Williams denies Carlos Sainz has an exit clause in his contract
Williams Team Principal James Vowles has denied rumours that Carlos Sainz's contract contains an exit clause allowing him to leave the team for Mercedes or Red Bull before 2025. The British manager confirmed that details of the contract are confidential and that speculation is unfounded.
Carlos Sainz, since his officially confirmed arrival at Williams, has been the subject of many speculations. Lately, a rumor has been circulating that the Spanish driver could leave the team even before the first race laps in 2025. Williams, whose team director James Vowles recently spoke out, has strongly denied this.
Rumors that appeared very early.
The Spanish driver, still with Ferrari for the end of the season, surprised many fans with his announcement last week. With this new contract in the British team, speculations circulated just after the announcement of Carlos Sainz’s signature. According to rumors, an exit clause would have been provided if Mercedes or Red Bull were to show interest in hiring the driver.
After several months of speculation regarding his future in Formula 1, Carlos Sainz signed a multi-year contract with Williams, and despite expressing his excitement to join the team and restore the team to its former glory, it was not enough. Carlos Sainz’s contract raised questions as soon as it was announced.
F1-Insider.com had reported that the agreement with the Spanish driver and Williams, supposedly worth 10 million euros, could include a special clause allowing the driver to leave the team if an opportunity at Mercedes or Red Bull arises in 2025. This information was quickly denied by James Vowles.
A very private contract
During an interview with the media, James Vowles, team principal at Williams, dismissed rumors of an existing exit clause. The specifics of the contract, he says, are extremely confidential, which would not have given anyone the opportunity to obtain such information. « There are precisely 10 people in the world who know the exact contents of the contract,” he explained to the media. « Carlos’ team and I know what it contains. Everything you’ve read on the internet is speculation, and that’s it. Because, I’m not saying it’s someone among you, but there are only a handful of people in the world who know what we’re talking about. And that doesn’t even include the team members. And it certainly isn’t the journalists outside this motorhome,” he concluded.
Furthermore, all the information provided so far comes from Carlos Sainz himself, as James Vowles explained. The message indicating that it’s for 2025, 2026, and beyond didn’t come from me, but from Carlos. He wanted it to be absolutely clear to everyone, to the whole world, that he is committed and that this is where he wants to be.
Both parties seem ready to engage in this long-term project, determined to make the Williams team more competitive and at the top of the rankings as early as next year.
