Sainz blasts false rumours around latest F1 move

Carlos Sainz has laughed off and heavily criticised reports he has signed with the Williams F1 team.

With Sainz out of contract with Ferrari at the end of the season, he has been linked with Mercedes, Audi, and Red Bull. The latter avenue was closed off this week when Sergio Perez re-signed for the team with a contract through to 2026.

Whilst Sainz has also been linked to Williams, suggestions he will be partnering Alex Albon in 2025 have drawn short shrift from the Spanish driver.  

"The only thing I can tell you is that there is nothing locked in, and I have seen reports in the media - I don't know if it is in Spain - of people saying I've signed, and when I look at those things, it makes me laugh," Sainz told media including RacingNews365 ahead of this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix.

"I remember seeing reports three months ago that I had signed for Mercedes, and reports that I had signed for Red Bull - and those places are not going to happen. 

"It is funny how people are now saying I've signed for Williams, and sometimes this goes a bit unpunished for some media reports - and I am not talking about you guys because you know when something has been signed or not.

"It concerns me that people can get away with that kind of stuff without it being backed [up] or anything like that. 

"When I have something to announce, you guys will be the first to know and I will be here openly talking about it."

Sainz has confirmed 'knowing for a while' Red Bull was not an option following what he has described as his "personal conversations with the team".

With Mercedes and Red Bull off the table, teams that could have offered him likely race-winning and title-challenging cars for 2026 when new regulations kick in, his options are starting to thin.

Despite his situation, Sainz maintains that "there's no real frustration," adding: "Obviously, my target in Formula 1 is always to win and to be in the best possible position. That's what I like doing, what I enjoy doing.

"I still have a year of that with Ferrari, and I'm going to focus on maximising that opportunity because on any given weekend, right now, I could be on the podium, or I could win a race, and this gives me a really good feeling.

"Everything else that you've talked about, it's Formula 1. There are so many other things involved inside the teams. It's always complicated to understand the dynamics of Formula 1 when you see it from the outside.

"But when you see it from the inside everyone has a reason to take the decisions they have taken. For me, we say 'everyday bread' something that I've been seeing in Formula 1 for so many years."