and not his dad’s” by rejecting Audi, as he denied that he was disappointed that they did not reunite.
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