Carlos Sainz still an option for former team if their situation changes

Carlos Sainz remained one of the most talked-about drivers during the past year, owing to his departure from Ferrari even after stellar performances. Though the Spaniard has now ventured over to Williams, his former team, McLaren has still kept the 30-year-old on their cards if they ever needed a driver at either of the papaya cars, as Zak Brown revealed.

The Spaniard made his debut in 2015 with Toro Rosso (now RB) and soon left the Red Bull Academy to forge his own path in F1. Sainz joined Renault mid-way through the 2017 season and moved up the grid with McLaren in 2019.

He stayed at the Woking-based squad till 2020, before making his way to Ferrari. However, his separation from McLaren was an emotional one, as no sour blood was left between the two parties.

On the other hand, Carlos Sainz's Ferrari move ended with him being ousted after the 2024 season, and he joined Williams to stay on the grid. While the Grove-based squad is not a contender for the top spots, the Spaniard is still on the radar for top teams, including his former home, McLaren, as Zak Brown revealed:

"If we had a free spot, of course we would consider Carlos [Sainz] again, but right now we have Lando and Oscar under contract for several years. But if for some reason the situation changes and Carlos is available, I have his phone number in my address book."

Sainz was one of the few drivers to have won multiple races last year and hopes to bring back Williams to its former glory.

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Carlos Sainz finally gets the kickstart for his Williams journey

Carlos Sainz at the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia - Source: Getty

Despite high expectations, Carlos Sainz's start to his Williams journey was not full of flowers and roses. His first points for the team came at the Chinese Grand Prix, where he achieved a P10 result owing to the disqualification of three cars in the aftermath of the race.

However, the tides seemingly changed over the past two race weekends, as he out qualified Alex Albon and made it into Q3 in both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. This was followed up with a P8 finish for Sainz at Saudi Arabia, where he played an important role to help Albon fend off a charge from Isack Hadjar.

Happy with his day at Saudi Arabia, Sainz said (via Formula 1)

"I think today, honestly, we managed to nail a very good race and on top of that managed to help Alex to make sure he was getting in the points... It was definitely a challenging start to the season, but it was always going to be with the adaption process. I always warned it was not going to be easy, and I took it step by step, to be in race five at the level that I am… if I keep the philosophy I’m taking, I think we are going in the right direction."

The 30-year-old will be hoping for a similarly better weekend at the next race in Miami, where he has been a former podium sitter.