Max Verstappen to McLaren, Sainz deal close and Checo statement - F1 Transfer Roundup

F1 Silly Season 2026 is now in full swing and we have all the latest news and rumours as we wait for the biggest chips to fall this summer.

Our latest edition includes updates on the future of Max Verstappen, a huge contract offer for Carlos Sainz and the first casualty of the sack race this year.

F1 HEADLINES: Hamilton gets 'all-new chassis' as Mercedes forced into Plan B to cover Ferrari charge

Max Verstappen to McLaren: Red Bull have one key advantage

Red Bull having their own power unit is a major advantage over McLaren in the race to secure Verstappen's future, according to former Haas F1 chief Guenther Steiner.

With Red Bull having been unable to provide Verstappen with a competitive car worthy of his talents so far this season, there have been strong rumours linking him with an exit from the team.

The 28-year-old Dutchman's much-publicised exit clause at Red Bull was reportedly triggered when the four-time world champion went into the summer break outside the top two in the championship standings, and McLaren have been one of the big teams linked.

Carlos Sainz deal closes as Wiliams talks enter decisive phase

Carlos Sainz has been strongly linked with an exit from Williams for 2027 - but it now appears likely he will be going nowhere.

The 31-year-old Spaniard has endured a miserable 2026 so far in an underperforming (overweight) car, and has been strongly linked with both Audi and even Red Bull as a possible replacement for Max Verstappen.

But now, according to respected Madrid outlet Marca, Sainz is deep in the final stages of negotiations with Williams for a new one-year contract.

The terms should easily outstrip his current reported 13million Euro salary but recent reports of 30million Euro per year have not been verified by the Spanish outlet.

Cadillac boss issues statement on future of Sergio Perez

Sergio 'Checo' Perez is all of a sudden one of the big players in this transfer market, after rumours circulated that he could be a free agent after all in for 2027.

The 36-year-old Mexican has been linked with Williams in recent days, but it sounds like talk of a Cadillac exit could be premature.

New team principal Marcin Budkowski said: "Checo's been an asset to the team and so have both drivers, to be honest, because there's been a lot of talk about taking two very experienced drivers.

“But I think it's crucial in a young team like this to provide that experience and that stability. If you have a driver learning and the whole team learning at the same time, that's too many variables. So I think it's important to have a driver like Checo on board.”

He added: "From what I know, because of the conversations I've had with Dan [Towriss, CEO], but also with other people from the team, he's not only been driving exceptionally well, but he's been pushing the team very, very hard in the background.

"That's to be expected from a driver like him, who's been at Red Bull for years and with the best. I think that's the kind of mindset that we want and that's also the kind of mindset that I will bring. So I'm sure we'll be aligned completely on the mindset and on the drive."

Cadillac chief first as F1 sack race claims first 2026 victim

Never forget that the F1 paddock is the most brutal of habitats, and we got a reminder this week with the firing of Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon.

Despite the fact that Lowdon built a new team from scratch for its rookie campaign, he is OUT after just 11 races in charge.

A Cadillac statement said: "The Cadillac Formula 1 team today announced Marcin Budkowski has been appointed as its new team principal strengthening the organization's leadership team as it continues its inaugural Formula 1 season.

"Budkowski joins the team with more than two decades of F1 experience and will help lead the team's continued growth and long-term competitive development.

"His appointment follows a planned leadership transition as the organisation evolves from this initial build phase into the next stage of racing performance."

Cadillac CEO Dan Towriss thanked Lowdon for his contribution to the team, and indicated that the former Manor F1 chief had also exited the team.

He said: "We're grateful to Graeme Lowdon for his leadership and the role he played in forming the Cadillac Formula 1 team from the ground up.

"His contributions helped establish a strong foundation in our build-up phase, and we thank him for his commitment and wish him well."

Cadillac swoop for 'Polish Newey'

Cadillac moved swiftly to replace Lowdon with Marcin Budkowski - the man once described by a media outlet as the 'Polish Newey'. High praise.

Budkowski has long been involved in F1, making headlines in 2017 when he left an FIA/F1 technical role to join Renault (now Alpine) in a director's position.

However, he then left Alpine during its disruptive period of leadership changes but has now been brought back in to F1 to help Cadillac - who remain the only team in F1 without a point this season with its driver partnership of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas.

Budkowski said of his appointment: "My focus will be aligning our people, tools and information flow so the right decisions are made quickly, and the performance of the car improves every time we go racing.

"It is a privilege to be leading Cadillac F1's on-track efforts, starting in Zandvoort next weekend."

Colapinto contract, and an anxious wait

Right now the odds appear to be that Franco Colapinto will again be at Alpine next season, but the deal is not done yet.

Per that man Limacher (again), Alpine have prepared a one-year deal with the option of a second year. Pretty standard stuff for F1 drivers.

But Limacher says the agreement is on hold right now and adds intriguingly: "[Flavio] Briatore seems to be waiting for something in the driver market."

Briatore of course has been linked with a Fernando Alonso reunion with the two-time world champion still pondering whether to stay at Aston Martin, retire at aged 45 or move to another team for one last dance.

Cadillac cool Camara rumours, but things 'could change'

Cadillac F1 CEO Dan Towriss has denied 'not substantiated' rumours that his team is looking at a driver switch at the end of this season.

Cadillac have been strongly linked with Rafael Camara, the reigning F3 champion who is running well in F2.

Towriss faced the media this week after announcing the hiring of Marcin Budkowski to replace Graeme Lowdon as team principal, and was asked about the rumours that Camara could be coming in to replace one of their veterans.

“It's a great question," he said, "whether a younger driver [can] come in and push the team. It's certainly something that we think about. We've got two experienced drivers that we're very happy with, that are pushing the team, and we'll continue to push them.

“I know there's been some of the rumours out there with some of the young drivers. They're not substantiated, so that's not something I would focus on. We're not focused on that at the moment.”

He added: “I'll throw the caveat, though. It's Formula 1, and things can always change. There are no changes planned at the moment for ‘27, but things can always change.”

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Written by

Graham Shaw - Consultant Editor

Digital sports leader with 30 years of senior level experience running global brands. Built sportinglife.com to be a behemoth in the UK as well as being in charge of the Planet Sport network of sites including planetf1.com, football365.com, teamtalk.com and planetrugby.com. Then grew goal.com to be the world's biggest soccer website in 18 languages and 37 territories. Was GM of Portals for Perform Group (now DAZN) with overall responsibility for sportingnews.com, spox.de and voetbalzone.nl.

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