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Guenther Steiner questions Carlos Sainz’s Williams call as Sauber surge in F1 2025
Former Haas boss Guenther Steiner has suggested that Carlos Sainz may regret choosing Williams over Sauber, given Sauber’s resurgence in F1 2025. Sainz was a key player in the driver market last year after losing his Ferrari seat to Lewis Hamilton and had to decide between Williams and Sauber, with Alpine also in the mix. While Sainz opted for Williams due to their progress under team boss James Vowles, many now anticipate him joining Sauber, which will become Audi in 2026. Despite Williams currently leading Sauber in the standings, Sauber showed improvement by scoring their first podium since 2012 with Nico Hulkenberg. Under Jonathan Wheatley’s leadership, Sauber has made operational changes and is performing well as a credible midfield team. Steiner believes Sainz may rue not choosing Sauber/Audi and expressed his opinion on The Red Flags Podcast, pointing out Sainz’s current struggles at Williams and missed opportunities for good results. Sainz was also overlooked by Mercedes and Red Bull, with Mercedes preferring academy prospect Kimi Antonelli as a possible replacement for Lewis Hamilton. Sainz shared insights on his talks with Mercedes on The High Performance podcast, indicating that although he was considered, he acknowledges Toto Wolff’s satisfaction with their choice in Kimi Antonelli.
