Is Sainz getting the best out of his time at a front running team?
F1 News
Carlos Sainz's future remains uncertain. He has been swept aside at Ferrari due to Lewis Hamilton's impending arrival and has had to weigh up many different options in negotiations that have been running since before the first Grand Prix in March. The Spanish driver admits this has caused a strain on his performance in the 2024 Formula 1 season.
Contract talk for Sainz has been rumbling on for many months. Audi (Sauber), Williams, Alpine and even Mercedes and Red Bull Racing have been linked with Sainz at different points during the season.
Earlier today, GPblog saw Carlos Sainz's father, Carlos Sainz Sr. and manager Carlos Onoro Sainz having a meeting at the hospitality unit of Williams. James Vowles, Williams' team principal, has never made a secret of being keen to work with Sainz and make him the successor to Logan Sargeant. In recent weeks, it seemed Sainz was not Williams' first choice, and the British team revealed they were working on alternatives.
Although Sainz was not seen to be present, it's just an indication of how much consideration is ongoing. And Sainz admitted this is causing him not to be on the top of his game during the season.
Is Sainz getting the best out of his season?
"It's been a season full of ups and downs. Some very good ups at the beginning with a competitive car that was allowing me to fight for a lot of podiums, a race win, and I truly enjoyed that. I hope we can get ourselves back in that position as soon as possible. On the personal side, it hasn't been easy having to deal with, first of all, having to miss a race, but mainly with all the discussions about my future going on in the background," Sainz explained. He missed the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to appendicitis.
"I've said many times it's not ideal for any athlete sitting here right now to perform at the highest level of their life without knowing where you're going to be next year. I do believe there's still potential inside me. If I take this out of my head, but given the circumstances, I think I've been performing at a good level with everything that's been going on. I'm still enjoying myself every weekend and trying to be grateful and appreciative of the position that I'm in and just trying to nail every weekend while in the meantime having to handle everything behind the scenes about my future," Sainz added.
Sainz is currently fourth in the World Championship, only eight points behind his teammate Charles Leclerc. Sainz also has a race win and five podiums to his name, but he has only finished inside the top three once since Monaco in May.