Carlos Sainz facing major F1 career problem: 'He's up against it'

Former Formula 1 driver Martin Brundle believes Carlos Sainz is "up against it," as he faces the major issue of not having a strong exit route from Williams.

It has been a disastrous start to the new power unit regulations for the British team, which has already encountered several problems.

Williams missed the Barcelona shakedown test due to difficulties passing the required FIA crash tests, and its car is believed to be 26 kilograms overweight.

Despite Sainz having scored two points, the Grove-based team has one of the least competitive cars on the grid, ahead of only Cadillac and Aston Martin.

Sainz joined Williams after being forced out of Ferrari at the conclusion of the 2024 campaign on a multi-year deal, under the expectation that it would be a strong team for the new regulations.

That has not materialised, with the team taking a significant step backward. The big issue for Sainz is that, if he wishes to find a more competitive team, there are very few options on the table.

Asked if Sainz could leave Williams, Brundle replied on the Sky F1 podcast: "Where would Carlos go? He's been at McLaren. He's been at Red Bull with Toro Rosso, as it was back then. He's been at Ferrari and Williams.

"There's no room at Mercedes. He's obviously done a stint at Renault as well—that's now Alpine. It's difficult to know where he'd go to get something better without revisiting places where, for whatever reason, he wasn't invited to stay.

"So it's really hard for him. I feel for him, because while I don't think he's got the absolute talent of a Verstappen and co., he is a fighter. He's like his dad—relentless—and that plays out quite frequently.

"Some of the races he's won have been absolutely outstanding, so it would be a shame. He's up against it, because he's driven for nearly half the teams on the grid already in his career.

"And so, unless a gap opens up unexpectedly—unless Red Bull suddenly needs somebody because Max has decided to go GT racing and sim racing, or whatever, for a year or two—I don't know what else he would do."