F1 star 'keeping his options open' having rejected Audi

carlos sainz, lewis hamilton, williams, ferrari — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

F1 star 'keeping his options open' having rejected Audi

Will Carlos Sainz leave Williams?

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Monday 27 July 2026 12:28

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Williams F1 star Carlos Sainz is 'keeping his options' open for 2027 amid his team's poor form, according to Sky Sports F1's Martin Brundle.

Sainz opted to join Williams after being replaced by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, a move which was announced at the start of 2024, giving Sainz a full year to try and find another seat.

Seats up and down the grid began closing quite rapidly during the 2024 season, with teams desperate to nail down their lineup for the upcoming regulation changes in 2026, and it meant that Sainz missed out on a seat at another one of the 'big four' teams.

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That is despite the fact that he won two grands prix throughout 2024 and is still considered to be one of the most talented drivers on the grid.

Sainz was instead left with a choice of Alpine, Williams and Sauber, who were set to become Audi in 2026. The Sainz family has a close connection with Audi, with Sainz's father Carlos Sainz Senior winning the 2024 Dakar Rally with Audi.

The connection still appears to be there, and with Williams struggling for form in 2026, Sainz is once again being linked with a move to the Hinwil-based outfit.

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Sainz managed to claim two grand prix podiums with Williams in 2025, as the team cemented themselves as the 'best of the rest' with a fifth-place constructors' championship finish.

But they have really struggled so far in 2026, with Sainz and Alex Albon struggling to score points at all with the Grove-based outfit.

With Sainz only contracted until the end of the 2026 season, he has been linked with moves to multiple different teams, and ahead of Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying, Brundle discussed live on air the four-time grand prix winner's career, and his future planning.

"He really committed to it, didn't he?," Brundle said about Sainz's decision to move to Williams for 2025. "He decided not to go to Audi, which I believe his dad wanted to, and obviously they got a lot of a long-standing relationship there with the family with Audi.

"So I would imagine Carlos is keeping his options open. He's driven for quite a lot of teams. I think it's the sixth different team on the grid he's driven for, but it is frustrating. He's stalling out at a time in his career and life, as young as these young men are, that it's not optimal to say the least."

Brundle was then asked whether he felt as though Sainz deserved more from his career given his immense talent, to which Brundle replied: "He's won some brilliant races in a Ferrari, hasn't he? Yeah, I think he's he's ended up sort of bit down a cul-de-sac here, so hopefully Williams have an answer for 27."

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F1 Carlos Sainz Williams Audi Martin Brundle