However, the team\u2019s performance has dipped in 2026, with just 11 points after as many races. Sainz is responsible for six of those points, but rumours have started swirling that the Spanish driver might consider a move to Audi for the 2027 season. He is expected to make a decision on his future<\/a> during the summer break.<\/p>\n In an interview with RacingNews365, Binotto claimed it was the first he had heard of such rumours, and suggested he was satisfied with Audi\u2019s current driver lineup of Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst, I\u2019m not reading the newspapers myself, or not reading much, so I\u2019m hearing from you,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cCarlos is certainly a person whom I know very well, and it\u2019s somehow easy and obvious to link him to Audi, but I can only say that I\u2019m very happy with the lineup we have.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOften, when discussing Gabriel and Nico, what I hear is that it is a good mix between experience and, on the other side, the young driver.<\/p>\n \u201cInstead, I would judge them differently. They are two very fast drivers, and I am happy because they are fast drivers, both of them, so we\u2019ve got a good line-up.\u201d<\/p>\n Binotto: F1 \u2018silly season\u2019 rumours are good for Audi<\/p>\n Binotto went on to argue that the rumours are, if anything, a sign that Audi\u2019s F1 project has made a strong impact on the sport. The team made its debut at the start of the 2026 season, having taken over Sauber.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that other drivers are linked to our team, I can only be very happy with because it is showing the credibility of our project is improving,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is showing that the perception from the outside that one day we can become competitive is no longer a rumour, but it is a fact.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Sainz](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Carlos-Sainz-F1-1-1024x576.webp\")
Carlos Sainz has endured a miserable season with Williams after a prosperous 2025 campaign<\/p>\n