Carlos Sainz is negotiating only with Williams.

      During the Hungarian racing weekend, Carlos Sainz stated that he is in no rush to determine his plans for the next season: “To be honest, there isn’t a specific date. I have always said that we will discuss everything together with the team in the summer. We will have negotiations with James Vowles and everyone else about the prospects of Williams and in this context about my future.”

      Two weeks of summer break are behind us, and today the Spanish newspaper Marca, citing its sources, reports that such negotiations are ongoing, with Carlos and his management not considering any other options for 2027 besides Williams, and only the terms of a new contract are being discussed.

      Let’s quote a few lines from the text of the Madrid sports newspaper: “Sainz’s plan is to extend the contract for just one year, while he expects a certain amount that compensates him for what he lacks (in terms of sporting results), considering that he cannot move to Audi, although he is likely interested in that.”

      In various sources at the level of rumors and so-called “expert assessments,” this amount has even appeared: allegedly Carlos requested $30 million from Williams for the contract extension, while he currently earns about $13 million.

      The author of the text in Marca has no doubt that the driver’s fees will increase, but he is confident that it will not be by more than double. At least because Williams is in a difficult financial situation. It is also emphasized that an announcement about Sainz’s contract extension could be made in the coming days “at any moment after Monday.” Logically, such a statement makes sense to make before Thursday – before the drivers start communicating with the press in Zandvoort.

      The text ends with the following phrase: “But this will depend on whether the negotiations are completed by that time.”