Carlos Sainz said it was difficult to ignore the current results but he was trying to focus more on long-term projects while continuing to consider his next steps.
Williams and Stake (who will become Audi) are believed to remain the frontrunners to sign Sainz, but the Spaniard has been linked more closely with Alpine after the French manufacturer began exploring the possibility of becoming a customer team in 2026. Alpine have struggled this season but have achieved the second double points finish in Spain, while Williams and Stake both struggled at the weekend, but Sainz says he is trying not to let the week’s results affect him.
“It’s not easy,” Sainz said. “I try to keep myself and my team from looking at the race results of each team and just focus on the project and the feeling we get from the people we talk to, the feeling we get from talking to each team, and of course looking at the contracts.
“Sometimes I try to see who is faster out of a competitive spirit, but I don’t think the last race of a team is a good indicator of where they will be in the next few years. So I try to stay away from what’s going on race by race.”
The 29-year-old, who is still assessing the options on the table after Alpine and Aston Martin announced contract extensions for Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll respectively, says he has learned a lot about the Formula 1 paddock through the whole process, and the ambitions of each team are of interest.
“First of all, the situation I went through this year allowed me to learn a lot about Formula 1 in general by talking to the teams,” he said. “It showed me how tough this sport is, how little you have to trust what people say when negotiations and conversations begin, and mainly the very little people in the paddock. Because it really is a very political sport. .
“There’s a lot of this stuff going on, so I understand that it’s a really tough sport and I get a better picture of Formula 1 without going into too much detail.
“I’ve definitely dug into the status of the teams I might potentially move to next year. [in]. It also [given] Perhaps it will give me a better understanding of Formula 1 and where each team stands.”
