Carlos Sainz shuts down Mercedes swap talk: “I’ve got a Williams contract — end of story”
Carlos Sainz isn’t going anywhere. Not to Brackley, not in a straight swap, not at all. That was the Spaniard’s blunt message after a fresh round of paddock gossip claimed he could replace Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes next season.
Sainz, who joined Williams on a multi-year deal after Ferrari made room for Lewis Hamilton, says the rumour is just that. “Rumours about me going to Mercedes in Antonelli’s place? I know I have a contract with Williams and Toto hasn’t called me or James,” he told Sky Italia. “It’s just rumours. I don’t listen to them. I’m focused on this project. Honestly, I think I am in the right place at the right time.”
The swirl of speculation has been fueled by inconsistency on the other side of the fence. Antonelli opened his rookie campaign with a tidy run of top‑ten finishes but has only scored five times in the last 13 race weekends. Toto Wolff even admitted the teenager’s home race at Monza was “underwhelming”, a rare public jab from the Mercedes boss.
Still, Wolff has also been adamant about the plan. Asked in Zandvoort about 2026 and whether he’d stick with Antonelli and George Russell, he said there wouldn’t be “any big news” because, in his words, “we’re continuing with both of them, of course.” It’s not ink-on-paper official yet, which is exactly the sort of grey area that keeps the paddock rumour mill happily spinning.
Sainz’s name inevitably pops up in these cycles. Before signing with Williams, he spoke “a lot” with Wolff about a Mercedes seat for 2025, and he was clearly a leading option — though, as Sainz put it on the High Performance Podcast, “how close was I? You can ask Toto that. But I think he is very happy with Kimi Antonelli.” When Mercedes and others shut their doors, Sainz committed to Williams, and he’s been unflinching about that decision ever since.
And for good reason. The Williams project finally clicked in Baku, where Sainz converted front-row speed into a hard-fought third place — his first podium in blue, and a much-needed jolt for a team and driver who’ve had more pace than points to show for it. “This year has been really hard,” Sainz admitted. “I’ve been really quick on track, many good qualifyings, but in the race, something always goes wrong. It shows you the speed has always been there and we’re only missing putting good results together.” Azerbaijan was the exception — and a glimpse of what Williams believes the ceiling can be.
It’s also not the first time exit-clause whispers have followed Sainz around the paddock. Williams boss James Vowles knocked that down earlier this year, flatly rejecting the idea there’s a get-out if Mercedes or Red Bull come calling. “No,” Vowles said, pointing out only a handful of people know the fine print — and none of them are journalists.
All of which leaves us here: Sainz has a deal, says he’s staying, and Williams is beginning to cash in on Sundays. Mercedes, meanwhile, appears intent on pushing through with the Antonelli-Russell pairing even as the teenager rides the inevitable bumps of a first F1 season. Until Wolff actually signs off 2026, expect the chatter to hum in the background. But for now, Sainz-to-Mercedes is a story without a source.
Sainz sits 12th in the standings on 31 points after Baku, per the current championship tables, and Williams has its first proper momentum of the year. As silly season goes, this one feels simple: the Spaniard’s future isn’t in play — his present is.
