They say there are trains that pass only once in a lifetime, but the Audi train could grant Carlos Sainz a second chance. That comes from the words of Mattia Binotto, head of the Audi team and leader of the German project in Formula 1, who has assured that he bears no ill will toward Sainz and would try to sign him again.
Audi already sought to sign Sainz in 2024, when the Madrid-born driver was free from his Ferrari contract. Despite the Germans’ persistence, and an offer financially superior, Sainz chose Williams trusting in its project for 2026. Now he could have another chance to reverse that decision.
Mattia Binotto had already signed Sainz for Ferrari, and now he wants him at Audi as well
Carlos Sainz has to make a very important decision this season. His contract with Williams runs until December 31, 2026, so he must decide which team he will race for next season. All signs point to a renewal with Williams, but a ghost from the past has just crossed his path.
It concerns Audi, the brand that tried to sign Sainz in 2024. The VW Group moved heaven and earth to persuade the Spaniard, even using his father to recruit him, but ultimately Sainz chose Williams because it seemed the better sporting option to him. There are times when such decisions cannot be undone, but this is not one of them.
That is how Mattia Binotto, head of the Audi team and leader of the VW Group’s Formula 1 project, has explained it. The Italian believes that Sainz “made his own decision, not his father’s. I have a lot of respect for that kind of personal decisions,” he said on the Beyond the Grid podcast, hosted by Formula 1.
However, Binotto left an even more interesting second part in his response: “I already signed Sainz for Ferrari. I trusted him, and today I still trust him”. A very direct hint that suggests Audi could move again two years later to secure the signing of Carlos Sainz.
Let us recall that Binotto was Ferrari’s boss in 2021, when he decided to sign Carlos Sainz, a team in which the Spanish driver spent four seasons and won his four Formula 1 races. Now Audi could be seeking a replacement for the veteran Nico Hülkenberg, who will turn 39 in the summer.
Sainz has contributed six of Williams’ seven points in 2026, making him one of the most in-form drivers in Formula 1. Audi has so far only two points, but given that current performances are similar, the economic and sporting potential of Audi could lure Sainz into reversing the decision he made two years ago.
Images | Formula 1, Williams
