Carlos Sainz is still yet to confirm where he’ll be racing in 2025. Sainz found out back in the winter that he would be losing his Ferrari seat to Lewis Hamilton.
Fred Vasseur’s decision speaks to the legendary status of Hamilton rather than any particular issues with Sainz. Indeed, the Spaniard has generally performed well since he arrived at Maranello in 2021.
He scored his first victory for the team, and his first in F1, at the 2022 British Grand Prix, and was the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race last year (Singapore). He then stood on the top step for the third time in as many years after beating Charles Leclerc in Australia in March.
Despite missing the Saudi Arabian GP through illness, Sainz sits ahead of Red Bull driver Sergio Perez in the championship. He’s 23 points behind former teammate Lando Norris in third, and 30 adrift of Leclerc.
The 29-year-old would have hoped to join a direct rival when he heard the news. But Mercedes are poised to promote academy driver Kimi Antonelli instead, while Red Bull have opted to retain Perez.
This leaves Sainz effectively choosing between Williams and Sauber, who will become Audi in 2026. As it stands, they’re the bottom two teams in the constructors’ championship.
Karun Chandhok says Carlos Sainz ‘instability’ will be weighing him down
Speaking on Sky Sports F1 ahead of practice for the Spanish Grand Prix, Sainz’s home race, pundit Karun Chandhok expressed his sympathy. He believes the Ferrari driver’s focus may naturally have wavered this year.
As such, he expects him to seek a swift resolution from this point. Once his future is settled, he can put any anxiety to bed.
F1 Oversteer understands that Sainz is set to join Williams, rather than Audi. The team are 90% sure that they will get a deal done, though the opportunity to announce it in Barcelona seems to have passed.
“He may be a multimillionaire Formula 1 driver, but for anybody in any job, having instability in your career is upsetting,” Chandhok said. “It weighs on you mentally. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a doctor, lawyer or you work in a shop.
“I feel like this is something he wants to put to bed, just to say ‘ok, that’s done now, I know where my future lies, I know where I’m going to be, and I can get back to the day job of concentrating on the driving’.”
What Williams staff are saying about Logan Sargeant amid Sainz interest
Sainz could theoretically use Williams as a stepping-stone back to the front of the F1 grid. The length of his contract will be telling in that regard.
But BBC journalist Andrew Benson doesn’t expect to see him driving for a top team again. He feels that the likes of Mercedes and Red Bull have made their feelings clear by not signing him for 2025.
One thing that could aid Sainz is the possible departure of Max Verstappen. Red Bull were wary of reigniting the tension between the two camps from their days as rookies at Toro Rosso, so they may be more inclined to sign him in a post-Verstappen era.
But there’s a possibility that he’ll have to settle in for the long haul at Williams. James Vowles will seek to build around a line-up of Sainz and Alex Albon.
Underperforming sophomore driver Logan Sargeant is set to be shown the door. The team insist that Sargeant has taken a step forward this year, but it hasn’t been enough to save his seat.
The post 'He may be a multimillionaire': Karun Chandhok says Carlos Sainz finds himself in an 'upsetting' situation appeared first on F1 Oversteer.