Carlos Sainz’s father pushed him to join Williams rivals ‘a thousand times’ before he turned them down

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Carlos Sainz will be dropping from one end of the Formula 1 constructors’ championship to another when he leaves Ferrari to join Williams. This isn’t a voluntary exit, of course – the Scuderia decided not to renew his deal when Lewis Hamilton became available.

Ferrari could conceivably win the title this season for the first time since 2008. With three races remaining – including an especially valuable Sprint weekend in Qatar – they’re 36 points behind leaders McLaren.

Williams, meanwhile, fell to ninth in the constructors’ after Alpine’s extraordinary double podium in Sao Paulo. While they’re safe behind – 17 ahead of scoreless Sauber – they’ll need a similarly scrambled weekend to have any chance of making up the 27-point deficit ahead.

That will mean more wind tunnel time for the Grove outfit ahead of the 2026 regulation changes. But it will also mean a reduction in prize money, tightening their budget.

It became clear in the months after Ferrari’s Hamilton move that Sainz wouldn’t be joining another top team. Mercedes favoured Kimi Antonelli, while Red Bull were wary of tension with Verstappen.

That effectively left him choosing between teams in the midfield. And at the start of the summer break, it was confirmed that he’d signed with Williams, where he’ll partner Alex Albon.

Carlos Sainz Sr was ‘100% sure’ that Audi would be a ‘strong’ choice

In an interview with Auto Motor und Sport, Sainz was asked why he chose Williams rather than Sauber/Audi. He says his ‘instincts’ told him to trust James Vowles, who’s building the kind of long-term project he sought.

Albon expects Williams to win races in 2027, which would likely be an acceptable timeline. However, there are rumours that Sainz has an exit clause if Mercedes or Red Bull make an offer.

As for Audi, Sainz’s father was a big advocate, emphasising that they will be ‘strong’ in the future. The 62-year-old has previously represented the brand in rallying, but he wasn’t able to convince his son.

“It was not an easy decision,” Sainz said. “Up until the day I signed, there were several good options. In the end, I had to follow my instincts.

“I have the utmost respect for the Audi brand. My father told me a thousand times how good they would be. He is 100% sure that Audi will be strong in the future.

“I wanted to help build something, but at the same time achieve good results in the short term. In my opinion, Williams was the best option. I still stand by that decision.

“Time will tell if I was right. My gut feeling told me that this project with James Vowles was the best solution in the short and medium term.”

Carlos Sainz may regret snubbing Audi for Williams after what he’s seen this week

After missing out on Sainz, Sauber have signed F2 leader Gabriel Bortoleto to race alongside Nico Hulkenberg. With both drivers on multi-year deals, they will form the first Audi line-up in 2026.

Sauber’s miserable campaign has dampened some of the enthusiasm around their project. However, they should have the resources to ascend the pecking order, particularly after Qatari investors bought a stake in Audi.

Had Sainz known that the motoring giant would be backed by some of the world’s wealthiest investors, he might have reconsidered his decision. As it is, he’s locked into Williams.

Many in F1 are surprised Red Bull snubbed Sainz, who looked in performance terms like the ideal solution to the Sergio Perez dilemma. Sainz told Red Bull he could get on with Verstappen, but it seemingly made little difference.