Carlos Sainz says it’s troublesome to disregard present outcomes however that he’s making an attempt to focus extra on long-term initiatives as he continues to weigh up his subsequent transfer.
Williams and Stake — that may turn into Audi — are believed to stay the front-runners for Sainz’s signature, however the Spaniard has additionally been linked extra firmly with Alpine after the French constructor began exploring the potential for changing into a buyer group in 2026. Alpine had been struggling this season however scored its second double-points end in a row in Spain whereas each Williams and Stake each had robust weekends, however Sainz says he’s making an attempt to not be influenced by week-to-week outcomes.
“It’s not simple,” Sainz mentioned. “I’m doing the train myself, and my group, to actually attempt to keep away from every race efficiency of every group and simply give attention to the challenge and the sensation that we get from the those that we speak to, and the sensation that I get from speaking to every group, and clearly wanting on the contracts.
“Generally with the aggressive spirit you simply attempt to see who is quicker, however I don’t suppose the final race of every group can be a consultant level of the place they’re going to be within the subsequent couple of years. So I’m making an attempt to keep away from going into the race-by-race stuff.”
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With the 29-year-old nonetheless assessing the choices he has on the desk — after Alpine and Aston Martin introduced contract extensions for Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll respectively — he says the entire course of has taught him a lot of issues in regards to the Components 1 paddock, in addition to the ambitions of every group displaying an curiosity.
“Initially, the scenario that I’ve been on this 12 months has made me study loads about Components 1, usually, by speaking to groups,” he mentioned. “It has type of confirmed me how robust this sport is, how little generally you need to consider what individuals say in the beginning of negotiations, conversations, and primarily additionally to belief little or no individuals within the paddock, as a result of it’s actually a really political sport.
“There’s a number of issues like this concerned, and it’s made me perceive that, yeah, it’s a really robust sport in that sense, and perceive the higher image of Components 1, with out going an excessive amount of into element.
“The groups that I’m probably shifting to subsequent 12 months, I’ve clearly dug into the state that they’re [in]. It’s additionally [given] me most likely a greater understanding of Components 1 and the place every group is.”
