Carlos Sainz breaks silence on rumored Mercedes move to replace Antonelli in 2026

Carlos Sainz has addressed the rumors about his potential departure from Williams to replace struggling rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes in 2026. The speculation about this potential switch began a few days before the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend.

Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher claimed that Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff could sign Sainz, who would be "available at any time." He contended that there would be exit clauses in the Spaniard's Williams contract, which could come into play if the Silver Arrows wanted to change its driver lineup.

Carlos Sainz addressed the rumors after the Azerbaijan GP qualifying session on Saturday, September 20, after securing a shock front row grid position alongside pole-sitter Max Verstappen. When the 31-year-old was asked about potentially replacing Antonelli in 2026, he clarified that neither Toto Wolff nor Williams Team Principal James Vowles, who worked at Mercedes until 2023, has spoken to him regarding a team switch.

"I know I have a contract with Williams and that Toto hasn't called me or his friend James Vowles. They're just rumors, as always happens in Formula 1. I don't listen to them. I'm focused on this project, and honestly, I think I'm in the right place at the right time," Sainz said.

Mercedes has yet to renew contracts for both its drivers, with both George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli free agents in the 2026 F1 driver market as of the Azerbaijan GP weekend. While Russell's performance has been impressive at a time when Mercedes is struggling, Antonelli has failed to score points in seven of the last 10 races.

Moreover, the 18-year-old rookie is under pressure at the team, with Toto Wolff making his first public criticism of Antonelli after the Italian GP, calling his performance "underwhelming."

Carlos Sainz aiming to give Williams its first F1 podium since 2021 at Baku

Carlos Sainz at the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan - Qualifying - Source: Getty

Carlos Sainz is aiming to hand Williams a long-awaited F1 podium at the 2025 Azerbaijan GP on Sunday, September 21. The team's last podium came at the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, where George Russell mastered wet conditions in qualifying to earn a front-row start. The race was called off after two laps under the safety car because of torrential weather, with the qualifying positions becoming the race results.

Sainz's qualifying result at Baku on Saturday also had some luck factoring in. The Williams driver was one of three drivers who got in a lap time in Q3 before Charles Leclerc's early crash brought out the red flags.

Carlos Sainz was on provisional pole, and with the rain continuing, he could've earned pole position if not for another red flag, which increased the downtime. The rain at Baku eventually stopped, and Max Verstappen got in a perfect lap to snatch pole at the end of the session.

Nonetheless, Sainz's P2 start will be massively beneficial to Williams. In the post-qualifying interviews, the Spaniard said he hoped to secure a podium in the race.

"Try to stick it on the podium," Sainz said of his hopes for the race (via ESPN). "I think I'm going to give it my best to give Williams a first podium. If it's possible, great. And if it's not, we will see."

Carlos Sainz sits in a lowly 18th place in the 2025 drivers' championship with 18 points, compared to teammate Alex Albon's 70 points, which puts him in seventh place. Unfortunately for Albon, he starts towards the back of the grid at Baku after crashing out in Q1 on Saturday.