McLaren CEO Zak Brown has said Carlos Sainz remains a consideration for his team’s future driver line-up, should a seat become available in the coming years.

Sainz drove for the Woking-based squad for two seasons in 2019 and ’20, before making the switch to Ferrari, with the partnership proving fruitful as Sainz led the team’s driver line-up alongside Lando Norris – the duo infamously developing a ‘bromance’ as teammates’.

Zak Brown: Carlos Sainz would be considered for open McLaren seat

With Sainz having put in a four-year stint at Ferrari since then, McLaren has emerged as a title-winner again in the same time period by scoring its first Constructors’ Championship since 1998 last year.

Norris now is a primary title contender, with teammate Oscar Piastri leading the championship by 10 points over the British driver.

It’s a very different story for Sainz, however, as the Spaniard has had to reset expectations for this year following a move to Williams.

Last year, Ferrari opted to sign seven-time F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton to partner Charles Leclerc for 2026, leaving Sainz fighting to find a new home on the grid.

He has committed to a new long-term deal with Williams, a team currently in a similar phase to where McLaren was five years ago as James Vowles moulds the Dorilton Capital-owned squad in his image.

With Sainz and Leclerc having been a very strong driver pairing at Ferrari, McLaren CEO Zak Brown was asked whether he would have made a similar decision as Ferrari in dropping Sainz in favour of Lewis Hamilton.

“It’s not as simple as that, there are a lot of dynamics around it that play a role,” Brown told Spain’s Marca.

“Lewis is a seven-time champion and there are not many occasions when you can have a sportsman like that in your team.

“But, at the same time, Carlos was amazing with us, a good friend, a great driver…. Luckily, I didn’t find myself in the situation where I had to make that decision…”

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has indicated that the door for a possible Sainz return isn’t off the table, with the relationship between Ferrari and Sainz remaining professional and amicable even as the Spaniard counted down the days to his exit.

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It’s a testament to Sainz’s work ethic and attitude that, like Ferrari, McLaren would welcome a return for Sainz if the circumstances ever arise – both Norris and Piastri being on long-term deals with the team.

“If we had an open seat, of course, we would consider Carlos,” Brown said.

“But, right now, we have Lando and Oscar under contract for several years, but if for some reason the situation changes and Carlos is available… I have his phone number in my address book.”

While Sainz may have to temper his expectations this year, there have been clear signs of the Spaniard having adjusted to his new surroundings and, in Saudi Arabia, he scored eighth place to follow up on his 10th-place finish in China.

But Sainz is in at Williams for the long-term, saying upon his arrival at Grove that he aims to be part of the “ride back to the top” for what was once the most dominant force in Formula 1.

“When I was 10 years old and I started to fall in love with Formula One, which teams you would have loved to drive [for] one day, I would have definitely picked those three [Ferrari, McLaren, Williams],” he said.

“I’m in my 10th year in Formula 1, and I’m joining Williams, I think, in a very important moment for Williams, where it’s going through some key changes in its history.

“Nothing would make me happier and more proud, and it would definitely be the proudest moment of my career if, one day, I could be on the podium with this team.

“I want to help that in that process, help a historical team, I think it’s the second most successful team in Formula 1.

“Being part of that process, and being part of that ride way back to the top of Formula 1 is what motivates me, and I’m happy. I feel supported by this team, and I think that’s, hopefully, going to bring the best version of myself.”

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