Carlos Sainz is still looking for his next team. Right now, Williams and Audi seem to be the front-runners in securing his services. But Ralf Schumacher advises the Spaniard not to choose the Grove-based team over Audi.
“I’ll tell you upfront: Williams is still a dead end at the moment. I’m honest, although I really like James Vowles,” said Schumacher as per Formel1.de.
Schumacher himself has driven for Williams from 1999 to 2004. Therefore, he argues that he knows Williams from the inside and believes the current Ferrari driver wouldn’t feel comfortable in that setup.
“I think Audi is the best choice in the long term also because of his father’s ties to the company,” Schumacher added. With Red Bull closing the doors on Sainz after Sergio Perez’s contract extension, Williams and Audi are reportedly the only viable options.
Carlos Sainz didn’t want to settle for 1 year contracts and bottled a contract with either Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren & Audi
Bro been flirting with the whole grid just to end up at Williams pic.twitter.com/THjgkGMVEO
— Bamse (@Bamsemanden3) June 6, 2024
Considering Alpine and Haas also have vacancies, the two teams aren’t as aggressively linked as Williams and Audi. On the other hand, Sainz also admitted he would decide a team after giving a great amount of thought.
He believes that the next decision will be defining his career. Therefore, it’s necessary for him to make the right decision.
Carlos Sainz could be looking for the next world champions
With the 2026 regulations coming in, any team has the potential to make a meteoric rise on the grid. Williams has several times emphasized that they are working in that direction only.
On the other hand, Audi is believed to be making heavy investments in F1 and is setting up a state-of-the-art facility to run their operations. Therefore, both sides are impressively ambitious amidst the new regulations.
Meanwhile, when it comes to Sainz, he is definitely a highly-rated driver, and would at least be looking at a team that can help him register regular podiums. While Audi could take time to climb the F1 ladder and win races, there is potential at Williams.
Alex Albon recently signing a new contract at Williams was deemed as shocking. However, at the same time, his belief in James Vowles’ project also comes out as an endorsement for the former world champions.
