JULY 27, 2026

Sainz to calmly decide future during summer break

Carlos Sainz says he will use the summer break to calmly decide his Formula 1 future after describing Williams' season as "very bad" and far below expectations.

The Spaniard endured another difficult weekend in Hungary, qualifying P18 before being involved in an incident with Oscar Piastri as the McLaren driver lapped him.

Piastri criticised Sainz for the contact, but the Williams driver insisted he had not seen the championship contender approaching. I'm surprised he got into that position, Sainz told Spanish media.

I think he knows I didn't see him.

His assessment of Williams' first half of the season was even more severe.

Bad, very bad, disappointing, he said.

I think it's far below expectations and where we want to be as a team. If we want to get out of this hole, there's a lot of work to be done, and we know where we need to improve.

Sainz said the latest front wing had helped, but a little less than expected.

The problem isn't the front wing, it's the whole car, which isn't generating downforce, he insisted.

He believes his own performance has not been the main issue.

On a personal level, I think there's very little more to get out of the car, said Sainz. I've had a very strong first half of the year with these new regulations, adapting very well to the car, the engine, everything.

I'm not upset or depressed either.

Because on a personal level, I'm driving very well, but the car isn't performing, and as a team, we have to take a big step forward if we want to recover.

Williams' final major upgrade is expected in Baku, but Sainz remains cautious. Let's see if it can help us get out of this situation.

With his contract renewal still unresolved, he confirmed that the summer break will be used to assess his options.

The plan is to decide, yes, but we have to look at it calmly.

(GMM)