Carlos Sainz has reportedly rejected a lucrative contract extension from Williams, according to Autosprint, reigniting speculation that the Spaniard could leave the Formula 1 team after the 2026 season. The report claims Williams offered the 31-year-old €30 million per season, but Sainz is said to be considering alternatives amid concerns over the team’s competitive progress.
The claim comes despite Sainz previously making clear that he wanted to give Williams’ long-term project time to succeed. However, the Spaniard has also acknowledged that his future depends on how quickly the team can recover from its difficult 2026 campaign.
Sainz reportedly turns down €30 million Williams deal
According to Autosprint, Williams has made a major financial commitment in an attempt to retain Sainz. The reported €30 million annual salary would put the former Ferrari driver among Formula 1’s highest-paid competitors.
Sainz joined Williams for the 2025 season after losing his Ferrari seat to Lewis Hamilton. The move initially delivered strong results, with Sainz helping Williams secure two podium finishes during his first campaign with the team.
Williams team principal James Vowles has previously expressed his desire to keep both Sainz and Alex Albon. The team’s current driver line-up was viewed as an important part of its long-term plans.
However, Williams has struggled for consistency during 2026. Sainz himself said in July that his decision over the future would depend on “how quickly we manage to bounce back”, while acknowledging that he would not wait indefinitely for the team to improve.
Verstappen could hold key to F1 driver market
The biggest obstacle for Sainz may be finding a competitive alternative. The top teams have limited availability, meaning any major move could depend on another driver changing teams first.
Speculation surrounding Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri and George Russell has created the possibility of a wider driver-market shake-up. However, those scenarios remain unconfirmed, and a relatively stable top end of the grid could leave Sainz with few realistic options.
Verstappen’s eventual decision on his Red Bull future could therefore prove particularly important. If the four-time world champion remains with the team, one potential route into a leading seat would disappear and could prevent a wider chain reaction.
Aston Martin represents potential alternative
Aston Martin is one of the teams potentially connected with Sainz if a seat becomes available. Fernando Alonso’s contract expires at the end of 2026, and the two-time world champion has admitted that his future remains undecided.
Alonso has stressed that several factors will influence his decision, rather than the performance of a single upgrade. Aston Martin has also made clear its ambition to build a championship-winning operation around Adrian Newey’s technical leadership.
Reports of a €40 million annual salary demand from Alonso have added another layer to the speculation, although that figure has not been officially confirmed by Aston Martin or Alonso.
Haas, Alpine and Cadillac could enter the equation
If no seat opens at one of the established front-running teams, Sainz could have to consider alternatives elsewhere on the grid.
Haas, Alpine and Cadillac could potentially become relevant depending on how their respective driver line-ups develop. Esteban Ocon, Franco Colapinto and Sergio Pérez have all been linked to uncertainty surrounding future seats, creating potential movement further down the grid.
For now, the reported €30 million Williams offer has not been publicly confirmed by the team or Sainz. What is clear is that Sainz’s future has become one of the more intriguing questions in the 2027 driver market.
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Speculation without foundation once again, especially since in reality, only marginal changes will happen at the maximum, particularly because Sainz doesn’t really have any other options & neither does Checo; hence, they aren’t about to actually leave.
Alonso will almost certainly continue, while both Audi & Alpine are happy with their current drivers, so Williams is realistically Sainz’s only option to continue racing in F1 at all, & likewise, Cadillac for Checo.
Additionally, Camara has been all but confirmed to replace Ocon ever since Alessio Auriemma’s exclusive about his Haas move last month, which serves as a clue since he’s published a similar exclusive about Lindblad in July last year, & he’s the very first person to report about Lindblad’s eventual Vcarb move.