Williams is reportedly preparing a major financial push to keep Carlos Sainz beyond the 2026 Formula 1 season, with a proposed €30 million contract that would more than double his current salary. The offer comes as the Spaniard considers his future during a difficult campaign for the Grove team and attracts interest elsewhere on the grid.
Sainz arrived at Williams with the ambition of helping transform the team from a midfield operation into a front-running force. His decision followed the end of his Ferrari career, and the early signs were encouraging: Williams made significant progress in 2025, the Spaniard secured two podium finishes and the team ended the Constructors’ Championship in fifth place. That momentum has not carried into 2026.
Williams prepared to make Carlos Sainz a €30m offer
According to a report from Autosprint, Williams is now ready to make a substantial commitment to convince Sainz that his future should remain at Grove. The proposed contract extension is valued at €30 million, approximately £25.7 million.
That would represent an enormous increase compared with Sainz’s current reported salary of around £9.8 million per season. A detailed look at the 2026 Formula 1 driver salaries and contracts illustrates how significant such an increase would be within the wider grid.
The new figure would reportedly take Sainz above fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso, who has been offered another contract by Aston Martin, as well as Mercedes driver George Russell. It would also move the 31-year-old into a salary bracket comparable with the level previously occupied by former Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc.
Before Charles Leclerc’s 2026 contract extension, the proposed Williams figure would have placed the two former team-mates at roughly the same level. The Monegasque driver is now reported to earn around £29.1 million under an agreement running until 2030, meaning the latest figure attributed to Sainz would still fall below Leclerc’s revised salary.
Carlos Sainz’s Williams frustration grows after difficult 2026
The size of the reported offer reflects how important Williams considers Sainz to its long-term project. His experience from Ferrari has already played a role in the Grove team’s rebuilding programme, while the original decision to move there was viewed positively by former Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur, who backed Sainz’s choice of Williams.
However, the competitive picture has changed sharply. Williams missed pre-season testing in Barcelona and has subsequently struggled to escape Q1 on several occasions. After the progress achieved in 2025, the team’s regression has left Sainz increasingly frustrated as expectations created around the project have failed to materialise.
The Spaniard has scored only six points in 2026, while Williams sits ninth in the Constructors’ Championship heading into the summer break. That downturn has inevitably increased speculation about whether he is prepared to commit several more years to the team.
Alpine and Aston Martin emerge among Carlos Sainz’s options
Sainz is free to leave at the end of 2026, although his Williams arrangement includes the possibility of extending into the 2027 and 2028 seasons. With the next Formula 1 driver market beginning to take shape, multiple alternatives are attracting his attention.
Alpine and Aston Martin are both reportedly of significant interest to Sainz, but neither route is straightforward. Any move would depend on vacancies opening, with Franco Colapinto’s Alpine contract and Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin situation potentially influencing whether seats become available.
The uncertainty fits into a much wider 2027 Formula 1 driver market in which existing agreements may not necessarily prevent significant movement between teams.
Sainz is also reportedly watching Max Verstappen’s position at Red Bull. The Spaniard is hoping the Dutchman decides to leave, which could create an opportunity to replace him. Such a move would depend entirely on Verstappen’s decision for 2027, but a vacancy at Red Bull would have consequences extending far beyond a single seat and could trigger a major reshuffle across the grid.
Williams wants to avoid entering the 2027 driver market
Williams would prefer not to become part of that reshuffle at all. Its priority is to retain Sainz rather than search for a replacement, which explains the scale of the financial package reportedly being prepared.
The team initially signed Sainz as a central figure in its rebuilding project, pairing his Ferrari experience with a long-term plan to return Williams towards the front. The 2025 season appeared to validate that direction, with the fifth-place championship finish representing clear progress, but the difficulties of 2026 have changed the equation.
The driver’s current position is reflected in the 2026 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship standings, where his six-point total leaves him far removed from the results Williams had hoped to build upon after last season.
It remains unclear how long the proposed Williams extension would run. What is increasingly clear is that Sainz has a significant decision to make over the summer break: accept a substantial salary increase and continue trying to lead the Grove revival, or wait to see whether movement at Alpine, Aston Martin or potentially Red Bull creates a more attractive route for 2027.
Leave a Reply