Carlos Sainz eyeing McLaren return after doubts grow over Williams move

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Carlos Sainz is reportedly starting to regret his decision to leave Ferrari for Williams, and is said to be keeping a close eye on developments at McLaren.

Though his early days at Grove were tough, Sainz found some form late in the 2025 season, picking up podium finishes in Baku and Qatar. With Williams putting significant focus on the 2026 campaign, there was a sense of optimism heading into the new year.

But things haven’t gone as planned. The team missed pre-season testing and had to postpone key upgrades. So far, Sainz has scored four of Williams’ five points this season and hasn’t held back in expressing his frustration.

During Sprint qualifying in Miami, he described Williams as being ‘three steps behind.’ While they did manage their first double points finish of 2026 with P9 and P10, it wasn’t much consolation.

Sainz has an exit clause in his contract that could allow him to explore other opportunities if things don’t improve.

Carlos Sainz rethinking Williams move as McLaren return comes into focus

Sainz is under consideration by several teams, with many viewing him as the leading option to take over Max Verstappen’s seat if the Dutchman retires after this season.

Audi, who were previously interested in Sainz when he first left Ferrari, are reportedly still monitoring his situation. But it’s McLaren that now seems to be drawing more of his attention.

With Oscar Piastri being linked to a move to Red Bull, a spot could soon open up at McLaren, and Sainz appears to be keeping a close eye on developments. Speaking on UOL Esporte via YouTube, journalist Julianne Cerasoli weighed in on his situation.

“There’s also a guy who’s keeping a very close eye on all this mess, and that’s Carlos Sainz, who realised that he made a pretty bad decision and he’s going to try to get back into the top teams, right?”