Carlos Sainz ditches 114x race winner and signs contract with Alpine: Reports
It is being reported that Carlos Sainz has signed a contract with the Alpine F1 team, rejecting the overtures of Williams F1 and Audi for the 2025 season. The Spanish driver’s future in the sport has been a constant source of discussion since the beginning of the season when he was ousted by Ferrari in favor of Lewis Hamilton for the next year.
He has been the hottest property on the drivers market this year with many teams in contention for his signature. After he was unable to get a drive with Red Bull and Mercedes for 2025, teams like Audi and Williams were the front runners to sign him as their lead driver heading into the new regulations in 2026.
Ahead of the Spanish GP, it was suggested that Carlos Sainz would sign with the Grove-based Williams, who have been race winners 114 times, partnering Alex Albon. However, this was paused when Alpine came into the picture and announced the signing of Flavio Briatore as their advisor.
As reported by Gazzetta, Briatore has played a crucial role in convincing the 29-year-old to join the French team for next year with the possibility of their switching to Mercedes engines from the 2026 season. The Italian reportedly has been key in getting Pierre Gasly to extend his contract with Alpine and also in bringing Sainz allegedly into the fold.
However, neither the Enstone-based team nor Carlos Sainz have made any official announcements regarding the reported deal.
Pierre Gasly vouches for Carlos Sainz to be his teammate at Alpine
Alpine driver Pierre Gasly earlier stated that Carlos Sainz was the ‘best option’ for the team as he had considerable experience in the sport, having driven for teams like McLaren and Ferrari, who are fighting at the front.
As per F1.com, the Frenchman said:
“I think it’s quite clear, Carlos is the most experienced and most valuable guy out there. I would love to have him next to me next year, I think he’ll bring definitely a lot to the team and we’ll be a great pairing.
“But we’ve got also some very good options – we’ve got Jack, we’ve got Mick who’s been in F1, and we just have different great options. “
However, the Frenchman added that the decision wasn’t up to him and lay with senior management:
“It’s not up to me. I can obviously see until I’m discussing with Bruno and with the whole management on trying to tell them what’s my personal opinion.” he added.
Carlos Sainz had previously driven for the Enstone-based team from late 2017 to 2018 under their Renault guise and helped them to their best finish, P4 in the Constructor’s Championship, after coming back to F1 in 2016.
