Carlos Sainz has decided to continue his Formula 1 career with Williams in 2025, sources report.
This revelation follows sightings of Carlos Sainz senior, the departing Ferrari racer's father and co-manager, exiting Williams' facilities at Spa-Francorchamps, according to two well-respected Formula 1 journalism outlets.
At 29, Sainz has been pivotal in the F1 driver market, delaying his next commitment as he considered keen interested from midfield teams Sauber-Audi, Alpine and Williams, whilst holding out hope for an offer from a top team like Red Bull and Mercedes.
The negotiations, and potential contract signing, at Spa included Sainz's manager and cousin Carlos Onoro Sainz, alongside rally icon Sainz senior and Williams leader James Vowles, as reported by Diario Sport at the Belgian Grand Prix.
On Friday, the three-time Grand Prix victor expressed a preference for joining a "midfield team" for his "near future" rather than taking a break from racing, though he remained non-committal about finalizing the deal before the summer recess. "I cannot honestly give you the answer, and I cannot answer that question," Sainz stated. "It's as simple as that. I don't know if it's going to be before or after the summer break."
New reports from German broadcaster Sport1 suggest that Sainz may now have signed a one-year deal with Williams, which includes extension options. Moreover, Vowles is said to have offered the Spaniard an attractive annual salary of 10 million euros, along with a special clause that permits an immediate departure should a more appealing opportunity with a leading team emerge.
There's speculation that an agreement between Vowles and his former boss at Mercedes, Toto Wolff, could allow Williams to acquire young talent Kimi Antonelli should Sainz indeed move to a top-tier team.
An official announcement regarding Sainz's move is expected soon.
This development could be a setback for Valtteri Bottas, who had hoped to clinch the spot alongside Alex Albon. Yet, with Sauber-Audi parting ways with Andreas Seidl, Bottas now sees a chance to initiate discussions with the incoming boss, Mattia Binotto.
"It is going to reset the talks a bit, because we have previously been in communication with Andreas and Oliver (Hoffmann), and now it's Mattia, who will officially start next week, I believe," Bottas noted. "For sure that will change some things, so we need to speak."
Mick Schumacher is also in the race for the Audi position, aiming to form a compelling all-German lineup for the brand's new factory-backed venture. "For me it is very important to be back in Formula 1," Schumacher told RTL at Spa. "And now every team in F1 is competitive - maybe not enough to win, but you can still position yourself really well, no matter which team you are with at the moment."
Regarding Audi, he mentioned, "It's a very exciting project" and "a very good choice."
