Carlos Sainz reveals why he opted to sign for Williams over Audi after losing his F1 seat at Ferrari

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After a successful debut season with Williams Racing, Carlos Sainz has revealed why he decided to sign for the British constructor over another team he was heavily linked with at the time.

Carlos Sainz’s tenure at Williams didn’t get off to the best start, but the Spaniard certainly got the most out of the FW47 by the end of the year, notching two podiums during his new F1 team’s best season since 2016.

However, before signing for the British constructor, Sainz also had an offer on the table from Audi.

With the German manufacturer securing a spot on the grid through a rebrand of the Sauber outfit, another driver of the Spaniard’s experience would have been integral to their debut year in the sport.

In the end, Sainz opted for Williams instead, with Audi going on to pull the trigger on signing the 2024 Formula 2 title-winner Gabriel Bortoleto instead.

• READ MORE: Guenther Steiner predicts Carlos Sainz could leave Williams for F1 rival after 2026 rule change

Finish the sentence: In 2026, Carlos Sainz will finish ____ in the championship with Williams

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Carlos Sainz outlines the reasons he signed for Williams over Audi after being shown the door by Ferrari

During an interview with Marca, Sainz was asked several questions regarding his Formula 1 career to date, including why he ended up signing for the Grove-based racing outfit over Sauber.

The four-time Grand Prix winner said, “First of all, I thoroughly analysed with my team the state of each team available to me in 2025.

In the end, of the three final options I was considering, all of which are undergoing restructuring and trying to move forward, I chose the one that gave me the most confidence.

“We laid everything out on the table, both what each team could contribute in the short and medium term, that is, results this year, and what joining one of those teams could mean from 2026 onwards with the new regulations.

“I decided that Williams best met both objectives, short and long term, and here I am.

“And also, I’m someone who places a lot of value on personal relationships; I like to trust people more than numbers, data, and so on.

“The way James [Vowles] handled the negotiation and the situation always inspired confidence in me.”

Sainz signed a two-year deal with Williams during the summer of 2024, with an option in the contract to extend his stay in the following two years.

The Spaniard was also asked if he chose the British constructor over any other team due to Vowles being more open to working closely with him.

He replied, “Not really. All the teams I spoke to made it very clear that we were going to work very closely together, and I think they all would have welcomed me with open arms.

“In that sense, I don’t think there would have been many differences.”

• READ MORE: Carlos Sainz’s Qatar podium aided by Williams engineers masking one ‘weakness’ of their F1 car

Carlos Sainz was one of the best-performing debutants in the 2025 F1 season

Ahead of the recently concluded 2025 Formula 1 season, a number of driver changes had been made.

Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari debut was the most anticipated, but proved to be one of the more disappointing moves as the season ensued.

The man he replaced at the Scuderia, Sainz, also had a relatively tough time during his maiden season at Williams, but glimpses of his raw talent were shown through his ability to claim two podiums in midfield machinery.

Sainz’s first podium in Baku also marked a first podium for the British constructor since George Russell was awarded second place at the abandoned 2021 Belgian Grand Prix.

The Spaniard went on to bolster his stats for the season by claiming another in Qatar.

He finished the season in ninth place in the drivers’ standings, nine points shy of Alex Albon’s 73-point tally for the year.