Carlos Sainz renewed his contract with Williams for the 2027 season and beyond Formula 1. Even though he has been vocal in his criticisms about the team’s difficult phase, the driver explained the reasons for staying.
Read more F1: Former US ambassador buys stake in Aston Martin
The Spaniard made it clear that his desire was to fight for wins in the category again. However, the British team started the new 2026 regulations on the back foot and without competitiveness, which delayed the competitor’s plans.
But even though not so satisfied with the FW48’s form, he chose to stay with the team in the coming years. “I think I spent the last few months trying to understand, together with the team, what happened for us to reach the situation we are in today, which is obviously a disappointment for everyone involved in this project, a project that probably suffered a delay in terms of the time it will take us to get back to the top,” he said.
“[We spent the months] trying to understand this and trying to see what is happening behind the scenes to ensure this does not happen again, and what the team’s medium to long-term plans are to become a top team someday,” he continued.
“I think the medium to long-term plans are still what give me hope and confidence that we can be competitive in the near future. What was extremely important for me is, obviously, understanding what caused this difficult year and what we are doing so that it does not happen again next year.”
Read more F1: New Cadillac chief reveals plans for partnership with Ferrari
“I think something extremely important is, as a team, as everyone involved in this project, to ensure that we can turn things around already next year and that we show a positive momentum entering the next year,” he continued.
When asked if he needed to be convinced to stay at Williams in Formula 1, the ‘Smooth Operator’ emphasized that “no, because I don’t think it’s part of my character to abandon ship when the situation is at its worst. I think I already told everyone, two years ago, how committed I am to this project, how excited I was about it, and the first time an obstacle comes along, a big obstacle, probably bigger than anyone could have imagined after last year’s podiums.”
“I don’t think it’s part of me, my way of being, my personality, to abandon ship at the first possible opportunity,” he concluded.
Read more F1: Gasly sees «quite a story» of Verstappen with Red Bull: «Positive news for everyone»
