MONTE CARLO, Monaco -- Carlos Sainz's future continues to dominate the talk around Formula One's driver market, with Williams emerging as a strong candidate this week.
Sainz's future beyond 2024 has been unclear since Ferrari confirmed the signing of Lewis Hamilton for next season. Sources with good knowledge of the situation have confirmed to ESPN that Williams is a strong option for Sainz, who won the Australian Grand Prix earlier this year.
As is the case with Sainz and several other teams, talks have been ongoing for a while. Sainz is believed to be delaying his decision until Red Bull confirms its intentions for 2025.
Max Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez is yet to secure a contract extension for next year, although he is widely expected to stay.
Sainz's best other option is understood to be Sauber, which will become Audi in 2026, although Sainz has reservations about whether a new manufacturer will be able to put together a competitive package at the first time of asking.
Sources have told ESPN that Audi is keen to secure a marquee, race-winning driver like Sainz on a long-term contract, meaning he would have to commit to multiple seasons with a team yet to start racing in the sport.
But Williams is looking increasingly like a left-field option. Although the team's poor infrastructure has been brutally exposed this year, leaving it without a backup chassis for the opening four races, team boss James Vowles has laid out an ambitious plan to bring the team back to competitiveness.
Williams driver Alex Albon recently gave Vowles' vision a ringing endorsement by signing a deal through to the end of 2027. Albon's teammate Logan Sergeant might not even see out the current season, let alone make it to 2025 with Williams.
Vowles has this week confirmed his admiration of Sainz's talent and strongly suggested he wants to bring him to the team.
"We have talks with drivers, but it's important to treat those confidentially," Vowles told Racer magazine on Saturday. "I think Carlos is tremendous -- he's an incredible driver. He has won races where others could not, simple as that.
"For years -- and I don't mean months, for years -- I think he has been absolutely right up there. If you go all the way back to the Toro Rosso days, he was matching Max. Go back to McLaren, he's matching Lando. There is every reason to believe that he's a tremendous force of nature, and it would be foolish of any teams not to have him on the agenda.
"And certainly, from our perspective, while I don't want to confirm who we are talking to, and what we're talking to, I could certainly say that teams would be foolish not to have him as part of your lineup."
Williams are not short of options. Valtteri Bottas, who Sainz could replace at Sauber/Audi next year, has also been talking to his former team. Elsewhere, sources have told ESPN Yuki Tsunoda and Esteban Ocon are emerging as key cogs in the remaining moves.
Tsunoda is known to be desperate to get out of the Red Bull driver programme, with a promotion to the senior team looking completely closed off.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner does not see Tsunoda, who has been in top form this season, at the company's junior team RB, as a viable option for the world champions going forward.
Sources have told ESPN Tsunoda has looked at both Haas and Alpine as potential destinations. Alpine driver Ocon is high on Haas boss Ayao Komatsu's list for next season.
Haas has two seats available for next season, with Nico Hulkenberg confirmed at Sauber for 2025 and Kevin Magnussen looking increasingly unlikely to stay in F1 beyond this year.
Haas looks set to sign Ferrari junior driver Oliver Bearman to one of those seats next season -- one source with good knowledge of the situation has said that deal is as good as done and likely to be confirmed in the coming weeks.