The first rule of Formula 1 is not to hit your teammate as although each driver is fighting to win races, it is still technically a team sport.
Esteban Ocon’s time at Alpine will end this winter and that announcement was made off the back of him crashing into Pierre Gsaly on the opening lap in Monaco.
The 2025 grid is beginning to take shape with more than half of the seats now filled for next year.
The next driver expected to confirm where he’ll be driving is Carlos Sainz with his Ferrari contract expiring in the winter and Lewis Hamilton lined up to replace him.
Sainz is likely to join Williams next year and partner Alex Albon which on paper could be one of the best combinations in the paddock.
However, Sainz crashed into Albon in Canada, ending both of their races when they were in line to potentially score points.
Journalist Edd Straw has spoken on The Race Podcast about the incident and believes that despite Albon being denied a very rare top-ten finish by the Spaniard, it’s unlikely to have an impact on his future.
In fact, Straw has even suggested when Sainz may confirm the next stage of his F1 career with other options on the grid being taken off the table.
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Carlos Sainz crash with Alex Albon unlikely to impact 2025 Williams offer
For the first time this season, Williams and Ferrari were having very similar weekends.
Albon out-qualified both Ferraris and Logan Sargeant only started narrowly behind Sainz and Charles Leclerc.
It was a disaster of a weekend for Frederic Vasseur’s team who made some questionable decisions when it came to Leclerc’s strategy.
Albon, on the other hand, was having a great race and looked set to back up his 9-place finish in Monaco with more points.
Martin Brundle and David Croft loved Albon’s double-overtaking move heading into the final chicane but he wasn’t able to reap the benefits of his hard work on the track.
Carlos Sainz made a mistake at turn six and spun his Ferrari, leaving him strewn across the track.
Albon tried to sneak past Sainz but the Spaniard didn’t stop his car and rolled into Albon’s Williams, ending both of their races.
Jacques Villeneuve couldn’t understand what Sainz was doing, however, it doesn’t appear likely that it will have any impact on his chances of signing for Williams.
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Williams still happy to sign Carlos Sainz despite Alex Albon crash
Asked whether Sainz taking out Albon could impact his chances of signing for Williams next season, Straw said: “Well, yeah, it probably did cost them points.
“It won’t have any influence on that, I think they’ll find it quite funny in terms of the way it happened.
“It wasn’t [Carlos] Sainz doing anything particularly stupid, he made an honest mistake and collected [Alex] Albon.
“Yeah it was unfortunate for them, it’s not going to be relevant and certainly the expectation is that Sainz will probably commit to Williams fairly soon.
“But he has not yet signed, so that’s something that could come potentially before the Spanish Grand Prix but isn’t done and dusted as yet.”
Audi might be keen for Williams and Sainz to fall out over the incident so that they can pounce on the situation.
However, announcing Sainz joining the team before his home race in Spain would be a big coup for Williams.
They’ll hope that both drivers are slightly more careful once they’re teammates.
The post ‘Isn’t done and dusted’: Journalist shares if Carlos Sainz crash with Albon will impact his Williams chances appeared first on F1 Oversteer.