The number does not fit the results. Williams have 11 points in the 2026 Constructors’ Championship, ninth of eleven teams, ahead only of Aston Martin and newcomers Cadillac, and yet, according to motorsport business analyst Marc Limacher, they are ready to pay Carlos Sainz world-champion money to stay.

Limacher, who shared the report on X and is cited by GPFans, put the offer at more than €30 million a year plus performance-related clauses.

“I’ve heard that Williams has made a ‘world champion’s’ offer to Carlos Sainz to continue their partnership. Specifically, a salary of over 30 million euros per season and performance-related clauses.”

The original claim was published in Italian outlet Autosprint. If the numbers stand up, they would place Sainz among Formula 1’s best-paid drivers, matching the tier occupied by Charles Leclerc at Ferrari.

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“I cannot give you a date”

Sainz himself is in no hurry. Speaking at the Hungarian Grand Prix press conference in late July, the Spaniard was asked when a call on his 2027 seat would come.

“I honestly don’t know. I cannot give you a date.”

He indicated the conversations with team principal James Vowles would come during the August break rather than at a specific race.

“I always said I was going to wait until the summer to sit down with my team and think about this and discuss with them, with James and everyone, the future of the team and my future in it.”

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Sainz sits 15th in the 2026 drivers’ standings with six points, one place and one point ahead of teammate Alex Albon. Three ninth-place finishes are his best returns from a car he has publicly criticised more than once this year.

Sainz wants Verstappen’s Red Bull seat

The paradox for Sainz is that the money is at Williams and the cars are not. BBC analyst Andrew Benson believes he is watching the top of the grid.

“He’s hoping for Red Bull. He’s hoping that Max will leave Red Bull and there’ll be a seat open there and he’ll get it,” Benson told GPFans on 9 August.

Benson does not rate the odds. If Max Verstappen were to leave Red Bull, he argued, the Dutchman is going to Mercedes or McLaren, not vacating a seat conveniently for Sainz. Alpine and Aston Martin are the other names circulating around the Spaniard, though both would need chain-reaction moves in the driver market to open up.

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The performance-clause element in the Williams offer is the point that could bridge the gap. It would let Sainz commit to the money now while keeping an exit route if the car does not climb the grid.

Williams already have a backup

Vowles is not waiting quietly. Japanese outlet Auto Sport Web reported, and Motorsport.com relayed, that Sergio Perez’s management has opened discussions with Williams about a potential 2027 seat should Sainz walk.

Perez, currently at Cadillac, brings six career race wins and a sizable sponsorship package with him. That combination, the report notes, makes him “a very attractive option” if the Sainz talks stall.

The next flashpoint is the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on 23 August. Sainz has said his decision window opens over the summer. Williams have their offer on the table, a fallback in Perez, and a car that is asking a €30 million question of a driver who cannot yet answer it.

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