Carlos Sainz rumours hot up again with key figures spotted in hospitality

Carlos Sainz admits Ferrari have been out-developed by their main F1 rivals

Still undecided on his F1 future, Carlos Sainz’s team of Carlos Sainz Senior and Carlos Onoro were spotted by PlanetF1.com leaving the Williams motorhome on Friday at Spa.

Williams is one of several teams interested in signing the soon-to-be-former Ferrari driver for next year’s championship and were said to have put a deal on the table, only for that to be scuppered when Alpine came knocking.

Carlos Sainz’s team were spotted leaving the Williams motorhome

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Alpine special advisor Flavio Briatore gave weight to that rumour earlier this month when he told RAI Radio: “Incredibly he [Sainz] is still free, we are all willing to have him on the team and we will do what we can.”

Williams though, could still be in the running.

Sainz Senior and the F1 driver’s manager Onoro were snapped leaving the Williams motorhome on Friday by PlanetF1.com.

Not the clearest pic in the world, but Carlos Sainz Senior and Carlos Onoro, Sainz’s manager, just left the Williams motorhome… #F1 #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/O9eU6RiAdw

— Thomas Maher (@thomasmaheronf1) July 26, 2024

For now the wait continues with Sainz telling the media in Spa that ideally he wants a “championship-winning car” next season but he concedes there’s only a “small” chance of that happening.

“My best option for next year would be a championship-winning car, which has been my number one priority since these talks about my future have happened,” he said.

“And the likelihood of that, we all know that is small, but that’s always been my target. And if that doesn’t happen, I’ll choose what’s best for my near future, for sure.”

Linked to Williams, Alpine, and Sauber, who will be rebranded Audi in 2026, the doors to Mercedes and Red Bull are also not entirely sealed shut.

As such Sainz is in no rush to decide what comes next.

Asked if F1 journalists can enjoy a relaxing summer break or if they need to keep out for surprises, the Spaniard replied: “Do you honestly think I’m going to answer that question?

“After all this time, I’m now going to tell you if I’m going to decide tomorrow or in five days or before the summer break?

“I cannot honestly give you the answer, and I cannot answer that question. It’s as simple as that. I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s going to be before or after the summer break. I don’t know.”

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