Carlos Sainz confirms F1 contract talks as star admits he’s unsure over Williams future

Carlos Sainz, Williams, British GP, Britain, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Carlos Sainz confirms contract talks as F1 star admits he’s unsure over Williams future

Sainz is yet to commit himself to an F1 team for 2027

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Sunday 2 August 2026 17:26

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F1 star Carlos Sainz has admitted even he still isn't sure about his future at Williams, confirming plans to sit down with a team boss over the summer shutdown to discuss options.

After a controversial outing at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Sainz hs made headlines for more than just his blue flag mishap and subsequent clash with Oscar Piastri.

The Spaniard finished 18th in the 11th round of the championship, not the best position to be in heading into the summer break as Williams attempt to convince him to stay.

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Sainz's current contract with the Grove-based F1 squad only runs until the end of this year and the 31-year-old has been very open about his displeasure with the team's current machinery.

Having made the move to Williams after being dropped by Ferrari in favour of Lewis Hamilton, Sainz was hoping to build on the foundations of James Vowles' squad to turn them back into a championship-contending squad once again.

Two years into the project however and their progress hasn't just stalled, it's done a complete U-turn, with Williams now sitting third from last in the constructors' championship.

Speaking to media at the Hungaroring last time out, Sainz described the situation as: "Bad, very bad," so it's fair to say he has his work cut out to decide whether to gamble with another year under Vowles' leadership or shop around for a seat on the grid elsewhere.

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Sainz doesn't know when decision over F1 future be made

After 11 rounds, the 2026 F1 campaign is now enjoying an annual break before the Dutch GP marks its return on August 23.

This means that like his compatriot Fernando Alonso, Sainz now has three weeks to spend weighing up his future before officially announcing a decision.

When asked to give a timeline on when fans can expect him to come to a conclusion over his future on the grid, Sainz admitted that even he wasn't unsure.

"I honestly don’t know," said the four-time grand prix winner before adding that he certainly intended to sit down with Williams team principal Vowles over the coming weeks.

"I cannot give you a date, but I imagine, as I always said, that I was going to wait until the summer to sit down with my team and think about this.

“Discuss with them, with James [Vowles] and everyone, the future of the team and my future in it.”

"I expect that during the summer we will start to take a decision and start to see a bit more of the situation, but the exact timing, I don’t know."

F1 Carlos Sainz Williams James Vowles