Secret Meeting Later, Valtteri Bottas Might Just Snatch Carlos Sainz’s Best Seat

Carlos Sainz is yet to decide on his F1 future despite having standing offers for multiple months now. Audi and Williams were the prime choices before Alpine stuck its feet in the contract options door. However, the best option in terms of Williams is believed to be slipping out of Sainz’s hands as Valtteri Bottas had a secret meeting with the Grove outfit. 

“Valtteri Bottas looks like a better bet in these circumstances as the Finn knows the team and has worked with team boss James Vowles at Mercedes”, said Joe Saward in his Blog – Green Notebook as he explained how Vowles wants a driver who will commit to the Williams project and not just think about himself like Sainz is doing at the moment. 

Pierre Gasly about the possibility of Carlos Sainz moving to Alpine:

“I think it’s quite clear, Carlos, is the most experienced and the most valuable guy out there.”

“I would love to have him next to me next year. He’ll definitely bring a lot to the team and that would be a… pic.twitter.com/QK1bUC4tko

— ari (@itsme_ari_hi) July 4, 2024

Backing up his Bottas reports, he reveals how he saw the Finn Walking out of Vowles’ office. Saward wrote, “I had an amusing time early on Saturday morning when I bumped into Valtteri as he was leaving Vowles’s office, clad all in black, like a Ninja.”

Vowles made a feisty statement at the Canadian GP suggesting that Sainz is his top priority. However, with the Spaniard considering Alpine as an option, Vowles seems to be looking at other options that are available. Toto Wolff has also left the door open for a possible Sainz move if Kimi Antonelli fails to deliver on the promise. 

Williams seemed to be the best option with the team investing massively in infrastructure since the Dorilton Capital takeover. Vowles recently announced the hiring of 26 top engineers from its competitors. It seems that having the luxury of options and Sainz’s indecisiveness will cause him to lose the Williams seat. 

But why is Sainz taking so long? Guenther Steiner came out with an answer for the same.

Guenther Steiner on Sainz’s inner thought process amid the delay in his future decision

When Sainz announced his exit from Ferrari, many including the Spaniard himself hoped for a move to a big team like Mercedes or Red Bull. Unfortunately, none of those options materialized and now Sainz is stuck with midfield or backmarker options.

Although Audi will become a big team, success isn’t guaranteed until a few years. On the other hand, although Williams’ project is looking promising, it’s difficult to budge the likes of Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari from the top spot. 

Hence, Sainz is looking for a contract where he can opt out if the team isn’t performing well. Guenther Steiner on the Red Flags podcast revealed the same as he said, “It’s not an easy decision. He’s looking for an option to not be in the wrong place at the end of 2026. Basically having an out in 2026.”

Alpine is believed to be the only team offering a release clause in the contract. Hence, Sainz is believed to be attracted the most to the option of signing for the Enstone-based team.