Carlos Sainz denies rumors of a swap with Andrea Kimi Antonelli
It has been a challenging few months for Andrea Kimi Antonelli. After a strong start to the season, the European part of the calendar proved difficult for him. Between mistakes and bad luck, the Italian driver scored only three points in recent months but bounced back impressively in Baku. On Saturday, he outqualified his affected teammate to secure a spot on the second row, and in the race, he came close to the podium. This clean and smooth weekend was exactly what the young driver needed to regain confidence after struggling to maximize his potential in previous rounds.
The negative streak over the summer also sparked typical market rumors—those that emerge in the frenzy of finding an instant champion without giving debutants time to develop. Specifically, discussions arose about a possible move to Alpine or a swap with Carlos Sainz at Williams, supposedly to allow Kimi Antonelli to grow away from the spotlight. These were empty rumors, as behind the scenes, Antonelli is already negotiating a renewal with Mercedes. Even Carlos Sainz, fresh off a podium with the Grove-based team, denied any swap talks. He confirmed, “I have a contract with Williams, and Toto has not called either me or James Vowles. I don’t pay attention to the rumors; I’m focused on this project, and I feel I’m in the right place at the right time. I’ve been fast all year, had some strong qualifying sessions, but sometimes things just go wrong. Baku showed we have the abilities; we just need to put the pieces together,” Carlos Sainz said in a recent interview for Sky Sport.
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