Sainz Chooses Williams Over Audi, Despite Father's Disappointment

Carlos Sainz Snubs Audi: “My Father Is Still Disappointed”

16/03/2025

Carlos Sainz admits his father is still disappointed by his decision to reject Audi. Now, he hopes to justify his Williams move.

Carlos Sainz has admitted that his father is “still disappointed” that he turned down Audi’s offer for the 2025 Formula 1 season and beyond. Instead, the 30-year-old Ferrari driver chose Williams—a midfield team that surprised the F1 world with the fastest lap in pre-season testing in Bahrain.

“It was a surprise for us too,” Sainz said with a smile. “But more important than setting the fastest time is the energy within the team. Everyone is working even harder now. We’re heading to Australia with a bit of hope.”

However, his decision to join Williams went against the advice of his father, rally legend Carlos Sainz Sr., who recently found great success with Audi by winning the Dakar Rally.

Sainz Chooses Williams Over Audi, Despite Father’s Disappointment

“My father is still disappointed that I didn’t accept Audi’s incredible offer,” Sainz admitted. “After my dream of joining Red Bull or Mercedes ended, I had to choose between Audi, Alpine, and Williams. After visiting the factories and having discussions, my gut feeling told me to go with Williams.”

“They have a strong vision for the future. And once my heart agreed, the decision was made. Now, I hope my father—who has had amazing moments with Audi—will soon be happy with my choice.”

Meanwhile, Mattia Binotto, Sauber F1’s head of operations (and future Audi F1 team boss), acknowledges that Audi’s drivers, Nico Hülkenberg and rookie Gabriel Bortoleto, are unlikely to score points at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.

“If things go as expected, the two McLarens, Ferraris, Red Bulls, and Mercedes—along with Sainz and [Pierre] Gasly—will take the top ten spots,” Binotto predicted.

As for Sainz, former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone believes he will make a big impact at Williams.
“Ferrari will regret letting him go. Carlos is already proving his worth at Williams. It was the same in my day—give a midfield team one of the top five drivers, and you’ll see a surprise.”

Sainz Chooses Williams Over Audi, Despite Father's Disappointment

Sainz Chooses Williams Over Audi, Now He Must Prove Himself Sainz Chooses Williams Over Audi, Now He Must Prove Himself

Race Center
China Flag
Chinese GP
21 Mar 2025 - 23 Mar 2025
Free Practice 1
21 MAR 03:30 - 04:30
Sprint Qual
21 MAR 07:30 - 08:14
Sprint Race
22 MAR 03:00 - 04:00
Qualifying
22 MAR 07:00 - 08:00
Race
23 MAR 07:00 - 09:00

2025 F1 Australian Grand Prix - Race Results

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
57
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
+0.895s
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
+8.481s
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
+12.773s
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
+15.135s
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
+17.413s
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
+18.423s
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
+19.826s
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
+20.448s
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
+22.473s
Pierre Gasly
11
PIERRE
GASLY
+26.502s
Yuki Tsunoda
12
YUKI
TSUNODA
+29.884s
Esteban Ocon
13
ESTEBAN
OCON
+33.161s
Oliver Bearman
14
OLIVER
BEARMAN
+40.351s
Liam Lawson
15
LIAM
LAWSON
47 DNF
Gabriel Bortoleto
16
GABRIEL
BORTOLETO
47 DNF
Fernando Alonso
17
FERNANDO
ALONSO
34 DNF
Carlos Sainz
18
CARLOS
SAINZ
0 DNF
Jack Doohan
19
JACK
DOOHAN
0 DNF
Isack Hadjar
20
ISACK
HADJAR
0 DNF
F1 CALENDAR 2025
Race
Date
Chinese Flag
Chinese
Shanghai International
23 Mar
Japanese Flag
Japanese
Suzuka Circuit
6 Apr
Bahrain Flag
Bahrain
Sakhir desert
13 Apr
Saudi Arabia Flag
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street
20 Apr
United States Flag
United States
Miami
04 May

2025 FORMULA 1 DRIVERS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
25 Points
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
18
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
15
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
12
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
10
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
8
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
6
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
4
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
2
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
1

2025 FORMULA 1 CONSTRUCTORS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

1
McLaren
27
2
Mercedes
25
3
Red Bull
18
4
Williams
12
5
Aston Martin
8
6
Sauber
6
7
Ferrari
5
8
Alpine F1
0
9
Haas F1
0
10
Racing Bulls
0
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