Sainz's Bold Move, The Olympics Mania, and a Young Drivers Race?!
Hi there! Welcome to Track Limits, a weekly F1 newsletter where we break down the major headlines and dive into the questions, trends, and topics that spark our collective curiosity. Nothing is off-topic and a little fun is always part of the mix!
Good Afternoon!! In true Formula One style, the last week before the break was anything but calm and relaxed! The unusually dry weather on Sunday led to an exciting race in Spa with multiple strategy battles keeping us on the edge of our seats until the final lap. But within 24 hours of packing up the paddock, the chaos had already unfolded!!
Russell lost his second win of the season, Sainz dropped the news we’d all been anticipating, Alpine announced their latest team principal, Red Bull lost another senior management figure, and McLaren extended its contract with Stella! I’m usually excited with the prospect of a chaotic silly season, but can we please take a break this year and just enjoy the Olympics?!!
That said, I'll be taking a small hiatus during the summer break! This means Track Limits will return as usual after the Dutch Grand Prix. In the meantime, if you’re craving your regular F1 and sports updates, join me on social media - I’ll likely be posting there over the next few weeks!!
With more than a dozen race weekends under our belts, it’s no surprise that teams were overly excited for the imminent summer break! This meant that beyond their media and marketing obligations, we didn’t have any shenanigans from the drivers or anyone else, for that matter!
Luckily for us, social media teams have become experts at capitalizing on trends and global events to create fun content. So, with the Olympic Games on our doorstep, the Olympic mania in the paddock was in full swing!
In this spirit of fun, Formula 1 took it upon themselves to investigate which sport each driver would choose to compete in at the Olympics, and the answers were very very intriguing! Albon believes artistic swimming would be his thing - given his long legs, I can actually see that! Norris immediately picked golf, which to be honest I forgot is even an Olympic sport. Hamilton, on the other hand, went for fencing - one of the most elegant and niche sports ever, making it a perfect fit for him! Leclerc said he’d try his luck in high jumping - I could come up with a dozen mean jokes about this but I’m choosing kindness today!! Meanwhile, Sainz described himself as a “hybrid athlete” who excels in every sport! Of all the drivers, he’d be the one to pull that off, but you can’t make such a claim without baking it somehow! So, when are we getting a Sainz Olympics?!
Red Bull had Perez choose a driver for each of the Olympic sports presented to him. Not only is it hilarious, but I think his reasoning is spot on!!
Equally entertaining and ridiculous, was Stake’s rendition of the Olympic craze. I have to give it to them, there is no other team on the grid that perfectly encapsulates a driver’s vibe and essence like they do! They’ve single-handedly turned Bottas into a cultural phenomenon, and I’m happy to report that his appeal has reached far beyond Formula One! Last weekend, they seized the opportunity to create one of the most hilarious Olympic-themed content to date, featuring the Finn "trying out" several sports to find the one he would compete in at the Olympics.
The premise is simple yet the execution is brilliant in its comedic delivery. Along with his "Travel Tips" video, it proves that if, for some unfortunate reason, Bottas isn’t able to secure a seat this season, he definitely has a future in either social media or comedy!!
Still on the subject of the Olympics, I’m surprised we haven’t seen any of the drivers in Paris. With all the celebrities and athletes flocking to the French capital, not a single Formula One driver has been seen! Honestly, I was expecting to catch a glimpse of Hamilton, Zhou, and the French drivers especially with LVMH being one of the games’ premium partners. Maybe we will see one of them upcoming week or during the closing ceremony?
Speaking of French drivers! Despite all of the chaos at Alpine, they have one thing going for them: Ryan Reynolds! As a recent investor in the team, he’s been quick to capitalize on Formula One’s global platform. What better way to promote your latest cinematic project than with a special Deadpool & Wolverine livery, two unique helmet designs, and an amazing “Who did it better” video? Talk about marketing synergy! I think we can agree Reynolds is taking one of the grid’s most vanilla teams and catapulting it into cultural relevance territory. Yes, territory because Reynolds may be a lot of things, but he’s no miracle worker!!
Unfortunately, Alpine is not the only thing Vanilla this year. All signs point to this summer break being rather uneventful when it comes to drivers' holiday activities! I suspect we'll just see the usual yacht and beach getaways from most drivers. The only hope for some interesting holiday content might come from Norris, if he decides to follow Martin Garrix around during his summer tour! Maybe Bottas, if he goes all in on his cycling persona or decides to get a new hair cut! Or perhaps Ricciardo, if he embraces the cowboy summer vibe again! Besides these three, I can't think of anyone else who might embark on a crazy summer adventure this year. At least team members seem to have more exciting summer plans than the drivers!!
Finally, “Grill the Grid” was back this week, and whoever is behind these challenges deserves a raise - and possibly needs a psych evaluation because they are disturbed! Some of the driver mashups from this episode are so horrendous that I desperately wish I could erase them from my memory!!
Oh, I almost forgot! Several drivers - Norris, Ricciardo, and Ocon - launched their summer capsule collections this week. Is it just me, or is driver merch becoming the embodiment of meh? It’s kind of a bad sign when you see more comments about the amazing cars in the promo video than positive feedback on the designs. I wonder if this is a sign that we're seeing too many collections from drivers or if the merch itself just isn't exciting or inspiring.
Sainz’s Bold Move
After the surprising revelation in January that Hamilton would be joining Ferrari in 2025, Sainz has finally announced the team he will be joining for the upcoming seasons.
Several teams were rumored to be competing for his services, but it was Williams who ultimately secured the Spaniard’s services for at least two years. Despite Vowles making it publicly known he was courting Sainz to join him and Albon - who extended his contract in May - many thought it wasn’t just far-fetched but a very odd pairing.
THE REASONING:
The upcoming change in technical regulations has left the 2026 pecking order up in the air. Besides the two leading power unit manufacturers - Mercedes and Ferrari - no one really knows who will get it right and who will get it very, very wrong.
This makes the current driver market not only chaotic but also high-risk, particularly for the drivers. And with several teams undergoing ownership and senior management changes, the situation has become even more complex. Of all the drivers Sainz stands to lose the most in this scenario. He’s coming from one of the top power unit manufacturers’ works teams and is at the peak of his career in terms of on-track performance.
Ideally, his departure from Ferrari would be followed by a move to another top works team. However, as the season progressed, it became clear that neither Mercedes nor Red Bull - whose status as a top team in 2026 remains uncertain - has a spot for him. This left Sainz with options in the midfield or among the backmarkers.
None of these teams were likely his preferred choices, but Williams was at the bottom of the list of many insiders. It wasn’t due to a lack of an interesting opportunity. As Williams offered Sainz a unique chance to step into a leadership role and help drive their rebuild while benefiting from a Mercedes engine. Rather, it’s because the personal brand of the Spaniard and that of the Grove-based team are almost polar opposites.
Sainz is one of the few drivers who has actively built a strong personal brand over the past few years. His values are clearly identifiable, the audience he aims to engage with is well-defined, and the way he portrays himself is aligned with that. If we were to define his brand through a fashion and lifestyle lens, it would lean towards “quite luxury” or “old money”. This perfectly aligns with Ferrari but feels quite odd with Williams.
Although the British team enjoys a brilliant legacy of innovation and success with multiple championship titles, they have always felt like mavericks rather than part of the established elite. This perception has persisted even after over 50 years in the sport and despite the team’s recent acquisition by the American private equity firm Dorliton Capital.
One clear reflection of this, is Williams' marketing strategy which challenges industry standards and looks to be targeting a young demographic who are new to the sport, interested in the technical side of things, who don’t take themselves too serious and aren’t particularly impressed by the glitz and glam of F1. If we look around the paddock this segment isn’t F1’s usual target audience. Consequently, the partners and sponsors the team has signed in recent years aren’t luxury brands like Richard Mille or Tommy Hilfiger - as many of the other teams - but rather brands like Duracell and Puma. The same goes for how Williams engages with fans through their activations for example - such as the the pop-up shops - and the type of merchandise they sell.
As such, it's easy to see why this pairing feels like a mismatch - because, by most standards, it is! So, now the question becomes, how can these two distinct brands not only coexist but collaborate to create some form of synergy.
Clearly, both parties stand to benefit from this partnership, even off-track. At first glance, it seems Williams may have the most to gain. Sainz has built a substantial fanbase, is well media-trained, respected within the paddock, and is an appealing brand ambassador for both B2B (business to business) companies and consumer brands. This likely means that with Sainz in one of their cars, the British team will be able to attract new and more high-end sponsors.
On the other hand, the Sainz brand will likely gain more residual benefits from the association with Williams. These include things such as enhancing Sainz’s reputation, boosting awareness and engagement with a different segment of the F1 fanbase, and gaining access to potential partners in new markets and industries. Which could open doors to opportunities both within the sport and beyond.
It’s needless to say that the challenges will be numerous but the opportunities to create something new and different are equally abundant, even if they aren’t immediately apparent.
Despite their obvious differences, Williams and Sainz share core values, a common goal, and each bring unique value to the partnership. As such, their ability to leverage these things and push each other beyond their current limitations - on track and off it - will determine the partnership's success, especially if it’s defined by more than just the final standing in the 2026 championship.
A Young Drivers Race?!
Just before the summer break, the teams, Formula 1, and the FIA convened for yet another Formula One Commission meeting. Among the several topics discussed, various proposals were put forward to give young drivers more opportunities to drive a current F1 car.
Although none of them has been approved yet, they signal a clear intention to bridge the gap between young athletes and Formula One.
THE CONTEXT:
Formula One is unique in many ways, but perhaps the most mind-blowing fact is that only 20 athletes compete in the sport.
This makes being a driver one of the rarest professions in the world and getting a seat in Formula One less probable than being struck by lightning! As interesting as this statistic may be, for aspiring drivers it’s a daunting odd to beat. One that seems harder each year as Formula One drivers' careers have lengthened over time, thanks to advancements in safety, personal fitness, and the financial stability of the sport.
Since the early 2010s, the number of rookies entering Formula One has generally declined compared to the sport's earlier years. This bottleneck means that even young drivers with exceptional on-track performance, financial backing, and valuable connections have struggled to secure a seat. Well-known examples of this are Drugovich, Lawson, Doohan and Vesti who have been waiting on the sidelines, some for years.
This trend highlights the sport's growing barriers to entry and the increasing risk aversion among teams. They often prefer drivers with experience and a proven track record of consistency over rookies. This season, Mercedes' hesitation to commit to their junior program driver, Antonelli, clearly exemplifies this shift. Sure, with tight competition, a drop in the Constructors' standings can mean losing millions in prize money. However, the few young drivers who have had the chance to race in Formula One in recent seasons have demonstrated to be more than capable.
Actually, the most recent rookie to join a Formula One team, Ollie Bearman, attributes his opportunity to participate in a Grand Prix weekend - beyond just the mandatory FP1 rookie sessions and young driver tests - as decisive to securing his spot in 2025.
As such, given the reservations teams have about young drivers, the best way to overcome the bottleneck blocking their progression into Formula One seems to be getting them into a car and onto the track in a real-world setting.
Some of the proposals being discussed include turning sprint races into rookie events, introducing a third "rookie car" for each team at one Grand Prix per season, or organizing a dedicated rookie Grand Prix during the post-season. However, it's still unclear which option will be selected due to the various logistical and financial implications for teams, the FIA, Formula 1, Pirelli, and the media.
Nevertheless, the inclusion of this topic on the commission’s agenda and the apparent consensus among stakeholders that a solution must be found, indicates that the sport is finally addressing an issue that has long affected young athletes.
Will this increase young drivers' chances of making it to Formula One? Not necessarily, as the grid remains limited to 10 teams with just two drivers each. It will, however, create more opportunities for more athletes to be in front of decision-makers and hopefully reduce the probability of promising drivers being overlooked by providing teams with greater performance assurance.
This week’s recomended content!!
🗞 READ
The Formula | The life goals and lessons of Charles Leclerc | The Travel Agent Who Built the Long Beach Grand Prix | Esteban Ocon’s Marvel superfandom runs deep — and now arrives at the F1 track | F1 summer report cards | What Alpine’s Latest F1 Team Boss Change Can Actually Achieve | Oscar Piastri Talks Race Routine, 2026 Car. And The One Thing He Didn’t Anticipate With F1 | How do the teams make sure their cars are the correct weight – and what went wrong for Russell?
🎧 LISTEN
Unfiltered conversation with the Scuderia Ferrari HP drivers | Talking Bull: Six F1 Drivers in One Podcast! | Sky Sports F1 Podcast: How McLaren became championship contenders | F1 Explains: Meet the Mechanics in an F1 Garage | The Red Flag Pod: Guenther Steiner on Sainz Going to Williams, Checo’s Future and the Alpine News
Photo Credit: Carlos Sainz, Williams Racing