With Carlos Sainz officially a future Williams driver, the 2026 Audi driver lineup remains a mystery. Several names are in contention, but veteran F1 Journalist Joe Saward believes one name holds a distinct advantage. Per Saward, Fernando Alonso could still prolong his career by filling a vacancy at Audi.
Revealing the information in his online blog – Green Notebook, Saward noticed Alonso going into the Sauber (soon to be Audi) motorhome alongside Flavio Briatore at the Belgian GP weekend. Thus, he believes something might be on there, but if anyone asks them, Saward joked they will talk about their joint love for toy trains instead.
BREAKING: Carlos Sainz to join Williams Racing from 2025#F1 pic.twitter.com/3O3ROhrEES
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 29, 2024
Alonso has been unhappy with Aston Martin since the second half of the last season, due to their dip in performance relative to the rest of the field. Regardless of that, the Spaniard signed a contract extension with the Silverstone outfit, which is reportedly a multi-year [2+1 year] deal. This closed the door for Sainz to potentially join Aston.
Sainz was also a strong contender for the Audi seat, given his family links. However, he decided to drive for Williams. Thus, all eyes are now on Audi to see which drivers they target as Alonso becomes a new name in the mix. And all of this has been the doing of the 43-year-old’s Spanish compatriot.
Sainz has made life extremely difficult for Audi
With Sainz opting to sign for Williams instead of Audi, Guenther Steiner believes he may have made things extremely difficult for the newest team of the grid. With Nico Hulkenberg already onboard, Audi remains on the hunt for their second driver, and Steiner believes it will hurt Audi’s campaign.
A driver lineup comprising of Sainz and Hulkenberg could have helped Audi bring in big-name sponsors and attract more money. The ex-Haas team principal had previously even opined that Sainz should opt for Audi over Williams. But the 29-year-old remains keen to be a part of the Williams driver lineup alongside Alex Albon.
After completing his move to Williams, Sainz revealed on social media that he was excited, and felt he made the right choice. He also stated that he believes in Vowles’ plans which aim to regain the lost glory for the Grove outfit.
