Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz is entering his last season with the team.
Speaking about a “long-term” project being “built from the bottom”, Channel 4’s Steven Jones believes Carlos Sainz has all but told us he’s “locked in” at Williams.
Williams may be the team that secures the three-time Grand Prix winner for the 2025 F1 championship, despite being associated with Red Bull, Mercedes, and Audi.
Has Carlos Sainz hinted he’s ‘locked in’ at Williams?
Sainz was informed by Ferrari even before the first race of this season that 2024 would be his fourth and final year in red as they’d signed Lewis Hamilton as his replacement.
Back in February, the Spaniard had plenty of choices for the 2025 F1 championship.
Since that time, however, there have been rumors circulating within the Formula 1 community suggesting that Red Bull has already made their decision and are inclined to retain Sergio Perez. On the other hand, Mercedes has yet to finalize their choice, as Toto Wolff remains optimistic about securing Max Verstappen and will only make the decision at the eleventh hour.
Audi is currently exploring their alternatives following reports that Sainz has postponed discussions with them. In the meantime, they have successfully secured the services of Nico Hulkenberg.
But while it seemed to be a tussle between Mercedes and Audi for the 29-year-old’s signature with Sainz pausing the Audi talks as he waited on word from Mercedes, in the build-up to the Monaco Grand Prix Williams emerged as the front-runner to secure the Spaniard’s services.
The Mercedes-powered team already has Alex Albon on the payroll for 2025 but are said to be keen on making a key signing to show the motor racing world that they mean business.
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However, both Williams and Sainz have not provided any confirmation or denial regarding the reports. Instead, the Ferrari driver mentioned a “long-term” plan and expressed the intention to establish a team “from scratch”.
He expressed to Channel 4 that his main focus is to continue in F1. However, he also desires to discover a project in the foreseeable future that appreciates his worth, pays attention to his opinions, and enables him to commit to a medium or long-term endeavor that will benefit his career.
In my opinion, I don’t think it’s the appropriate approach to Formula One by simply visiting a few places for a short duration of one or two years and then moving on.
“I firmly believe in the power of building successful winning teams from the ground up, where individuals come together to create something great. It is important to me to feel loved, valued, and truly at home in such an environment.”
Presenter Jones eagerly seized upon the crucial terms used in the Spaniard’s statement, confidently declaring that Sainz’s move to Williams is firmly confirmed.
“Jones expressed his admiration, stating, ‘Incredibly graceful and classy. I had no doubt.’ Following the interview, speculations began circulating about Sainz potentially joining Williams.”
Listening to him discuss a team’s long-term project is truly captivating.
To put it briefly, his decision is finalized – he will be attending Williams.
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