At the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend, Carlos Sainz was scheduled to make his Williams driver announcement. James Vowles would have considered it as ideal timing, since it was his home race. It was “certain” in the F1 paddock that Williams will present Sainz on Friday. Mercedes would then declare that Kimi Antonelli had been promoted to take Lewis Hamilton’s spot.
But in the end, Sainz wasn’t quite ready to sign on the dotted line. The uncertainty around his future is set to drag on for another race.
In theory, the 29-year-old is a very attractive free agent. In his F1 career, he has finished on the podium 22 times and won three Grands Prix, the most recent of which was in Australia in March.Toto Wolff, however, claims Mercedes left the negotiations before they could even get down to talking specifics of the contract. Conversely, Sergio Perez was chosen to be retained by Red Bull, the other dominant team that had a possible opening. Fearing a rekindled tension between himself and Verstappen from their Toro Rosso days, Christian Horner was concerned about signing Sainz. He now has to choose between clubs that are toward the bottom of the standings, with Audi being one of his long-term admirers. Alpine, having signed Pierre Gasly, is vying for Carlos Sainz.
Indeed, according to F1TV writer Lawrence Barretto, the £1.1 billion French club Forbes has now submitted a “better” offer. They had been pursuing for “months,” but they appear to be more committed than before.
Sainz hasn’t decided where he will travel to next. There are three horses competing in the race: Alpine, Williams, and Audi. If he joins Bruno Famin’s team, he would take Esteban Ocon’s place. The team made the announcement that Pierre Gasly has agreed to a multi-year deal in the second seat on Thursday morning.
What Flavio Briatore was observed doing while pursuing Sainz in the Formula One paddock Not a single side vying for Sainz is able to provide any assurances. Despite the fact that Williams has only collected two points in ten races this year, Vowles is an extremely ambitious team principal. Audi won’t even compete in Formula One (F1) until 2026. That would entail starting out as a member of the Sauber team, who are now anchored to the bottom of the standings, and taking a chance on the German manufacturer’s financial might to propel them quickly up the grid.
Although they might not be for very long as Renault CEO Luca de Meo looks into outside engine agreements, Alpine is also a working team. Despite being Sainz’s most senior suitor in P7, they haven’t completely recovered from their crisis. Even said, Sainz might be more willing to take a “risk” now that Red Bull and Mercedes are eliminated. Flavio Briatore, the new executive adviser for Alpine, was observed ‘exchanging phone numbers’ with Carlos Sainz Sr. in the Spanish GP paddock, indicating that he hasn’t wasted any time in intensifying his pursuit. According to Karun Chandhok, the Ferrari star’s future is uncertain, which puts him in a “upsetting” scenario. Regardless of the team he choose, he might be looking for a quick fix right now.