Tag: Williams F1

Carlos Sainz Could Extend His F1 Career Through 2040

Williams driver Carlos Sainz believes he could continue racing in Formula 1 until he is 45, meaning he could still be competing when the 2040 season begins.

Sainz is currently contesting his 12th F1 season. The four-time Grand Prix winner will turn 32 on Tuesday and is the sixth-oldest driver on the grid, behind Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg, and Cadillac pairing Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.

How long can Carlos Sainz remain in Formula 1?

Sainz remains convinced that he has many years ahead of him. Hamilton recently became the oldest race winner since 1994 at the age of 41, while 45-year-old Alonso is the oldest points scorer since 1974.

“Looking at what Fernando and Lewis are still capable of doing, and also Nico, who is a few years older than me, it confirms to me that you can maintain a very high level of driving for a long time,” the former Toro Rosso, Renault, McLaren and Ferrari driver told Motorsport.com in an exclusive interview. “I’m fortunate to be in a sport that allows you to remain at this level for many years.

“I also have an example in my own family… My father Carlos isn’t in Formula 1, but at 63 he’s still competitive, and two years ago he won the Dakar.

“If you look after your physical condition and maintain strong motivation, you can extend your career for a long time. You need to be in a good place mentally, because you also have to factor in all the travelling, as well as the marketing and media commitments. Putting those aspects aside, I think you can keep going until you’re 45.”

Sainz still motivated to compete

Sainz is currently 16th in the drivers’ championship with a struggling Williams team, but he insists that he still has the motivation and desire to remain in Formula 1.

“Right now, yes,” he replied. “I think I’ll stay in Formula 1 for as long as I can. I don’t understand people who say ‘no’.

“It’s strange, because my theory is that at 40 you’re not even halfway through your life, and I ask myself what I’m going to do in the second half of it.

“I enjoy playing golf, cycling, playing padel and challenging myself with business activities, but even if I put all of those things together, they still don’t give me the same enjoyment I get from being where I am today.

“I’m aware of how fortunate I am to be part of this sport. It’s true that 24 races are a lot and that there are many other commitments around them, but when I go to bed at night, I remind myself that I wouldn’t trade all of this for anything in the world.”

Source: www.motorsport.com

08/31/2026
James Vowles Reveals Williams’ “huge number of projects” to Fix 2026 Problems

Williams team principal James Vowles says the Grove-based Formula 1 team is managing a “huge number of projects” to correct development mistakes made during the winter that continue to affect its 2026 campaign.

Williams targeting long-term performance fixes

Speaking in his post-race The Vowles Verdict debrief after a difficult Dutch Grand Prix, Vowles said Williams is restructuring behind the scenes to identify and address the reasons for its current lack of performance.

“As you saw, we announced both driver contracts last week, and it’s hard to put into words what it means to the organisation when that happens,” he said. “But it’s a monumental change. We have made mistakes this winter, which we’re still paying for today, and the drivers are paying for on the car that we’ve delivered on track.

“What was great is when we started to show the future that’s beyond here, one that’s more around the long term, their commitment came to the forefront. And that’s really important to me. It’s important to the team. It’s important to everyone because ultimately we’re here and we know we have a pathway to go, but we’re here fighting as a team.”

Williams ended speculation over its driver line-up before the Dutch Grand Prix, with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz both signing contract extensions. Albon agreed to a one-year extension that will keep him at Williams until the end of 2027, while Sainz signed a multi-year deal.

Although some updated car components are scheduled to arrive later in the season, Vowles said the Williams factory is prioritising fixes designed to improve the team’s long-term competitiveness.

“We have huge numbers of projects, though, in the background to make sure that we’re just digging out what went wrong this winter and fixing for the long term,” Vowles added. “And that’s our commitment today as it will be in six months’ time.”

Williams currently sits ninth in the Formula 1 constructors’ championship with 11 points.

08/28/2026
Alex Albon Explains Why Williams Cannot Afford Team-Mate Secrets in F1

Alex Albon has explained why he and Williams teammate Carlos Sainz share setup information rather than keeping performance gains secret on their respective sides of the garage.

Williams has endured a difficult 2026 Formula 1 season. The Grove-based team is ninth in the constructors’ championship with 11 points, while Sainz and Albon sit 16th and 17th in the drivers’ standings with six and five points respectively.

Although teammates naturally compete against each other, Albon believes the current limitations of the Williams car make collaboration essential. Speaking on The Fast And The Curious podcast after the Dutch Grand Prix, he explained that drivers at other teams may withhold useful information to gain an advantage, but said that approach would not benefit Williams.

“What happens in some teams, and I know this, is that you will find something on your car, but it won’t be something the other car can’t find,” Albon explained. “It could be a line into a corner, it could be a gear choice, it could be a set-up direction, it could be the way that we implement the electronic system into the car.

You could find something good, but you just won’t mention it. You can keep it quiet to your side of the garage.

Carlos Sainz and Alexander Albon, Williams. Photo by: Bryn Lennon / Formula 1 / Getty Images

“Realistically, for us, at least I don’t do it, so maybe Carlos does it, I don’t know,” he laughed. “But because of the limitations of our car, we kind of work together on it.

“It’s almost like we both have the same feedback with the same problems, and then we can split the cars,” he said. “One car might go, ‘Yes, this is working,’ so the other car joins onto that. Sometimes it’s like, ‘Oh, this works, and this works, so we’ll take a bit of both.’ You kind of chop and change sometimes.

“Oh, this is the wrong way, so now the other car’s gone the other way, so now it’s that way. But there is a balance.

“I remember that happened a lot more when you have two rookie drivers and you’re kind of fighting for the same [position]. You can imagine it becomes a little bit more [elbows out],” Albon added.

08/28/2026
Carlos Sainz Denies Audi F1 Talks for 2027: ‘I never considered leaving Williams’

Carlos Sainz says he never considered leaving Williams despite the team’s difficult start to the 2026 Formula 1 season. The Spaniard signed a new contract alongside team-mate Alexander Albon last week, committing his future to the Grove-based team.

Williams, a nine-time constructors’ championship winner, has struggled so far this season. The FW48 has slipped down the competitive order and failed to score points in the last six races. The downturn had led team principal James Vowles to question whether he could retain his current driver line-up.

Sainz dismisses Audi links

Sainz held discussions with Williams and the future Audi team after losing his Ferrari seat ahead of the 2025 season, eventually choosing the Grove-based outfit. Two years later, reports linked him with a potential move to Audi for 2027, although there was no clear vacancy at the Hinwil-based team.

However, Sainz told Motorsport.com that he had not seriously considered such a move.

“No, it was just the usual paddock rumours,” he said in our exclusive interview. “I can confirm that this year I never seriously considered going anywhere else.”

Nico Hulkenberg, Audi F1 Team, Carlos Sainz, Williams

Unlike Albon, who has committed to Williams for 2027 only, Sainz signed a “multi-year contract”. The wording suggests the agreement runs at least until 2028, although such language is also commonly used for contracts containing options for subsequent seasons.

Why Sainz stayed with Williams

Asked whether the new agreement meant he was no longer available to Formula 1’s leading teams, Sainz gave an indirect response.

“The usual process is that, before signing a contract, you always assess the overall situation,” he said. “But when we put everything on the table, another aspect emerged that is very important to me: I’ve never liked leaving a team when it’s going through a difficult period.

“It’s not in my character to go somewhere else if the situation has become worse since I joined the team. When I committed to the Williams project, I knew there could be difficult moments and, even though the one we’re going through now is particularly tough, I’m ready to accept it.

“Nobody in the team is happy with the current situation, and we’re all pushing to change it as quickly as possible. But, as I said, it’s not in my nature to abandon ship when things get tough.”

08/28/2026