In a surprising turn of events, Flavio Briatore, the Alpine executive director, nearly threw a spanner in the works, disrupting the expected signing of Carlos Sainz to the Williams F1 team. This revelation emerged during an episode of Netflix’s Drive to Survive series, aptly named ‘Carlos Signs’.
The narrative arc of the episode centered around Sainz’s quest for a suitable F1 team for the 2025 season. The events unfolded six months after Sainz’s abrupt dismissal from Ferrari to create space for Lewis Hamilton. Sainz then signed a long-term contract with Williams, much to the relief of James Vowles, the team principal.
Vowles’ anticipation of Sainz’s arrival for signing was palpable, first documented five weeks prior when he sat in a hotel conference room with a freshly printed contract and champagne on ice. However, Sainz was conspicuously absent. Vowles expressed his sentiments to the Drive to Survive producers, stating that his thoughts were consumed by nothing else but securing Sainz for the team.
Carlos Oñoro, Sainz’s manager, was involved in the negotiations with Vowles, who assured Oñoro that the contract was favourable and that the team was expected to gain strength over the subsequent races. Vowles’ analogy of the contract signing process to dating added a touch of humour to the tense situation.
However, just as Sainz was supposed to sign with Williams, an unexpected twist occurred. When asked about the delay, Sainz simply said, “Flavio called me”. Rumours were rife that Briatore was keen on recruiting Sainz for Alpine, as evidenced by his deep conversation with Sainz’s father.
Briatore’s fondness for Sainz was evident, going back to when Sainz was just a child. He expressed his desire to work with Sainz in the future, causing Sainz to reconsider his options, as admitted by Oñoro at the British Grand Prix.
Despite Christian Horner’s warning about Briatore’s potential negative influence and the high price, and Pierre Gasly’s thoughts on the Alpine F1 car, Sainz eventually signed a multi-year deal with Williams at the Belgian GP.
Vowles, finally having the last say on Drive to Survive, congratulated Sainz as he entered the conference room, marking the end of an intense period of negotiation and uncertainty. This episode serves as a testament to the convoluted and unpredictable nature of the F1 team selection process.
