F1 star Carlos Sainz 'set to sign' massive contract before Dutch Grand Prix

F1 News & Gossip

Carlos Sainz 'set to sign' massive contract before Dutch Grand Prix

He's gonna get PAID!

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Tuesday 18 August 2026 14:00 Updated: 16:21

Make us your Google favorite

After a summer of speculation about his future with the team, a new report has claimed that Carlos Sainz will sign a new contract with Williams in the days before the Dutch Grand Prix.

The British team has struggled mightily for pace this year, with their development issues being laid bare as earlier as the first pre-season test in Barcelona, which they missed entirely.

Neither Williams driver has finished better than 15th in the last four races - with no points accrued since Monaco - and Sainz looked the likelier of the team's two drivers to have offers from elsewhere on the grid.

Article continues under video

Those offers do not appear to have materialised, with Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull all apparently happy with their driver pairings (or at worst, holding a seat for Max Verstappen should he want it), leaving Sainz with little choice but to re-up with his current team.

F1 HEADLINES: Lewis Hamilton 'ready' for title charge as Mercedes reveal huge frustration

Sainz set for bumper new deal to stay put

RacingNews365 now report that an agreement is likely to be reached and announced before F1 comes back from its summer break this weekend.

Sainz is set to be given a 'significantly improved' salary to stay with the struggling team, with some reports circulating that he could more than double the €13m a year he currently earns.

Sergio Perez had previously been linked with a switch to replace the Spaniard if a move elsewhere was to materialise, after impressing some in the paddock by comfortably outperforming Cadillac team-mate Valtteri Bottas this season - albeit in what is now the worst car on the grid.

Williams team principal James Vowles admitted recently that his team's struggles are very real, saying: "There's probably more work to be done at Williams than at most teams right now.

"I don't think [his current workload] is sustainable, not in the long term. But it's what's required now to ensure we're making the necessary changes."

Which seats are currently open for 2027?

As silly season 2026 continues, per F1 there are a ton of seats still not 100 percent nailed down. And there are only eight of the 22 that actually are:

The current grid for 2027 looks like this - the drivers that are 'confirmed' have contracts in place. The rest, are up for grabs. And even some of those 'confirmed' positions could change with Verstappen's Red Bull clause now active: