Williams Racing driver Carlos Sainz is having a slightly tricky time after leaving Ferrari.
Carlos Sainz would have known that as soon as he signed with Williams for the 2025 Formula 1 season, he would have to adjust his targets.
His victory at the Mexico City Grand Prix last season for Ferrari highlighted the level that he’s capable of reaching in the right car.
Unfortunately, after 12 races with Williams, early teething problems and reliability issues have limited him to 13 points and a best result of eighth in Saudi Arabia and at Imola.
Position Drivers’ Championship PointsPts 1 234 2 226 3 165 4 147 5 119 6 103 7 63 8 46 9 37 10 23 11 21 12 20 13 19 14 16 15 13
Sainz is competing in his 11th season in Formula 1, having enjoyed spells at Toro Rosso, Renault, McLaren, Ferrari and now Williams.
Max Verstappen was Sainz’s first teammate, and he’s capably gone toe-to-toe with the likes of Lando Norris, Nico Hulkenberg and Charles Leclerc.
He wouldn’t have passed the 200 Grand Prix landmark if he didn’t love competing in Formula 1.
However, he’s now admitted there’s one aspect of F1 that he hates that he doesn’t believe is a factor in any other sport.
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Photo by Clive Mason/Getty ImagesCarlos Sainz admits he hates how political the Formula 1 driver market is
Sainz was being interviewed on the High Performance Podcast and was asked about the current state of Formula 1.
He said: “I don’t think there is any other sport as political as F1!
“You know football, football can be political, but nowhere near as much as Formula 1.
“Formula 1, there is, for some reason, a level of politics that I don’t understand.
“It’s the one thing in this sport I hate.”
YEARTEAMTEAMMATEPTSPOS2015Toro RossoMax Verstappen1815th2016Toro RossoMax Verstappen/Daniil Kvyat4612th2017Toro Rosso/RenaultDaniil Kvyat/Nico Hulkenberg549th2018RenaultNico Hulkenberg5310th2019McLarenLando Norris966th2020McLarenLando Norris1056th2021FerrariCharles Leclerc164.56th2022FerrariCharles Leclerc2465th2023FerrariCharles Leclerc2007th2024FerrariCharles Leclerc1084th2025*WilliamsAlex Albon1315th*Carlos Sainz’s Williams F1 career
Accurate as of 2025 British Grand Prix
Jake Humphrey asked Sainz to elaborate, and he continued: “What makes sense for a team to have in the two seats might not be the right thing for the team.
“It makes sense, but it’s not the right thing, or there’s other things coming behind the driver.
“Whether it’s sponsors, money, that makes one a bit more attractive than the other, so it’s not purely performance.
“Performance brings you 80% of the cake, but there is another 20% that is not only performance or speed.
“Or let’s say, if I am equally as quick as some driver, that 20% is what makes the difference to go to a team or not, or to be chosen over another driver, and I feel this is only happening in Formula 1.”
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Juan Pablo Montoya tips Carlos Sainz for potential Red Bull switch
Sainz’s experience and raw speed mean that he’ll always be on the radar of any team looking to upgrade their driver line-up.
He missed out on a move to Mercedes last year, with Toto Wolff instead opting for rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Sainz was glad not to be offered a seat at Red Bull when it became clear that Sergio Perez wasn’t destined to survive the 2024 winter break.
TEAMDRIVER 1DRIVER 2AlpinePierre GaslyN/AAston MartinFernando AlonsoLance StrollAudiGabriel BortoletoNico HulkenbergCadillacN/AN/AFerrariCharles LeclercLewis HamiltonHaasEsteban OconOliver BearmanMcLarenLando NorrisOscar PiastriMercedesN/AN/ARacing BullsN/AN/ARed Bull RacingMax VerstappenN/AWilliamsAlex AlbonCarlos Sainz2026 confirmed F1 drivers
However, Verstappen is being linked with a move to Mercedes, which could see the F1 driver market once again become a key talking point.
Should Verstappen join George Russell at Mercedes next year, Juan Pablo Montoya thinks Red Bull will go for Sainz.
It would be a full circle moment for the 30-year-old, although Williams wouldn’t make an exit easy given how long team principal James Vowles spent tempting Sainz to join one of Formula 1’s most historic teams.