But as people talk in Monaco about Carlos Sainz talking to Williams, we need to look closer at what the team can offer him.
Carlos Sainz is a really good driver. He’s shown he can race with the best. He wants to stay in a team that can win races in 2025.
But Red Bull and Mercedes aren’t rushing to hire him. They’re looking at other options. Sainz doesn’t have many choices left.
He could choose to sign with Audi. They’d give him a lot of money and a stable job in Formula 1. He’d get support from Audi and be part of their new project.
But it’s risky. Audi is new to Formula 1, and the team they bought, Sauber, isn’t doing so well. Sauber needs time and money to improve. Their car isn’t fast enough right now.
If Sainz joins Audi, he might go from a Ferrari team that wins races to a Sauber team that struggles to even qualify well. That doesn’t sound great.
Williams isn’t doing much better than Sauber right now, but they think they can get faster quickly.
Their boss, James Vowles, said their car is too heavy, but they’re fixing it. He thinks they can be much faster soon.
Williams is also getting more money to improve their team. They want to compete with the best teams.
Alex Albon, another driver, chose to stay with Williams instead of going back to Red Bull. That shows Williams has a good future.
In 2026, when the rules change, Williams will use engines from Mercedes. That’s good because Mercedes’ engines are really good.
Williams could give Sainz more freedom than Audi. If he signs with Williams, he might have a chance to leave after a year if things don’t go well.
If Williams gets better and Mercedes’ engines are strong, Sainz might stay. But if he wants to leave, he can.
In 2026, other good drivers might be looking for new teams too. If Sainz is free, he might get a really good offer from a top team.
Right now, Williams is talking to Sainz and another driver, Valtteri Bottas. They’ll decide soon who to hire.
After this weekend’s race in Monaco, Sainz will need to think about his future. His decision could change his career in Formula 1.
