The future of Carlos Sainz is one of the hottest topics in Formula 1. The Madrid-born driver is under contract with Williams until the end of the year and must decide his future. We know he won’t move to Audi, but there are other teams that could be interested in his services. And in the meantime, the team’s top boss keeps applying pressure.
Matthew Savage, the owner of Williams, doesn’t usually appear much in the media. But he has just given an interview to The Race in which he makes a claim that has left everyone stunned: According to Savage, Williams will win two world championships in the next six seasons. Bluff or visionary.
Savage confirms that he will be patient with Williams because “it’s a long-term project”
“How many championships do you expect to win in the next six years?” That was the question posed by Darren Cox, co-founder of the British outlet The Race, to Matthew Savage, owner of Williams. A risky question that elicited an even riskier answer. Without hesitation, Savage predicted that Williams would win “two” of those world titles.
A statement that clashes completely with the reality of the team. Right now Williams is clearly the third-worst team in Formula 1 in terms of performance, only ahead of Cadillac and Aston Martin. In the constructors’ standings they sit eighth, ahead of Audi, more due to Carlos Sainz’s solid performances and Audi’s misfortune than because of real pace.
For Savage, Williams is a “long-term investment. We knew it would be a long road… we’ve always conceived of it as an investment of 10, 20 or 30 years, and we remain on that path”. In other words, Dorilton Capital isn’t planning to sell Williams despite six years without notably buoyant sporting results.
Who these words really affect is Carlos Sainz. The Madrid-born driver must decide his future. His contract with Williams ends at the end of 2026, and it is clear to all that the team has not lived up to expectations. But if Savage’s words are more than a bluff, leaving Williams now could be a mistake.
Remember that Sainz joined Williams in 2025, but with the aim that it would be a transitional year and a period of hardship so that in 2026 the team would rebound. The reality was the opposite: Sainz recorded two podiums and another in Sprint in 2025, with a brilliant second half of the year, but in 2026 Williams has returned to the depths of Formula 1.
Now we will see whether Sainz believes the Williams owner’s words or if he is seeking a future with more certainty in Formula 1.
Images | Williams
