Carlos Sainz was set to be confirmed as a Williams driver at the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend. But now his future is uncertain once again.
Sainz has been the centre of attention in the F1 driver market since the start of the season. This was bound to be the case after Ferrari made him a free agent by signing Lewis Hamilton.
Initially, the expectation was that the three-time race-winner would join another front-running team. Toto Wolff says talks over a move to Mercedes reached an advanced stage before the Silver Arrows pulled the plug.
They wanted to bide their time, assessing the development of academy driver Kimi Antonelli – now the overwhelming favourite for the seat – and the availability of Max Verstappen. Red Bull, meanwhile, opted to renew Sergio Perez rather than re-sign the former Toro Rosso driver.
This has left Sainz choosing between three of the bottom four teams in the championship. The F1 paddock was ‘certain’ that Williams were about to unveil him in Barcelona, but he hesitated.
That’s because Alpine are making a strong late push to sign him as their Esteban Ocon replacement. Audi seem like the third-favourites right now as they refuse to budge on a proposed three-year deal.
Alpine engine talks with Mercedes tempt Carlos Sainz
According to The Race, Sainz has delayed his decision after Alpine told him they could become a Mercedes customer. They originally centred their pitch on being a works team – unlike Williams – but they’re now considering an external engine supply deal.
For now, Alpine are still working on their 2026 power unit at Viry. But they have made initial contact with Mercedes, who are ‘widely expected’ to set the benchmark for the sport’s new-look engines.
The feasibility of a deal is unclear at this point. Williams have already established their partnership with the Silver Arrows, which could be key.
But equally, Alpine have now ‘re-emerged as a serious candidate’ for the 29-year-old’s signature. It looked like they had fallen out of the race, but Sainz clearly sees Alpine-Mercedes as an attractive option in principle.
Martin Brundle names the contract clause Sainz must demand
Another key factor for Sainz could be the length of any proposed deal. His camp have apparently been pushing for Williams up to this point because of the flexibility of the ‘one-plus-one-plus-one’ contract that’s on the table.
Alpine may need to offer a similar framework to gain their approval. Martin Brundle has urged Sainz to demand a 2025 get-out clause in case a more desirable seat becomes available.
Meanwhile, former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has warned that his career ‘will be over’ if he commits to a long-term deal with the wrong team. He may be willing to sacrifice 2025 if it means being in a strong position for F1’s new era.
Given that Sainz is the most desirable free agent still on the market, he’s inevitably been the ‘cork in the bottle’ (in the words of Kevin Magnussen). Once he makes his decision, a flurry of moves could follow.
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