Audi or Williams for Carlos Sainz, says David Croft
The lead commentator for Sky's Formula One coverage, David Croft thinks that Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz will land either at Williams or at the Kick Sauber outfit that will become Audi's works outfit in 2026.
Ferrari have announced on the 1st of February that they will part ways with Carlos Sainz at the end of the year with Lewis Hamilton taking over his seat in 2025.
Although the Spaniard has displayed encouraging speed since joining Ferrari, winning a total of three races, Ferrari President John Elkann felt that the Maranello-based team should sign Hamilton, who is eager to secure his record-breaking eighth championship title.
Although the intra-team atmosphere could have become highly intense with the announcement, Sainz and Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur have handled the situation in a very professional and intelligent manner. The Frenchman has made sure that Sainz becomes equal treatment to his team-mate Charles Leclerc with the Spaniard having given his maximum so far to try to help Ferrari achieve the best results.
Despite Sainz' brilliant form, his future is still uncertain. He was rumoured to have a chance at Mercedes and Red Bull, but the latter team has elected to keep Sergio Perez on board. On the other hand, the Anglo-German squad is yet to decide over the driver who replaces Hamilton, but it has recently emerged that team boss Toto Wolff is considering to sign either Max Verstappen or Mercedes' Italian sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Speaking of Sainz' potential team in the 2025 season, respected TV commentator David Croft said that he thinks the Spaniard might elect to sign for Williams.
“Can he get Carlos Sainz? Well, the answer to that is yes, he can. It’s not about money, I spoke to the Sainz camp on this one, and he’s got a decision: Audi or Williams. There’s no deadline from Audi. That has been reported, but it’s not true. He didn’t have to make his mind up by the end of May.
“It’s not about money, it’s about where Carlos sees the vision for the future. So do you put your faith in a brand new project, that you know is an entity that has been successful in world motorsport on many occasions in the past, but not in Formula 1? Or do you put your faith in a rather more known entity that has been successful in F1, but has been in very much lean times over the last few years?
“Personally, hand on heart, I think he’ll go to Williams. I think that is where Carlos Sainz is heading because he can see what’s in front of him with Williams.
“He probably can’t see the Audi vision at the moment because there’s not much to tell. They haven’t taken over at Sauber, they are building power units, but that’s it.
“And if James Vowles gets him, then fair play to James Vowles. Last year, I said he was my team principal of the year. I might have to put him put him in the shortlist for 2024 as well because that [would be] a major coup and a brilliant driver line-up that could power that team for many years to come," Croft added.
Williams team boss James Vowles left Mercedes at the beginning of last season to lead Williams. The Briton's work has left Croft impressed so far, indicating that he is the right person to lead the Grove-based team that has endured several tough years in recent seasons.
“I think it would be fantastic. James [Vowles] is a very, very inspiring person. He has a strategy, as you would expect for a man that ran the strategy at Mercedes for so many years successfully.
“He knows that nothing is going to happen overnight, it’s going to take a little while, and he is selling a dream. He sold a dream to Alex Albon. Not just him, I think Alex also has a lot of faith in that Mercedes power unit for 2026," Croft concluded.
