Sainz ‘never considered’ leaving Williams - denies Audi talks

Carlos Sainz has lifted the veil on the speculation surrounding his Formula 1 future, insisting that despite a difficult 2026 campaign for Williams, he never “seriously considered” walking away from the Grove-based team.

The Spaniard’s future had become an intriguing subplot as Williams’ fortunes began to slide. After joining the historic outfit from Ferrari for the 2025 season, Sainz had established himself as a key part of the team’s long-term ambitions.

Yet with the FW48 struggling to maintain its place in the midfield and Williams now enduring a six-race points drought, team principal James Vowles had openly admitted that retaining his current driver line-up could prove difficult.

That admission inevitably raised questions about Sainz’s own intentions.

Rumours subsequently linked the 31-year-old with a potential switch to Audi for 2027, rekindling memories of the negotiations he held with the future factory team before ultimately choosing Williams when his Ferrari career came to an end.

But according to Sainz, there was far less to those whispers than the paddock speculation suggested.

Sainz dismisses the whispers

With Williams and Sainz confirming last week that they will continue together into 2027, the Spaniard has now made it clear that the possibility of leaving never became a serious consideration.

“No, it was just the usual paddock rumours,” he told Motorsport.com. “I can confirm that this year I never seriously considered going anywhere else.”

His decision is particularly notable given the timing. Williams’ progress has stalled dramatically in recent races, leaving the team without a point across the last six Grands Prix and raising the prospect of a frustrating second half of the season.

Sainz, however, says the difficulties ultimately reinforced rather than weakened his desire to remain part of the project.

Unlike Alexander Albon, whose new agreement covers 2027, Sainz has committed to Williams on a “multi-year contract”, suggesting his relationship with the team could extend beyond next season.

Whether that means Williams has effectively removed Sainz from the market for the longer term remains less clear.

• Read also: Williams end Sainz uncertainty with multi-year contract extension

The Spaniard acknowledged that exploring his options was naturally part of the process before putting pen to paper.

“The usual process is that, before signing a contract, you always assess the overall situation,” he said.

“But when we put everything on the table, another aspect emerged that is very important to me: I’ve never liked leaving a team when it’s going through a difficult period.

‘I’m ready to accept it’

That philosophy appears to have carried considerable weight as Sainz weighed his future.

Having joined Williams believing in its potential, he was unwilling to turn his back on the team simply because its immediate trajectory had become more challenging.

“It’s not in my character to go somewhere else if the situation has become worse since I joined the team,” Sainz explained.

“When I committed to the Williams project, I knew there could be difficult moments and, even though the one we’re going through now is particularly tough, I’m ready to accept it.

“Nobody in the team is happy with the current situation, and we’re all pushing to change it as quickly as possible. But, as I said, it’s not in my nature to abandon ship when things get tough.”

For Williams, that is perhaps the most significant message of all. At a moment when the team’s competitive ambitions have been tested, Sainz has chosen continuity over the uncertainty of a fresh start elsewhere.

The Audi rumours may have briefly added an intriguing twist to the Spaniard’s future. But Sainz’s own account suggests that, behind the paddock noise, his destination was never really in doubt.

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