Williams star Carlos Sainz proposes radical new F1 season format

Sainz penalised by the FIA — Photo: © IMAGO

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Carlos Sainz proposes radical new F1 season format

Sainz has been cooking up this idea for a while

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Thursday 18 June 2026 16:57

F1 star Carlos Sainz has unveiled a wacky new season structure that he feels would determine a true drivers' champion and constructors' victor.

The Spaniard currently drives for Williams, but in the past, has also raced in the pinnacle of motorsport with four other outfits; Red Bull junior squad Toro Rosso, Renault, McLaren and Ferrari.

The Grove-based squad and their team principal James Vowles fought hard for Sainz's signature, with the former star of the Scuderia promised a car capable of winning races in the near future.

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But sadly for Williams, their 2026 campaign has exposed their preparation for the sport's new regulations era as being less than ideal, with Vowles pledging to never make the same mistakes again as he did in the 2025/2026 winter break.

Sainz impressed in his maiden season with Williams and even picked up two podiums, but in 2026, his best result has been a disappointing P9.

So it's no wonder the 31-year-old's proposal for a new championship format involves him returning to his old teams to compete with their machinery once again.

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Sainz reveals overhauled F1 championship structure

The F1 2026 regulations have caught many teams out, not just Williams and even F1 and the FIA have now begun the process of moving away from the near 50/50 hybrid engine split to move towards 60/40 for 2028.

In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, Sainz was asked about the regulations debate this season.

When the question was put to him over what his ideal engine and car setup would be, Sainz instead shared an inventive way to solve the recent disagreements in the sport.

"I have a slightly crazy idea, which I don't think I've ever mentioned in the press...No... I don't know if I can say it," Sainz teased.

When encouraged to share his creative solution, Sainz revealed: "I've always envisioned a Formula 1 where the manufacturers and drivers are separate. Which will never happen, of course, but I've always imagined a category where you have 20 races and each driver runs two races with each car.

"Then the driver is part of F1, not part of a team; they're an F1 customer contracted by Formula 1 to drive the cars.

"So I'd have my chance to do two races with Williams, two with Mercedes, two with Ferrari... all the drivers would have exactly the same chance of winning the world championship.

"That would constitute the drivers' world championship, and then the points you score for that manufacturer would be the constructors' championship. That way, you'd completely separate the manufacturers from the drivers. And you'd have a true drivers' championship and a true constructors' championship."

F1 FIA Carlos Sainz 2026 regulations