Carlos Sainz quickly found himself choosing between three midfield teams after he lost his Ferrari seat to Lewis Hamilton. Williams, Alpine and Sauber/Audi battled for his services.
Hamilton’s exit left a vacancy next to George Russell, but Mercedes couldn’t agree terms with Sainz. They wanted him to sign a one-year deal so he wouldn’t necessarily block the path of teenage talent Kimi Antonelli.
Understandably seeking greater job security, Sainz rejected that proposal and Toto Wolff signed Antonelli straight away. As for Red Bull, the Spaniard never looked a serious contender, either side of Sergio Perez’s ripped-up contract extension.
Sainz is adamant Red Bull did him a favour, with Liam Lawson graduating from Racing Bulls to partner Max Verstappen instead. That will maintain the clear number one-number two dynamic Christian Horner seems to prefer.
As such, Sainz had to embrace a rebuild. Alpine started 2024 as F1’s slowest team and while they improved as the year went on, their late-season surge to sixth place came too late to be a factor in the driver market.
With Sauber failing to score until the penultimate round in Qatar, Sainz decided that Williams were the best option. He lines up next to Alex Albon, while Alpine have promoted reserve driver Jack Doohan as a successor to Esteban Ocon.
Alpine and Flavio Briatore demanded that Carlos Sainz sign for four years
Sainz’s Williams deal could run until the end of 2028. That depends on whether team and driver activate extension clauses.
If not, he has the option to leave after just two seasons. He’ll be able to assess Williams’ progress in the first year of the new ruleset before deciding whether to persist with the James Vowles project.
Alpine boss Flavio Briatore couldn’t accept this arrangement. He wanted Sainz to make a firmer four-year commitment, particularly given his salary demands.
READ MORE: Williams driver Carlos Sainz’s life outside F1 from full name, girlfriend and height: Alpine chief Flavio Briatore refused to give Carlos Sainz one thing in 2025 F1 seat negotiations
Briatore noted that ‘none of the top teams’ moved for Sainz when available. And yet, he suspected that the four-time race-winner was trying to engineer an eventual return to the front of the grid.
“Either he believes in our program or he doesn’t,” he told the Auto Motor und Sport magazine, via sport.de. “I don’t need a driver who costs me a lot of money and is only concerned about being able to go to another team if the opportunity arises.
“Sainz is a very good driver. But when he was on the market, none of the top teams took him.”
The two drivers who could replace Jack Doohan if he struggles at Alpine
Briatore gave Doohan a one-year contract, which is fairly standard for a rookie. It’s unclear how long Alpine will give him to make his case before they decide on their 2026 line-up.
However, it doesn’t bode well for the Australian that the Enstone outfit are already being linked with replacements. Chief among them is Franco Colapinto, set to be Williams reserve driver after missing out on a 2025 seat.
Briatore is open about his interest in Colapinto, who may have arrived too late. It wasn’t until late August that he replaced Logan Sargeant at Williams.
Paul Aron is also an option for Alpine, according to one journalist. After a top-three finish in F2, he joins the stable as reserve driver.
Leave feedback about this