Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher said he has heard rumors suggesting Carlos Sainz has already signed with Williams, and the deal should be announced this week.
Carlos Sainz is perhaps the driver who has been most vocal about wanting to have his contract signed before the first race of the 2024 season.
However, as we know, things took a wild turn for the Spanish driver, and following the ninth race of the season in Canada, the 29-year-old still had nothing to announce to the media.
That might have changed now. Not many options are left on the market for Sainz at the moment and it looked like he was close to making his final choice.
Though the Ferrari driver stated in Montreal he still didn't have a contract in his hand, Ralf Schumacher now brought up rumors that suggest the Spaniard's deal with Williams is already done and might be announced this week. He told Sky Sports Germany:
"Carlos Sainz has, if the rumours are to be believed, signed with Williams and that will be announced this week."
"It may sound strange to Sainz at first, but Williams has big goals and ambitious investors. To be honest, it was the best option for him."
Another former F1 driver, Juan Pablo Montoya, also agrees that the British team seems to be Sainz's best choice at the moment. According to F1Oversteer, he said on W Radio Colombia YouTube channel:
"I think it is the best option he has. Honestly, I really think that Williams is a better option at this moment than Audi because it is an organization that has already suffered over the years."
Williams Racing has undergone significant changes over the last 24 months, and with their new team principal, James Vowles, the F1 team aims to get back to the top. Montoya added:
“They are already restructured, they already have everything and they are going up and they are going to improve."
"They're going to be a much better team, and if you look every year, they have a better car, and they are improving a lot each time."