Carlos Sainz has signed a new multi-year contract with Williams, but don't expect him to be there for the long haul. The Spanish driver had been causing serious ripples in the driver market after his initial two-year deal with Williams was set to expire at the end of 2026. Now he's committed to a longer agreement, but here's the twist, he's apparently negotiated a subtle escape clause that lets him leave if a top team comes calling.

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Sainz had become one of the hottest names in F1's driver market, and you can't really blame him. Williams started the 2026 season with a car that's overweight, lacks downforce, and isn't expected to improve dramatically any time soon. That's not exactly what you want when you've signed on hoping to fight for wins. The Grove team tried to sell Sainz on their vision for the new regulations, and he bit, but reality has been a tough pill to swallow so far.

According to reports, Sainz was previously eyeing moves to Aston Martin or Alpine, and he'd even been hoping that Max Verstappen might leave Red Bull to create a vacancy at the front of the grid. With his new contract now locked in, Sainz has kept himself a 'slight opening' to depart at the end of 2027 if one of the major teams extends a proper offer for the 2028 season. The driver market could get pretty wild next year anyway, with questions hanging over Verstappen's Red Bull future and uncertainty around several other top seat holders.

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Williams have sweetened the deal to keep Sainz happy, reportedly offering him a £25.5 million contract to secure his commitment. It's a significant pay rise that reflects how valuable they consider him, but it also shows just how close they came to losing him. The four-time Grand Prix winner still has his sights set on returning to the front of the field, and it seems he's made sure that ambition isn't completely locked away in Grove.

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So Williams have their man for the medium term, but Sainz has essentially kept one eye on the door. It's a smart negotiating position for a driver of his caliber, and it adds another layer of intrigue to what's already shaping up to be a fascinating driver market heading into 2028.

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