Williams Racing Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz is rumored to move back to the McLaren F1 team after the 2026 season and would race alongside Lando Norris. This scenario could unfold if Oscar Piastri departs from McLaren to join Red Bull.
Sainz joined Williams last year after Lewis Hamilton replaced him at Ferrari. The move to a team struggling in the midfield was not an easy decision to make.
The Spaniard’s Williams contract is reported to run at least until the end of the current year, but the team’s struggles could push him to consider a move to his former team, McLaren, where he raced in 2019 and 2020.
According to a report by Spanish publication Marca, Sainz would be interested in racing for McLaren, especially given his friendly association with McLaren CEO Zak Brown, “with whom he often plays golf.”
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Atlassian Williams F1 Team on X | Carlos Sainz
Atlassian Williams F1 Team on X | Carlos Sainz
Sainz and Norris’ chemistry was well-known across the grid, with the duo famously dubbed McLaren’s ‘Carlando’ pair. The report also stated that Sainz would be interested in moving back to the Red Bull F1 team.
However, Red Bull is reportedly keen on signing Piastri if Verstappen walks away after the 2026 season. MotorBiscuit recently reported that Red Bull has already shortlisted Piastri as Verstappen’s replacement.
Red Bull is expected to go ahead with the Piastri plan if Verstappen decides to switch teams, or if he decides to quit F1, given his rising interest in real-world GT3 and endurance racing.
Verstappen’s dissatisfaction with the 2026 F1 regulations and Red Bull’s current struggles with the RB22 F1 car could add to the factors paving the way for his exit.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies and managing director of Red Bull GmbH, Oliver Mintzlaff, are reportedly prepared to sign Piastri if Verstappen decides to part ways with the team before the end of his Red Bull contract at the end of 2028.
Red Bull’s internal dynamics have shifted greatly in the last year, making it a pretty different team than what it was when Verstappen dominated F1. Christian Horner’s ousting, followed by the exit of Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko, with whom Verstappen was close, highlights a new environment within the team.
Worth noting is the exit of Verstappen’s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, who is slated to join McLaren in 2028 as the team’s chief racing officer. Lambiase has been the four-time world champion’s race engineer since the driver’s early days at Red Bull.
Will we see Sainz in an orange McLaren outfit next season? Only time will tell.
