Intriguing Audi and Williams theory emerges as Carlos Sainz makes ‘surprise’ decision

Guenther Steiner believes Carlos Sainz’s decision to join Williams instead of Audi was two-fold; the Grove team offering him an exit clause and convincing him of their project going forward.

After months of speculation, Sainz and Williams announced on Monday the Spaniard would join the team next season having signed a multi-year deal.

Guenther Steiner weighs in on Carlos Sainz deal

Agreeing a contract for 2025, 2026 and “beyond” , the three-time Grand Prix has committed his future to the Grove team despite being heavily linked to the Audi-backed Sauber team.

Steiner was “surprised” that Sainz snubbed Audi for Williams, and says it could hamper the German manufacturer’s efforts to bring in top talent as they question why Sainz said no.

“I would say I’m surprised, not shocked. I don’t get shocked anymore, it takes a lot to shock me. I am little bit surprised,” he said on the Red Flag podcast .

“But as I said before with the Audi team, if you bring a Carlos Sainz and they’ve got Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg, that attracts other big talent, because you are taking it seriously, you have done everything you could to get the best people there.

“Then people look like, ‘wow, there is Carlos and Nico driving for this team next year, that’s cool. You know, I want to go there, because that means we are going.

“‘And now it’s like Carlos decided to go to Williams, and nothing wrong with Williams, but not to Audi? Well, that’s strange, so should I really go and work for Audi?'”

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Carlos Sainz’s decision a ‘mix’ of two things

Going on to admit Audi with its manufacturer status would’ve been his preferred choice, Steiner says there must have been something Sainz learned during his conversations with the two teams that made Williams the better option.

And that, he reckons, could be an exit clause if the team isn’t firing by the end of the 2026 championship which will be the first year with F1’s all-new cars and engines.

“I didn’t speak with Audi,” he said. “He asked them ‘What are you offering me? How is this gonna work? What are we doing?’ He spoke with both of them.

“I don’t think that William is going to pay more than Audi would pay. And for Carlos it is not only about money. It’s more like, ‘Where will I be? Two years, three years, maybe more?’

“Maybe at Williams they said, ‘You know, you can leave after ’26 if we are in a bad place when the big change comes’. Audi, they maybe said, ‘Oh, you need to stay at least three years in total’.

“I don’t want to do that. Because in ’26 when we get the new set of cards with completely new cars, completely new engines, maybe the field is completely mixed up again.

“And he says, ‘I want the freedom at the end of ’26 to leave’. But then again, if you’re Audi, you just say, ‘Yeah, we do that one [deal] as well because we are convinced that in ’26 we are good’.

“That’s what I will be doing. Because, I mean, you cannot say, ‘I don’t really know where in ’26, we need ’27 to make sure we are good’. No, you need to go in there saying we are good in ’26 and if you’re not good, you can leave.

“I mean, guess what? If whoever runs Audi at the end of ’26 is not good, he hasn’t got a job anyway.”

Asked if it was the prospect of that clause more than a belief in Williams that would’ve persuaded Sainz, Steiner replied: “I think it’s a mix between the two.

“Obviously he needs to see some greatness and some development. James would have told him what is coming and obviously he liked that.

“But also, James is smart enough to say, ‘if we are bad, you can leave of end of ’26’ because if they are bad at the end of ’26 I don’t know if James is still around and then you’re at a bad place anyway.

“So he’s very confident that they will be good in ’26. That what they need to do, for sure there’s a clause in there that if they are performing, he cannot leave.”

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