Sainz reportedly rejects Williams offer

Carlos Sainz has reportedly rejected Williams’ latest contract offer as uncertainty grows over his 2027 future.

The Spaniard entered the summer break saying he would use August to calmly assess his options after a disappointing first half of the season.

Marca reports that talks with Williams are continuing and that Sainz would prefer only a short extension, with flexibility to leave if a stronger opportunity appears.

The widely reported figure of 30 million euros per season may be exaggerated, however, with Marca noting that it would represent almost three times his current salary and could stretch Williams’ finances.

Sky Deutschland pundit Ralf Schumacher now claims Sainz has already turned down an offer.

"I’m curious about Sainz," he said. "He apparently rejected an offer from Williams."

Schumacher believes the decision could be connected to movement elsewhere in the market.

"Is that related to the possibility that Max Verstappen might leave Red Bull?" he wondered.

"Oscar Piastri has lost some of his prestige and lustre. Or is Sainz even headed to Audi?"

Audi has been linked with Sainz before, while Sergio Perez is also emerging as a potential Williams fallback if Sainz leaves.

Schumacher says the sporting situation at Williams is increasingly difficult.

"Things are tense at Williams," the German insisted.

"The team made a huge mistake with the car. Vowles, who was able to build a car from scratch for the first time under the new regulations, clearly hasn’t set himself up properly."

"There’s bound to be a clash there too."

The uncertainty overlaps with continuing speculation around Verstappen.

German journalist Ralf Bach claims Red Bull has offered the Dutchman a lucrative new five-year deal, but that Verstappen wants to retain an early-exit option and effectively commit only through 2027.

"Max wants to see if Red Bull can build him a car this time that will allow him to win races and compete for the title," Bach said.

"If that doesn’t happen, he’ll be able to decide at the end of 2027 whether he’s ready to leave and whether he wants to continue racing in Formula 1 at all."